



Bristol could be set for a new £250,000 cycling learning centre in Hengrove as well as improved cycle routes through the city centre.

The plans, which are being prepared by the city council, come as a survey was published showing residents of Bristol backed new investment in cycling infrastructure.

Three quarters of those surveyed in research commissioned by cycling charity Sustrans said improvements in cycle lanes would encourage them to take up cycling.

The council’s new centre at Hengrove Park Leisure Centre will include a 400-metre practice track as well as bike workshops.

Improvements to cycle ways will include a new route between Filwood and the city centre along with upgrades to the Malago Greenway and Frome Greenway, and upgraded connections between Gloucester Road and Southmead Hospital

The proposals also include plans to connect existing routes through the city centre, running from Cumberland Road to Bond Street via Nelson Street and from the city centre to Old Market via Castle Park.

A new segregated cycle track along Easton Way was due to open in September

The Bike Life Survey, carried out by ICM as part of national research, surveyed 1,100 people in Bristol using a representative sample of adults.

The survey found 71 per cent of people wanted to see increased budgets for bike facilities in their area. It also found that 68 per cent of those living in Bristol think that the city would be better if people in general cycled more, with 64 per cent believing that more cycling would make their area a better place to live.

It also found that 89 per cent of people who do not cycle supported an increase in protected bike lanes, with 83 per cent of occasional riders and 86 per cent of regular riders also in support.

Nationally, over 11,000 people backed plans for councils to spend an average of £26 per person per year on cycling infrastructure.

Jason Torrance, Policy Director at Sustrans, said: “The message from the public couldn’t be clearer: there’s a desire for more cycling – a recognition of its benefits, but a lack of proper infrastructure can put people off.”

The city council launched its Cycling Strategy in 2014 to encourage 20 per cent of all commuter trips to be made by bike by 2020.

Read about how Bristol’s cycling network is shaping up.