Scheme of the Month - Morecambe Promenade
Sun, sea, and cycles were the order of the day in Morecambe recently when scores of people arrived by bike to join in the fun at the official launch of cycling on the town’s promenade. The event was organised by Lancaster City Council’s Cycling Demonstration Town (CDT) Project Team to celebrate the change in the promenade byelaws which has enabled the five mile stretch of stunning views and fresh sea air to be opened up to cyclists.
As one of Cycling England’s six “Cycling Demonstration Towns”, Lancaster City Council has received £1.5m of Government funding, to show how increased investment in cycle facilities and promotion can raise levels of cycling.
The opening up of the promenade is seen as a major step forward towards the aims of the CDT project - to double the amount of cyclists in the district by 2008. A year in to the project and figures already show that cycling across the district is on the increase and Morecambe promenade is no exception now that cyclists are being encouraged to share its use, with an increase of 20% compared to the same time last year. The promenade offers a more cycle friendly environment than the alternative route on Marine Road, which is heavily trafficked at peak periods.
The bylaw previously in place excluded cyclists from the promenade. However, extensive consultation was carried out with the various user groups and other interested parties and the bylaw was amended to permit cycling along the full 5 mile length of the promenade in April 2007. The necessary work to facilitate cycle use has also been implemented. The general principal of a “minimalist” approach was adopted. Care was taken to ensure that the route was not over-engineered, potentially distracting from the quality of the environment and distinctive artwork that is found along the route at present.
There is an automatic cycle counter in place to record cycle use along the promenade route. This data will be useful to monitor the effects on cycle use since the bylaw was amended and should also be useful to demonstrate cycle use increases as an output from the CDT project.
For further details contact Gary Bowker, Lancaster City Council
Web links:
https://cyclingengland.co.uk/dt_lancaster.php
http://www.celebratingcycling.org/default.asp
