Rubber Mulch for Play Area in Omagh #Rubberised #Mulch #for #Playgrounds #Omagh https://t.co/AKF92kDUkm
— Rubber Play Bark (@rubberplaybark) May 14, 2018
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Be inspired to get on your bike – whatever your age or ability – at Belfast’s first ever festival dedicated to all things cycling. Belcycle is a family-friendly festival taking place on Saturday 16 June under the watchful eye of Aslan the lion at CS Lewis Square in east Belfast.
There will be bikes of all shapes and sizes to test ride on the day including tandems, cargo bikes, scooters, balance bikes and adapted bikes for those with special needs. Pick up advice and tips from local cycling retailers on bikes, clothing and accessories, as well as information on cycling adventures, holidays, clubs and events.
Leisure and commuter cycling across the city has seen a remarkable increase in recent years due to improving infrastructure and new traffic-free corridors. More people than ever are recognising the health benefits of cycling and that it is a convenient, often fun way to travel.
“ We know Belcycle’s going to be a lot of fun for all the family. ”
- Gordon Clarke, SustransTo celebrate this rising culture, Belcycle will have something for the whole family to enjoy, from toddlers through to grandparents with a wide variety of free, fun pedal-powered attractions and activities.
Gordon Clarke, Sustrans Northern Ireland Director said: “Sustrans is all about encouraging everyday cycling and so we are delighted to organise this festival – the first of its kind in Northern Ireland. We know it’s going to be a lot of fun for all the family but we also hope it will challenge people’s perception of what cycling is and encourage them into the saddle.
“We know that 54% of Belfast residents would either like to start riding a bike or ride their bike more.[1] The main motivation for people is to improve their health but people quickly find cycling is convenient, cheap and an enjoyable way to get about.”
CS Lewis Square is the ideal location for the festival being where the Comber and Connswater Community Greenways intersect. The square is also home to our Active Travel Hub an EU-funded CHIPS project that encourages commuters in east Belfast to try alternatives to the car such as public transport, or cycling and walking. We will be on hand to offer travel advice, route planning, cycle training and pedal powered activities such as a bike smoothie maker and paint spinner.
There will be bike maintenance workshops & demos, as well as PSNI bike security advice and tagging on the day. No festival would be complete without some tasty food and refreshments, as well as live entertainment, music and competitions to keep the whole family entertained.
Michele Bryans, Connswater Community Greenway Trust Manager said: “We are delighted to host the first cycling festival at C.S. Lewis Square where both the Connswater Community Greenway and Comber Greenways meet. The Greenways provide an accessible, safe, traffic-free route for pedestrians and cyclists to explore and enjoy. We hope ‘Belcycle’ will encourage local people and visitors to cycle together and provide opportunities to explore the city.”
Belcycle will run from 11am to 4pm on Saturday 16 June at CS Lewis Square, east Belfast. There will be provision of on-site cycle parking so you can come by bike and it is well connected to the city centre by bus from the nearby Newtownards Road.
Find out more about our work in Northern Ireland Find out more about the CHIPS project[1] Belfast Bike Life 2017 report, produced by Sustrans and the Department for Infrastructure
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Southampton, Greater Cambridge, Liverpool City Region and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets have joined Bike Life – a partnership project run by the walking and cycling charity Sustrans – which is designed to help UK cities normalise cycling.
Additionally, Bike Life in Birmingham, which launched in 2014, will expand to cover the West Midlands.
The local authorities in each region and city will be working with Sustrans to produce reports capturing data on infrastructure, travel habits, public attitudes and the impact of cycling, due to be published in 2020 and 2022.
The Scottish Government has taken the lead in funding Bike Life in Scottish cities outside Edinburgh. Sustrans Scotland will work with Glasgow, Perth and Stirling to deliver respective Bike Life reports, due out in November 2018.
In total 14 cities and regions are due to participate in the project between 2018 and 2022. Collectively they cover almost 14 million people or 20% of the entire UK population.
Bike Life was founded in 2014 in seven major UK cities to help local authorities build the case for cycling and inform planning at a local level whilst shaping the political and funding landscape for active travel across the UK.
Bike Life has been used to develop cycling strategies, justify investment and delivery of schemes, support air quality plans, and demonstrate the benefits of cycling in cities for residents. Most recently the Greater Manchester Combined Authority used evidence from Bike Life to demonstrate public support for a bold new strategy for cycling. This has already paved the way for an investment of £160m for active travel.
Xavier Brice, Sustrans’ CEO, said: “Bike Life has demonstrated how it is an important tool to help encourage both political support and practical delivery of cycling in our cities. We are excited to be rolling this out to new cities across the UK.
“Delivering better infrastructure for cycling is key to keeping our cities moving, and improving health and economic vitality. It is fantastic to see local authorities have the appetite for change.
