Cycle spine project shortlisted for awards
The Gloucestershire Cycle Spine has been nominated for two awards at the National Transport Awards taking place on 5 October. The first nomination is for Gloucestershire’s exemplary approach to Active Travel and Public Space and their second nomination is for the Design, Engineering and Construction Project of the Year.
In addition, Gloucestershire County Council has also been shortlisted for the Active Travel Scheme of the Year at the Highways Awards being held on 11 October. Both ceremonies are taking place at the Westminster Park Plaza in London.
More information on the National Transport Awards is available here and details on the Highways Awards can be found here.
These three nominations recognise the quality of the work and scale of ambition that has gone into the cycle spine so far - which when completed, will be the longest continuous high spec cycle path in the country.
The route will help make cycling and sustainable travel more convenient and help encourage more people onto bikes with the aim of improving health and wellbeing in the community, while reducing Gloucestershire’s carbon emissions in support of a Greener Gloucestershire.
The cycle path will also provide a safe alternative for those without a car to access education, health and employment opportunities, including the new cyber park in Cheltenham. It offers an alternative to people’s daily commute, and will connect communities, public transport hubs, workplaces and places of education as well as Cheltenham town centre and Gloucester city centre, including the two hospitals, both University of Gloucestershire campuses and Gloucester college.
Furthermore, it will provide a link across rural areas stretching from Bishop’s Cleeve to Stroud.
The route is being built to the highest Department for Transport standards meaning that it is accessible to all – both proficient and novice cyclists, as well as children and families.
More details of the current proposals can be found on the Gloucestershire Cycle Spine Map.
Work on the cycle spine continues to make good progress and the first stages have seen the successful delivery of the West Cheltenham Walking and Cycling Improvements (WCWCI) and the completion of the initial phases of the B4063 Gloucester to Cheltenham Cycle Improvements Scheme.
As a result of successful funding applications to both Department for Transport Levelling Up Fund and Active Travel Funds, the sections from Bishop’s Cleeve to Cheltenham and through Gloucester City Centre are also being finalised following public feedback.
Cllr David Gray, cabinet member for environment and planning at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “We are very proud of this project – the largest of its kind nationally – and it’s great that it has also been recognised nationally with these award nominations. I’d like to congratulate our teams for their hard work in developing this project and residents for their patience during construction and feedback in our consultations.
“The Gloucestershire 26 mile continuous cycle spine will make it easier for people to use environmentally-friendly forms of transport, such as walking or cycling, reducing our carbon emissions and helping to create a Greener Gloucestershire.”