FDC miss the boat

Most of the population of the UK recognises the benefits of cycling. Safe cycleways can get many of us and our kids out of cars, taking exercise and reducing pollution. And there cannot potentially be many better places to cycle than in dear old flat Fenland. Pedaling along between its charming historic towns and beside its many beautiful waterways.

There has just been a wonderful opportunity to bid for funding for cycleways, to benefit the residents and to provide a boost to the local economy that would inevitably come with the increased tourism that cycleways would attract.

Based on the votes of the general public SUSTRANS has been awarded a huge £50,000,000 to be spent on cycleways in the UK. With all that money up for grabs, and a marvelous opportunity to improve safety and boost local wealth what has FDC bid for? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING !

So thanks to this stunning lack of initiative within Fenland Hall the foreseeable future looks set for us to remain in a Fenland where there are virtually no cycleways and where taking to the bike on our narrow and overburdened roads can mean dicing with death.

To read about what we COULD have aimed for, please follow the links.....

CYCLISTS, WALKERS GET £50M IN LOTTERY MONEY
DAILY TELEGRAPH 13/12/07 - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news

A nationwide scheme to open walking and cycling routes has won £50 million of lottery money after a poll of television viewers.

Sustrans: Connect2, which will restore paths, bridges and tunnels in 79 communities, beat three other contenders to the prize - the biggest grant awarded after a public competition.

ST NEOTS SECURES CASH FOR BRIDGE
ARTICLE FROM CAMBS24 -http://www.huntspost.co.uk

ST Neots will be getting a new cycle and foot bridge within five years after the town was awarded a slice of a £50million lottery grant.

The Connect2 project will create new cycling and walking routes to improve travel in 79 communities across the UK. Included in the project is a new cycle and foot bridge over the Great River Ouse linking Eaton Socon and Eynesbury.

The total cost of the town's new bridge is £2.4 million with £700,000 of the £50million lottery grant going to the project and the rest coming from the local authority

Huntingdonshire District council and St Neots Town Council have combined to win a whopping £700,000 grant for footpaths and cycleways.

Do we need these in Fenland ........

Did FDC apply for a part of this funding ? No

Walt.