“Bike Life shows that people in cities across the UK understand the benefits of cycling and want better provision, including protected space. We need both national and local governments to rise to this challenge and make our cities more active and liveable”.
Cllr Jacqui Rayment, Cabinet Member for Environment & Transport, Southampton City Council, said:
“In Southampton, we are passionate about the health and wellbeing benefits cycling offers our residents. In addition, cycling also has a really positive impact on the quality of air in our city. As successful bidders for funding that supports and encourages active travel, we think Bike Life can help further develop the economic case for additional funding in Southampton.”
Councillor Ian Bates, Cambridgeshire County Council’s Chair of the Economy and Environment Committee and Greater Cambridge Partnership Board Member, said:
“I’m delighted that Greater Cambridge has been successful in joining the Sustrans Bike Life project.
“This means that much more data can be collected to gauge the progress that is being made in getting more people cycling more safely and more often across the area.
“Gathering more information will help build the case for further investment in walking and cycling, which is so important in helping to tackle traffic congestion, improve air quality and produce a network which allows a broader spread of people to feel safe and confident cycling”
Will Tuckley, Chief Executive of Tower Hamlets Council said:
“We are delighted to be the first London borough to work with Bike Life to build the case for additional cycling strategies and innovative alternatives to car use.
“Reducing air pollution and developing active travel options are key priorities in Tower Hamlets. The data we collate will pave the way for new investment in greener transport solutions across the borough.”
Steve Rotheram Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:
“As Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, I have pledged that we will promote and champion sustainable transport. Cycling is a healthy form of transport and we are working in partnership to make it more attractive and accessible to encourage more people to take it up. We are delighted to be part of the national BikeLife programme and look forward to working alongside the other participant areas to make the most of this great opportunity.”
Bike Life mirrors the Copenhagen Bicycle Account which outlines the development in cycling, identifies challenges and informs planning.
The Danish capital of Copenhagen is the most bicycle-friendly city in the world. The Government has invested over £35 per head each year on cycling and a network of segregated cycle routes on almost all main roads and bridges across the city since 2004. In 2016, 41% of trips to work and education in the city were made by bike and 76% of Copenhagener’s feel secure when cycling (Copenhagen Bike Account, 2016. Copenhagen City of Cyclists).
Currently, there’s a huge variation in active travel spending across the UK and many cities are facing a significant fall in funding.
The expansion of Bike Life in England is funded by the Freshfield Foundation and the cities and regions themselves. For more information and respective city Bike Life reports visit www.sustrans.org.uk/bikelife.
For more information, interviews, case studies and photos contact:Anna Galandzij, Senior Press Officer at Sustrans, 07557 915 648, anna.galandzij@sustrans.org.uk
Liv Denne, Press and Media Officer at Sustrans, 07768 035318, liv.denne@sustrans.org.uk
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Thanks to funding from the Postcode Local Trust, volunteers on the Bristol and Bath Railway Path and the Bath Two Tunnels Greenway are working to improve biodiversity at several key sites on the routes.
A grant of £10,632 has been received from the Postcode Local Trust, raised through players of the Postcode Lottery. This generous donation will support the transformation of key sites along two of our best known National Cycle Network (NCN) routes, in order to improve biodiversity and local habitats and to engage local communities in the wildlife on their doorstep.
As part of our Greener Greenways activities, these projects will include a number of public events, raising awareness of the wildlife on the NCN and the opportunities for people to travel actively and safely around Bristol and Bath. Through these exciting events we’ll also engage with local residents around our plans for developing the Bristol and Bath Railway Path over the next five years.
Volunteers are gaining training in skills including hedge-laying and scything and will use these skills and other activities to help improve the greenways, wildlife habitats and corridors with support from our Ecologist and our Project Officer.
On the Bath Two Tunnels Greenway, we’ll be putting up bat boxes to create extra roosting opportunities, as well as maintaining mini meadows, home to wildflowers and insects.
On the Bristol and Bath path, we are looking to enhance the spaces used by both people and wildlife, such as our recent work with Up Our Street to restore the green roof structure on the Mound by Easton Community Centre.
Greener Greenways Project Officer, Lydia Blake says “The Bristol and Bath path and Bath Two Tunnels route provide important spaces for wildlife in the heart of these cities, allowing people access to nature in their neighbourhoods and helping make them more liveable.
It’s great to be working with our volunteers and communities to support the species and habitats we have here, and ensure an ecologically rich future for these greenways”.
Funding from the Postcode Local Trust is supporting the cost of training volunteers and purchasing equipment, materials and storage. We are holding a range of public engagement events including wildlife walks and rides, species identification events and community days alongside our volunteer work days.
The first event, a hedge-laying course, took place on 11 March on Siston Common, and we will return in the autumn to continue to work on this stretch. In the meantime head out on the path to have a look and tell us what you think!
