Lincoln businesses attended a special prize giving event in the city to celebrate the winners of the Lincoln Cycle Challenge.

Over 50 businesses, totalling 1,000 people, took part in the challenge, which aimed to encourage employees to cycle for at least 10 minutes a day between April 22 and May 12 as part of the Access LN6 project.

At the end of the event, miles were added up in preparation for the prize-giving event at The Showroom on May 23. Prizes include a £400 Specialized Hybrid bike from Arrow Cycles, family tickets for Lincoln Adventure Centre, LA Fitness memberships, a treatment at The Beauty Spa, lunch at Café Portico and more.

Between all the people taking part, 60,000 miles were covered — that’s would take you all the way around the world’s circumference twice over. Winners of the challenge came from the likes of Lincolnshire Coop, Anglian Water, e2v, VXI Power and Siemens.

The main prize was won by Tom Whittock, an employee at Lincolnshire Coop. He said: “Before the Lincoln Cycle Challenge, I was driving from my house in LN6 to work every day. I hadn’t ridden a bike in a long time and during the challenge, I had to clear the cobwebs and pump up the tyres!

“I’m very pleased I started cycling – I enjoy passing traffic on Tritton Road on the way home and we’ve been out on numerous family bike rides at the weekends. The new bike will encourage me to become a more regular cyclist and hopefully get a little fitter!”

Councillor Richard Davies, Executive Councillor for Highways and Transportation, said: “One of the main aims of Access LN6 is to increase the number of people cycling in LN6. Our role now is to maintain the enthusiasm of the 50 businesses involved, and encourage more people to think about the way they travel.”

Children from a South Lincoln primary school will walk and cycle to school this week as part of “Walk to School Week”.

Kids from Ling Moor Primary School will find ways of sustainably getting to school, as part of the Access LN6 project.

On the Monday, the school held a Big Bike Day to encourage cycling, scooting or walking.

Charity Sustrans was on hand to provide breakfast for children who walked or biked to school and show them how to keep their bikes in working order.

Pupils will also take part in the “Playground Pedal”.

Ling Moor Primary received £5,000 via the Access LN6 programme, and purchased a shelter so parents can wait for their children. It’s hoped this will encourage sustainable travel to and from school.

Sustrans Schools Officer Vincent Gibson said: “We want children to enjoy active travel so we’re working closely with schools in LN6 to raise awareness of walking and cycling, teaching children about safety and encouraging them to walk, scoot or cycle regularly.

“Walking, scooting and cycling to school has great health benefits, it’s more sustainable to the local environment and it’s a great way for children to gain independence.”

Headteacher at Ling Moor Primary School Mrs Jill Marston said: “Ling Moor Primary School has been promoting sustainable travel for almost 10 years.

Encouraging walking, cycling and scooting fits into our school ethos and reinforces the positive messages of sustainable travel to our students.

“The funding we received for our Parent Waiting Shelter means that whatever the weather, parents have an allocated space to wait for their children – either shaded in the summer, or sheltered from the winter.

“We’re confident that promoting sustainable travel will encourage parents, teachers and our pupils to think about the way they travel.”

Find out more about Access LN6 and how it can help staff at a local business or school by calling 01522 554 545 or visiting the Access LN6 website.

A 23-year-old cyclist is being treated in hospital for injuries sustained in a crash with an ambulance on Greetwell Road on Sunday afternoon.

The incident happened at around 5.40pm on May 19 on Greetwell Road near the junction with St Anne’s Road, before the hospital.

The ambulance was in collision with the man from Lincoln, who was on a bike.

Emergency services attended and he was taken to Lincoln County Hospital for treatment. An update on his condition is expected later in the day.

Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact Lincolnshire Police on the 101 number, quoting incident 367 of May 19.

A car crashed into a house in Washingborough near Lincoln on Saturday morning.

The incident happened at around 6am on May 18 at a property on Fen Road, Washingborough.

A dark blue Ford Focus went off the road and crashed into a house, leaving it in a dangerous state.

Emergency services attended and Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue propped up the damaged wall with shores.

The driver of the car was not trapped or injured.

06:07 1 of 2 – Specialist crews from Lincoln are in attendance at a property on Fen Road, Washingborough.

— Lincs Fire & Rescue (@LincsFireRescue) May 19, 2013

2 of 2 – 1 vehicle RTC, no persons trapped. Car crashed into property leaving it in a dangerous state. Emergency shoring up taking place.

