March 28, 2018 8.15 am This story is over 72 months old

Council wants to push safer cycling and improve bike routes in North Kesteven

It comes after people said they don’t feel safe cycling.
The Access Lincoln (formerly Access LN6) team opened the Station Road path in January 2015

North Kesteven District Council has set out a new strategy designed to encourage safer cycling and improve bike routes across the district.

The council will focus on getting people of all ages out on their bikes to boost the district’s health and wellbeing.

It will also target promoting safer cycling across the district and working with developers and other organisations to improve the infrastructure.

To achieve this, the council will work with Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership to promote campaigns around bike safety and Lincolnshire County Council’s Highways department to ensure roads and cycle paths are appropriately maintained.

The council will explore opportunities for driver awareness education and training about cyclists, with publicity potentially being targeted at certain groups such as young people.

Online maps of safe cycle routes in North Kesteven will also be produced, identifying highways, greenways, off road and dedicated routes.

Developers submitting planning applications in the future will be expected in many cases to provide financial contributions to improve or develop cycling infrastructure.

One in three people who responded to a council consultation said that they did not cycle because they felt it was unsafe to do so on the road.

Of the 564 respondents, a quarter of them said that they would cycle more often if there were more safe routes and if existing cycle ways were improved.

Councillors on North Kesteven District Council’s Executive Board approved the strategy at a meeting in Sleaford on Tuesday, March 27.

It will now go before Full Council at a later date.

Councillor Richard Wright, Leader of North Kesteven District Council, said: “Cycling has many benefits, not only for the cyclist’s health but for the wider quality of the environment in which we live, work and spend our leisure time, as well as for overall environmental sustainability.

“Cycling is also flexible. You don’t have to cycle at a fixed time, and it is something that you can do as an individual, with your friends and family, or as part of a cycling club.

“Cycling can be enjoyed as a hobby, purely for pleasure, as a competitive sport, or as a practical means of getting from A to B.

“I’m in total agreement with the policy. I would like to send it on to Lincolnshire County Council Highways as my car is in for repairs for the second time with pothole damage.”

Councillor Lindsey Cawrey added: “I was impressed with the level of engagement and breadth of responses to the consultation.

“This is not just about leisure and health and wellbeing, it’s about sustainable transport.”