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Cycling is the latest fashion in Aylesbury
Many people living in Aylesbury would agree that cycling has a far more noticeable presence than it had a few years ago. From jingles on the radio to banners around the town, the push on cycling reflects a national consciousness of environmental, traffic management and obesity issues.
This is taking shape in Aylesbury through the Cycling Demonstration Town (CDT) project, bringing 2 million into Aylesbury for investing in cycling facilities and promoting the benefits of cycling, with the aim to treble the number of cyclists in Aylesbury between 2005 and 2008.
In fact there are more cyclists in Aylesbury – there was a 38 per cent increase in cyclist trips around the town from last year and the cycling to school figures are up 115 per cent.
There have been rumblings of a 'cycling revolution' and something is certainly happening which is improving the status of the bike as an easy, practical and efficient mode of transport.
There has been a notable upturn in the expressions of support for cycling, and many local voices keen to have their say on cycling issues. Cycling is certainly making its mark on the local agenda.
Bucks Herald reporter, Parveen Devlin, was inspired enough by the cycling buzz to take advantage of Cycle Aylesbury's Bike Buddy scheme to build her confidence along her route to and from work, and she seemed to enjoy the ride, although she expressed her dislike of its difficult elements. Safety was a concern of hers, but completing the ride showed Parveen that cycling was not as intimidating or hard as many people think. She said: "Cycling the route did prove to me that it could be done, and that I should feel safe."
Darren Divall, Team Leader for Cycling and Walking at Buckinghamshire County Council, said: "Many people seem to have worries about cycling and its safety which are exaggerated or misinformed; we hope to provide information and reasons to cycle which can dispel these doubts and get more people on their bikes."
Aylesbury is a great place for cycling, being very flat, and the imminent growth areas, at Berryfields and Weedon Hill, can be developed with cycling facilities built into their infrastructure. Residents of these new housing areas will be moving into estates already equipped for cycling and well connected to the town centre by cycleways. The relative wealth of the town, and its access to some excellent bike shops, mean that Aylesbury is a town ideally suited to cycling.
For safe and enjoyable cycling, dedicated bicycle facilities are necessary. Aylesbury's Gemstone Cycleways, a network of radial routes running from the town centre to various locations around Aylesbury, provide a safe, enjoyable and direct facility for cyclists. The routes are all fully signposted and the vast majority is off-road, separated from car traffic.
Away from town there are many beautiful cycle routes; Bernwood Forest, the Phoenix Trail, the Grand Union Canal Towpath and the Mid Chiltern Villages all have excellent cycle paths, and are extremely popular amongst leisure cyclists on weekends and holidays.
The fact that 30 per cent of Buckinghamshire is within the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty also adds to Buckinghamshire's appeal as a cycling county, and there are many cycle tracks around the Chiltern Hills, suitable for cyclists of all abilities.
Lots of local and national campaigns are linked to cycling;
Buckinghamshire's drive to recycle more waste is part of the green agenda, encouraging sustainable living, and the five-a-day initiative and the endless TV programmes about obesity and low fitness levels throughout the country are symptomatic of a population struggling to meet the daily exercise requirements. The Government's Health Select Committee reported in 2006 that "If the government were to achieve its target of trebling cycling in the period 2000-2010 that might achieve more in the fight against obesity than any individual measure we recommend."
Cycling can also help reduce congestion and noise pollution around the town, making Aylesbury a more pleasant place to live, work and relax.
Buckinghamshire County Council has many different initiatives for encouraging cycling - giving away bikes in competitions, providing bikes and bike storage to businesses and holding cycling events for people to find out about local routes and cycling facilities.
Ben Chisnall, cycling and walking officer at Bucks County Council, said: "I work closely with Sam Pickard, the council's 'Bike It' officer, in local primary schools, and it's great to see children in Aylesbury so positive and receptive to cycling.
"Marketing is a major element of the CDT project, selling cycling to the public. We need to get our messages correct, and by emphasising the many benefits cycling brings, we can see a sharp increase in the numbers of cyclists in the town and a solution to the increasing congestion on Aylesbury's roads."
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Weather for Aylesbury
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 5 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -6 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
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