— Lincs Fire & Rescue (@LincsFireRescue) May 19, 2013

Photo of the RTC this morning involving a house near Washingborough. No injuries. @lincsfirerescue USAR stabilising twitter.com/LincsRPU/statu…

— Lincs Police RPU (@LincsRPU) May 19, 2013

The Silver Street and High Street pedestrian crossing in Lincoln will be closed for a week while resurfacing work takes place.

The crossing will be closed between 7pm on May 23 and 6am on May 28, closing the road for traffic between Newland Street and Bank Street.

The current surface is not to standard and it will be replaced with a specialist material to improve the road surface and complement the area.

Local diversions will be in place during the works, and the one-way system on Mint Street will be reversed to let traffic exit Mint Lane via Mint Street.

Alan Aistrup, Head of Highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “The road surface on Silver Street has deteriorated and needs replacing.

“It was first put down in 2008 as part of the general improvements made to the High Street, but a problem was soon identified and unfortunately we have had to revisit the site a number of times to make minor repairs.

“We have taken the decision to resurface this section of Silver Street, but we will use a very high quality, durable material that will last for many years to come.

“The cost of these works has been recovered through the original contract at no cost to the authority.

“I apologise for any inconvenience the works may cause. We’ve planned to carry the work out over the bank holiday weekend to keep disruption to a minimum, and we’ve also chosen to use a specialist material which has a quick curing process, which considerably reduces the amount of time the road has to be closed.”

Businesses in the LN6 area of Lincoln could benefit from a £5,000 grant aimed at getting their employees to travel in an environmentally friendly way.

The Sustainable Travel Grant can be used by businesses to add things like cycle parking, lockers, showers, changing facilities, signage, pool bikes, electric charging points or teleconferencing equipment to encourage staff to use green transport, such as cycling.

The grant is part of the £6.5 million Access LN6 programme, which looks at improving sustainable travel in the area.

Chantelle Grundy, Access LN6 Project Manager, said: “Our Sustainable Travel Grant aims to reduce the costs associated with business travel and lost productivity due to traffic congestion.

“We’re confident that travelling sustainably not only supports businesses in meeting their environmental and corporate social responsibility goals, but also benefits staff who are happier, healthier and more productive as a result.”

Businesses can apply for the grant by obtaining a form from the Access LN6 website from May 20. The deadline for applications is June 28.

Lincolnshire Police are looking for witnesses after a boy on his bike collided with a lorry in Lincoln on Thursday afternoon.

The incident reported to police at around 4.54pm on May 2 on Exchange Road outside Newport House.

The boy is believed to be around 12-years-old and has been taken to Lincoln County Hospital for serious injuries.

Exchange Road is currently closed off while investigations take place. Delays in the area are expected.

Anyone who saw the collision are asked to call Lincolnshire Police on 01522 558855.

— Update on May 3 @ 11.33am: The boy has been transferred to Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield with a serious head injury.

Plans have been submitted to turn the site of the demolished Grand Hotel next to the Lincoln train station into a 46-space car park.

Lincolnshire Co-operative believes more car parking will increase the footfall in the area, which is adjacent to the site of the approved Lindongate development.

Subject to planning permission, it is hoped the car park will be open by late summer or September time. The site would also need landscaping.

Lincolnshire Co-operative spokesperson Emma Snedden said: “We have applied for planning permission to turn the site of the former Grand Hotel into a 46 space shoppers car park.

“Through our agents Banks Long & Co, we are also working to progress the Lindongate scheme and are in talks with a prospective developer.”

The car park will have a range of short and long stay options, mainly geared towards shoppers.

The St Mary’s Street NCP car park, which near the proposed car park, currently charges up to £6 for 24 hours parking.

Some Lincoln residents have been left without a public transport service after three Stagecoach bus services were rerouted due to road works.

The 66, 44 and 44a Stagecoach buses, which run along Dixon Street, High Street and Boultham Park Road, have been rerouted down Tritton Road.

This is in order to avoid the road works around Dixon Street, near the Boultham Park Road junction, which are currently delayed.

However, this means there are no buses running along the three roads until work is complete, with only one stop on Tritton Road.

According to Stagecoach, the temporary traffic lights on the Boultham Park Road and Dixon Street junction have been causing long traffic queues delays recently, disrupting the bus timetable.

The queuing on occasions would be so bad, three or four buses would become stuck in the line of traffic, meaning there would be large gaps in the timetable while buses all appeared at once.

A spokesperson for Stagecoach said: “Despite using additional buses and drivers to try and maintain our timetables it is proving simply impossible to alleviate the effect of the delays on our services and this is understandbly resulting in complaints from customers.

“Given the confirmation that the temporary traffic signals are to continue for a further five weeks we have decided that it is in the best interests of the majority of customers using Services 44, 44a and 66 to avoid Dixon Street and Boutlham Park Road altogether until the highway works are completed.