Our next event is a wildlife walk on the Bristol and Bath path on 16 May for Bristol Walkfest. If you would like to join us, or for more information on volunteering on the Bristol and Bath Railway Path or the Bath Two Tunnels Greenway please contact lydia.blake@sustrans.org.uk
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Tired of the traffic jams? Wish you didn’t have to face the daily rush hour to work? Commuters in Northern Ireland are being challenged to leave their cars at home during May and try alternative forms of transport in a bid to get fit and improve the environment.
We are organising the annual Active Travel Challenge, funded by the Public Health Agency, which runs from the 7 May – 3 June.
The main aim of the Challenge is to get as many people as possible choosing to take more of their journeys to and from work by walking, cycling, using public transport or car-sharing – any sustainable transport journey. It is also aimed at encouraging employees who have mostly sedentary desk jobs to get active during their lunch-hour.
“ The Active Travel Challenge has been commissioned by the PHA to encourage and support employees to travel actively as part of their working day. ”
- Valerie Watts PHA Interim Chief ExecutiveAccording to the Belfast Bike Life 2017 report people cycling in Belfast take nearly 7,000 cars off the roads daily – equivalent to a 21-mile tailback.[1]
Many commuters are put off cycling to work because of traffic, however, in the Londoderry area there are more than 80km of traffic-free paths which are a good way to begin.
Steven Patterson, Sustrans Delivery Manager said:
“Many commuters spend a large chunk of their day sitting in traffic jams to and from work. We believe you can combine active travel into all or part of your daily commute. The Active Travel Challenge is a great way to get started!
“You don’t have to be super-fit and lycra-clad to take part. We are really keen to attract the ordinary, mainly sedentary worker to take part and enjoy the difference getting active as part of your daily routine can make to your life.”
Valerie Watts, Interim Chief Executive of the Public Health Agency (PHA) said:
“The Active Travel Challenge has been commissioned by the PHA to encourage and support employees to travel actively as part of their working day. We are supporting this Challenge as there are many benefits to being more physically active including helping reduce the risk of many chronic conditions including coronary heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, while also improving mental health by reducing levels of anxiety and stress. We would encourage everyone to get involved and enjoy getting active on their commute.”
The free Challenge is online and includes a handy mobile App to help you log your journeys when you’re on the move. Just register online and log your commute by bus/train, lunchtime walks, cycle rides, car-share journeys or multi-modal journeys.
The more sustainable journeys, the more points on the leader board and points make prizes! These include a commuter pack worth £150, Fitbits, gift vouchers, cycling and walking goodies and much more.
The Active Travel Challenge is open to any individual or organisation in Northern Ireland, with a particular focus on workplaces in Belfast and the north west where Sustrans’ has programmes.
Register your workplace, or as an individual Find out more about Sustrans workplace programmes[1] Belfast Bike Life 2017 report, Sustrans and DfI
Sustrans Cymru has welcomed the news of an additional investment of £60million to active travel in the Welsh Infrastructure and Investment Plan (WIIP).
Earlier in the year, Sustrans Cymru called for a renewed financial commitment to walking and cycling, fearing that the world leading Active Travel Act passed in 2013, risked being ineffective without it. Sustrans Cymru estimates that the additional funding announced means that Wales will be spending approximately £12 per head per year, against £16 in Scotland.
The £60million over three years will be used to improve infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists and is part of an additional £266million announced in the Welsh Infrastructure Investment Plan for 2018-21.
Commenting, Steve Brooks, Director of Sustrans Cymru said:
“Today’s announcement shows Wales in picking up speed and closing the funding gap with Scotland. Helping more people leave their cars at home and make short journeys on foot or by bike is good news for the economy, the environment and public health.
We know that congestion is hurting Welsh business, polluting our air and contributing to ill-health. Whilst we still have some way to go to make Wales a sustainable travel nation, today’s announcement is a massive step in the right direction.“
Find out more about our work in Wales
Commenting on the World Health Organization’s updated air pollution data, Rachel White, Senior Policy and Political Advisor at Sustrans said:
“This report highlights the poor air quality we face across the UK with children being some of the most vulnerable. The Government isn’t doing enough to tackle poor air quality from particulate matter in our cities, of which 45% is caused by tyre and brake wear. It is clear we need fewer not just cleaner vehicles on our roads.
“The Government must invest now in cycling and walking infrastructure which allows families to cycle and walk to school and amenities with confidence so that they are the most obvious choice for shorter journeys and we can see a reduction in the number of motor journeys made to protect everyone’s health.”
Some 47 towns and cities across the UK are at or have exceeded air pollution limits set by the World Health Organization. And around the world, nine out of 10 people are breathing air containing dangerous levels of pollutants.
The World Health Organization highlighted successful policies in transport and urban planning that reduce air pollution, including prioritizing rapid urban transit, walking and cycling networks in cities as well as rail inter-urban freight.
