Leighton-Linslade
The smallest of all the Cycling Towns, Leighton-Linslade is a typical market town with a small shopping area in the centre. There are around 200 market towns in Britain with populations under 30,000, representing a significant percentage of the UK population, and it is hoped that the success of Leighton-Linslade as a Cycling Town could be replicated across the country, inspiring similar towns to reinvigorate and sustain their town centres by increasing cycling levels.
Leighton-Linslade’s compact size and radial layout make it ideally suited for cycling: journeys are concentrated into the town centre and across the one bridge over the canal and river, acting as a natural traffic restraint, and many local journeys are focused on the railway station and town centre. However, like many market towns, Leighton-Linslade faces difficulties with local traffic and town centre congestion, as well as potential loss of retail diversity and vitality.
Leighton-Linslade’s programme will include infrastructure improvements, such as increasing cycle parking at schools and stations and upgrading cycle paths, as well as a Family Learning Cycle Training Programme, offering Bikeability, BMX skills, mountain biking and bike maintenance training. A bike recycling scheme will provide bikes on loan to families. Workplace travel planning and ‘cycle champions’ initiatives will form a core part of the programme, along with other marketing, communications and events initiatives designed to encourage a change in travel behaviour.