“This decision has not been made lightly because we are aware that people living in the area around the works will have some distance to walk to reach the nearest alternative bus stops, and we are sorry for this inconvenience, but we hope that everyone will understand that the situation is beyond our control.”

Local resident Jean Flannery wrote in a letter to Lincoln MP Karl McCartney: “This change of route impacts on quite a large population. Given the frequency with which these buses run, they are obviously very well used.

“I have heard from quite a few local residents who are really concerned, and some indeed distressed, about this and will find it disruptive and difficult.

“Stagecoach receives a subsidy from the City Council to run this service. They will not be fulfilling their contract if they make this change, which they simply say is due to the delays on the route caused by road works.”

More details on disruptions and the alternate routes can be found on posters on the buses, website or City Bus Station Travel Shop, or call Customer Services 0845 6050605.

The Thornbridge Car Park in Lincoln city centre reopened on Wednesday, April 24, after a delay in repair works.

The car park, above the central Lincoln bus station, closed in February for five weeks so essential resurfacing works worth £400,000 could be carried out.

However, due to the cold and snowy weather, the repair work had to be put on hold.

This is because in order for contractors Lindum Construction to lay the waterproof membrane, they needed drier conditions, over 5°C.

City Services Team Leader Rod Williamson said: “We are pleased that Thornbridge Car Park is back and open for business.

“We appreciate how patient people were during the closure, and apologise for the delay, which we could not have predicted.

“The car park has seen a steady flow of cars already this morning which is good to see.

“Thornbridge will now be part of our Monday discount scheme where people using the PayByPhone scheme will be eligible for a 25% discount on any tariff that day.”

Meanwhile, the Lucy Tower multistorey car park on Brayford Pool remains closed for maintenance works until August.

A man has been injured following a collision between a police armed response vehicle and a motorbike west of Lincoln at the weekend.

The incident happened at around 2.33pm on Saturday, April 20, on the A1133 near Newton on Trent, west of Lincoln on the A57.

A white BMW Lincolnshire Police armed response vehicle responding to an emergency call was in collision with a red Ducati motorbike.

The rider of the motorbike, believed to be a man from the Worksop area, was injured.

The biker was taken to hospital and treated for non life-threatening injuries. The police officer driving the BMW was not hurt.

Police are now appealing for any witnesses to get in touch with them as soon as possible.

Officers are particularly keen to trace two motorcyclists who were travelling south on the A1133. They crossed the A57 moments before the collision.

Anyone with any information can call the non emergency 101 number, quoting incident number 226 of April 20, 2013.

Double Olympic cycling medallist Bryan Steel was in Lincoln city centre on Friday to encourage people to sign up to a new cycle challenge.

He promoted the Lincoln Cycle Challenge, a free competition between businesses and individuals to see who can do the most cycling between April 22 and May 12.

The challenge was set up by Lincolnshire County Council as part of the Access LN6 project, which aims to improve sustainable transport infrastructure in the area.

Steel, who has won a silver and bronze medal in the Olympics, was in Cornhill as part of “Challenge Bryan”, where individuals could take part in a virtual bike race.

There were also bike maintenance sessions and a display from Arrows Cycles, and people could sign up for the challenge.

Bryan Steel said: “It’s a great campaign for getting friends in companies involved in cycling, sharing the benefits of cycling and showing how great cycling is.

“There are some great routes from the city out to the LN6 area, and it’s good to get people knowing about those routes and seeing the benefits cycling can do — not only in fitness, but commuting and cutting costs.

“When they developed the LN6 area, they really focused on cycle routes and there are good routes and footpaths. There are some really good surfaces that are made quite wide, so you can ride together and have a chat on the way to work.”

“[Cycling is] very sociable. Hopefully, we’ll get groups riding out to work and back every day. It adds a great social element as well.”

He added: “Today, people can challenge me to 400 metres, we’re side by side connected to some rollers, which attach to the screen, and we’ll see who can go round the fastest. I’ve set a time today of 24 seconds, so let’s see who can beat me! Maybe we’ll find some budding Olympic cyclists.”

So far, 37 organisations have signed up for the challenge, with 500 people pledging to cycle for at least 10 minutes over the challenge.

The business with the most most employees cycling will win team prizes, but there are also prizes for individuals taking part, like a new bike, cinema tickets and restaurant vouchers.

Sarah Hubery from the Access LN6 team said: “The Lincoln Cycle Challenge is all about getting your bike out of the shed, cycling to the local shops, going for a weekend bike ride or commuting to and from work, but most importantly, having fun!

