BOOST FOR MERSEYSIDE CYCLE TRAINING

MORE than 11,600 pupils across Merseyside are set to benefit from £465,000 of Government funding, which will be used to provide TravelWise cycle training sessions. Merseyside was awarded more funding than any other region in the UK after demonstrating a strong commitment to delivering cycling initiatives.

Schools across Merseyside will have the opportunity to offer pupils cycle training sessions, which will be delivered to the new Bikeability standards, with the help of the funding. Pupils age of 7 to 11 will be given the chance to take part in training sessions to suit their ability, starting with basic cycling and balancing skills and progressing to on-road training.

Sarah Dewar, TravelWise Co-ordinator, is confident that the funding will encourage more young people in Merseyside to enjoy cycling as a greener, healthier way to travel.

Sarah Dewar said:- “Cycle training is essential to help young cyclists increase their skills and confidence on the roads. This funding will help us to offer practical cycling training courses to all year 5 or year 6 pupils across Merseyside, which means that more young people will have the opportunity to learn the skills they need from an early age.

As part of the practical cycle training sessions, pupils are taught how to handle the roads surrounding the school and many are even given coaching on frequently used routes, such as the journey to and from school. Parents will also have peace of mind too, knowing their children have been taught how to cycle safely on the roads.

We have trained around 23,000 pupils over the past three years, in fact TravelWise Merseyside, with its delivery partner Cycling Solutions, provides the largest cycle training programme in the UK. Increasing cycling is part of our vision for the future of sustainable travel in Merseyside; it’s a quick, reliable and cheap way to travel and it keeps you fit too!”

This year some of the TravelWise cycling courses will be followed by cycle maintenance courses and bike rides, where pupils can put their new skills to the test and the whole family is invited to join in. Many schools across Merseyside actively encourage pupils to cycle to school and have installed new secure cycle storage, as part of their School Travel Plan. This is a commitment from the whole school community to encourage more sustainable and environmentally-friendly ways of travelling to school.

For more information on cycling in Merseyside and to receive a free cycle map for your local area, visit:- LetsTravelWise.org/cycling or call 0151 330 1253.

M60 bridges scheme completed...

THE Highways Agency is thanking drivers for their patience following the completion of a nine-month scheme to strengthen bridges around the M60 and Princess Parkway in south Manchester.

The £6.6m programme of works to strengthen the M60 junction bridges around Junction 5 began in July of last year and was completed last week with the lifting of restrictions on a slip road on Manchester's busy M60 - with lorry drivers singled out for praise for their co-operation.

The width and weight restriction on the north bridge anti-clockwise exit slip at Northenden, which takes traffic onto the M56 via the A5103 Princess Parkway, was put in place in March of last year.

Vehicles over 6'6" wide or 7.5 tonnes needing to use the exit slip were being diverted via Junction 2 of the M60 at Cheadle but now the diversion has been lifted and the junction 5 exit slip re-opened to all motorway traffic last Monday, 31 March 2009.

In September, the Highways Agency warned professional drivers that some were risking fines and driving licence penalty points by ignoring the restrictions and squeezing lorries past traffic management and construction equipment.

But on 7 April 2009 Highways Agency project sponsor Phil Hardy-Bishop praised lorry drivers for their cooperation and thanked them for their patience.

Phil Hardy-Bishop said:- "This has been a vital programme of bridge strengthening which is going to extend the life of the junctions. When we do these kinds of schemes the Highways Agency works very hard to minimise disruption to drivers, but the diversion was something we could not avoid due to the very limited space our contractors had to work in and the ageing structures. The majority of lorry drivers lived with the restrictions and I would like to thank them for their patience.

This strengthening project has also affected many other road users and involved a large amount of unseen work and I would like to thank everybody involved."

During the scheme, as part of the Highways Agency's commitment to minimising inconvenience to drivers, an innovative quick movable barrier was deployed in the North West for the first time. The machine allowed lanes to be closed for work overnight while quickly opening them up again to drivers at busier times.  If you want the latest road updates then we have now got them on www.merseyreporter.com.