Cycle Shrewsbury heading in the right direction

More people are cycling in Shrewsbury – that’s the encouraging news from an initial report on the first year of Shropshire Council’s Cycle Shrewsbury campaign.

The number of cyclists on various cycle routes around the town during the spring months April-June showed an 11% increase between 2009 and 2010.

Martin Taylor-Smith, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for strategic planning and transport, said: “We’re very pleased to have these figures. We’ve certainly noticed that more people are getting involved in our events and activities, and it’s good to see that cycling is getting more popular all across the town.

“It shows that there is a demand for what our Cycle Shrewsbury campaign is doing – providing practical information and encouragement to help people choose cycling for their local journeys and for leisure.

“We’re reprinting the popular Shrewsbury Walking and Cycling map. The new edition will show all the latest improvements to Shrewsbury’s walking and cycling routes and will be available from the Shrewsbury Town Council stall at the Flower Show, the council’s Cycle Shrewsbury stall at the Street Theatre Festival, as well as from libraries, council offices and from our website.”

Research carried out at the annual Shrewsbury BikeFest in June showed that 9 out of 10 people questioned said they now cycle more than a year ago. Also, a programme of rides especially for women has proved successful in helping women start cycling again, with numbers increasing steadily over the past six months.