“We’re confident that after the Challenge, more people will think about getting their bike out, more often.”

Sign up to the Lincoln Cycle Challenge for free at Love to Ride or call Sarah on 01522 555217.

The Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership is lobbying for better rail infrastructure for Lincoln.

Chair of the LEP Ursula Lidbetter wrote a letter to the Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin, stating that Lincoln needed better rail services to London in order to improve economic growth and tourism in the region.

One of Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership’s priorities is improved road and rail infrastructure.

In her letter Ursula Lidbetter said:

“Lincoln is one of the fastest growing cities in the UK, with successful and fast-growing higher education facilities, a strong SME community combined with expertise in manufacturing and agri-food, and plans for significant housing and economic growth in the medium term.

“Within the last five years, there has been substantial population and business growth and Lincoln has strengthened its role as a sub-regional centre for service and employment. In particular I want to emphasise Lincoln as a visitor destination; tourism is the second most important industry in the Lincolnshire economy (after agriculture) and is worth £927 million and 17,175 jobs.

“Lincoln in particular is a growing tourism destination which aims to be a top-rank historic city destination. The £20 million Lincoln Castle Revealed project will see the creation of a purpose-built Magna Carta centre and open access to the grounds. Due for completion in 2015, it is estimated that this will result in a 30 to 50 per cent increase in the value of tourism which equates to an economic impact of between £38 and £68 million.

“I do hope that the Department for Transport will be able to support the LEP’s plans for economic growth across Greater Lincolnshire and that we have demonstrated the economic demand for an increased service to and from London.”

After a setback due to cold weather conditions, the Thornbridge car park will finally reopen on Wednesday, April 24.

The car park above the bus station closed in February for essential surfacing works, but they were delayed in March due to the cold weather.

To lay the waterproof membrane, contractors Lindum Construction needed drier conditions over five degrees Celsius.

Steve Bird, Assistant Director Communities and Street Scene, said: “Whilst we understand the delay to Thornbridge has been an inconvenience, we hope people will understand that the problems created by the extreme weather have been something beyond our control.

“We are pleased it will be back open next week.”

He added: “Having good quality parking available is an essential part of encouraging people into the city to work, shop and support tourism.

“We would like to thank people for their patience during the delay. Their understanding has been greatly appreciated.”

Once the car park reopens, residents and tourists will be able to benefit from a discount due to new schemes at car parks across the city.

The 25% discount applies to anyone paying using the PayByPhone system on select days.

Supermarkets are set to cut up to 3p per litre off fuel prices from Tuesday, April 16.

The news comes after Asda announced it would cut fuel prices by up to 2p per litre.

This led to a price war between the other supermarkets.

Sainsbury’s said it will also cut 2p off petrol, Morrisons is cutting up to 3p a litre off petrol and 1p off diesel, and Tesco will also cut 2p off petrol.

At present in Lincoln, the average price of petrol is 135.9p, and 139.1p for diesel, according to Petrol Prices.

The cheapest place to get fuel in the city is Asda, followed by the Winning Post Service Station on Carholme Road and Morrisons.

Asda Petrol Trading Director Andy Peake said: “From tomorrow, everybody filling up at an Asda fuel station will pay no more than 133.7p per litre for unleaded, unlike some of our competitors whose prices vary across their forecourts by up to six pence per litre more.”

Mark Todd, Petrol Director for Morrisons, said: “A drop in wholesale prices combined with an improved exchange rate has provided us with an opportunity to pass a saving on to customers and continue to offer some of the lowest prices on the market.”

Passengers in the East Midlands have waited for delayed trains for more than 219 hours in the last year due to cable theft incidents, new statistics show.

Figures from Network Rail indicate that although there were only 31 incidents of cable theft in the region last year, the delay to passengers increased.

This is despite a number of measures put in place to stop the theft of copper cabling, reducing delay on the trains.

This also led to a compensation cost of £1,017,894 in 2013/13 alone.

Route Managing Director for Network Rail Justin Page said: “Just four cable theft incidents accounted for 116 hours of our delay in the past financial year.

“Last year delay to passengers and freight trains on the East Midlands route totalled more than 200 hours. That is not acceptable.

“This is because they were at the south end of our route which is much busier than the north and delay racks up more quickly.

“I am confident that the work we are completing to protect these key locations will result in a reduction in delay to passengers in East Midlands.”

He added: “We also continue to work with British Transport Police to identify thieves and bring them to justice.

“Our own engineers are working with suppliers and other industries to make metal – particularly our cables – harder to steal and easier to identify.

