Information on Loughborough

Loughborough Councillor Laments DfT Cycle Bid Failure

Posted on 19/06/2008

person on a bike

Councillor Max Hunt (County Councillor for North West Loughborough and Borough Councillor for Loughborough Garendon) has today (Thursday 19th June 2008) expressed his sorrow that Leicester has not won the first ever UKs first ever Cycling City award which offers £100milion to encourage 2.5 million more adults and children to take up cycling, improve their fitness and beat the traffic.  The bid was won instead by Bristol.  

The Leicester bid was backed by both Leicester City and Leicestershire County councils.

Cllr Max Hunt, who regularly cycles the 25mile round trip across Charnwood Forest to County Hall (see pix), said:  “We may be relegated to the also rans, but I know a lot of work put into this bid won’t be wasted and many of the plans will go ahead despite losing out on the big money.

“There is a lot of talk about the need to be greener, and a lot of concern at the price of fuel.  Put the two together and we should see more people cycling.

The Cycling Towns award went to ten other towns: Blackpool, Cambridge, Chester, Colchester, Leighton/Linslade, Shrewsbury, Southend on Sea, Southport with Ainsdale, Stoke, Woking and York.

Cllr Hunt said: “Several of these are relatively small towns, yet twice Leicestershire has failed to put Loughborough forward.  I think we could have won.  Like Colchester, Cambridge and York, we are a major university town with an increasing congestion problem.  Loughborough’s time has come and I will continue urging County Council to promote the town and do what other towns are pledging to double the number of cycle journeys.”