Preston cycle cash bid fails

10:39am Tuesday 22nd July 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

Preston has missed out on funding to enhance the city’s facilities for cyclists.

The county council put in a bid for a share £47m of funding which would see Preston become a cycling demonstration town.

Cycling England rejected the application, with the region’s recipient instead being named as Blackpool.

The money would go towards more cycle lanes, safety training and possible park and cycle areas.

The member in charge of sustainable development at County Hall remained undeterred at the setback and said many exciting projects would still go ahead.

Councillor Matthew Tomlinson, said: “We are disappointed but it does not mean we're not going ahead with our ambitious cycling strategy for Lancashire.

“If we had won the bid, it would have meant we could have done what we want to do more quickly. But we still remain committed to cycling as an alternative, green form of transport which is good for people's health.”