“Teams around the route are introducing new ways of working to reduce delay and fix thefts more quickly; and, of course, I want to thank members of the public who are reporting suspicious activity, allowing us to react quickly and minimise delay.”

As of December 2012, new legislation means that it’s illegal to sell scrap metal for cash. A Scrap Metal Dealer’s Act that will be enforceable in autumn 2013, which will also aim to regulate scrap metal dealers.

Parts of the Act include dealers needing to be licensed by local authorities, who have the power to refuse applications or revoke licenses; police can close unlicensed scrap yards; sellers must show ID, and a national register set up to account for all sales of scrap metal.

A motorcyclist has been seriously injured in a crash involving three vehicles on the B1202, just outside Wragby.

Emergency services were called at around 3pm on Sunday to a road traffic collision believed to be between two vehicles and a motorcyclist.

The motorcyclist is believed to be seriously injured and has been taken to hospital.

Lincolnshire Police did not release any further details at this time.

A 38-year-old man is being treated in hospital for injuries sustained after a hit and run incident at a commercial park in Lincoln.

Emergency services were called to Gateway Park in South Hykeham, Lincoln at around 5pm on Friday, following a collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian.

The pedestrian, a 37-year-old male, was taken to Lincoln County Hospital with serious, but not life threatening injuries.

Update on April 13: Lincolnshire Police arrested a 41-year-old local man in relation to the incident.

The entrance to Gateway Park was closed for emergency services to deal with the scene following the incident on Friday.

The final part of the train service from Lincoln to Nottingham will be replaced by buses over the summer due to refurbishment at the station and infrastructure works.

Nottingham station is currently undergoing a major refurbishment to make it a transport hub, while Network rail is spending £100 million rebuilding the city’s rail infrastructure.

The measures hope to improve the station in preparation for an increased number of passengers.

However, this means a number of East Midlands Trains services to Nottingham will be affected over the summer period, including the popular Lincoln to Nottingham route.

Between July 20 to August 9 and August 24-25, the usual trains will run between Newark Castle and Lincoln as normal.

But passengers will need to exit the train at Newark and take the connecting bus service to Nottingham.

This bus will stop hourly at Rolleston, Fiskerton, Bleasby, Thurgaton, Lowdham, Burton Joyce and Carlton to Nottingham.

From August 10-23, the trains will begin to run throughout the route again, but will take slightly longer than usual, leading to an alteration in train times.

To check the revised timetables to Nottingham and Lincoln over the refurbishment period, visit this page for Nottingham on the East Midlands Trains website.

David Horne, Managing Director for East Midlands Trains, said: “Every effort has been made to deliver the best possible service for our passengers during Network Rail’s re-signalling works whilst recognising that some people will face considerable changes to their normal journey.

“Our priority in creating the timetables has been to run as many trains as we can, whilst offering a comprehensive and efficient bus operation on those routes where we are unable to offer a train service. ”

Justin Page, Acting Route Managing Director for Network Rail, added: “We’re using modern equipment to replace 1960s-style signalling, putting in a new platform and relaying six miles of track, to make a real difference to the way trains run in the city.

“There will inevitably be some short term disruption during an investment of this scale and I sincerely apologise for any inconvenience that this will cause, but this is about investing for future generations in the heart of the East Midlands.”

Three bus routes in the south of Lincoln have been improved with a more frequent service.

Now, Stagecoach Number 14 Brant Road service will go to North Hykeham, and during peak times serve Teal Park.

The PC Coaches route Number 48 to Witham St. Hugh’s and Number 49 to Bassingham will get more regular services, with hourly or two-hourly buses from Lincoln.

The addition of buses running from LN6 — which spans parts of the city centre, Boultham Park, Birchwwod, Skellingthorpe, Brant Road and North Hykeham — comes as part of the Access LN6 programme.

Jo Lendrum, is a data analyst at Siemens, and lives in Bracebridge. She will now use the Number 14 service to get to work.

She said: “I used to rely on other people to take me to work in the morning, as I don’t drive and there is simply no public transport available from Bracebridge to Teal Park without travelling into Lincoln City Centre and changing buses.

“It’s great to see improved bus services in the LN6 area of the city and the Number 14 service is ideal – it takes me twenty minutes to get to work and I’ll be using it regularly from now on.”

Chantelle Grundy, Access LN6 Project Manager, said: “One of the main aims of Access LN6 is to reduce car use in and around the LN6 area.

“By improving and extending bus services we hope to encourage more people to use public transport for commuter and leisure journeys. We’re delighted to work with Stagecoach East Midlands and PC Coaches to develop these services.”

To see the new bus timetables, visit the Lincsbus website.