A bespoke bike scheme aimed at tackling inequality within one of the most deprived areas of the country is to receive extra money so more bikes can be purchased. The Tendring Bikes and Cycle Infrastructure scheme originally was awarded £2.3m to fund a £1.7m cycleway improvement project with the remaining £600,000 to purchase bikes.

However while the infrastructure aspect is progressing as planned, due to increased costs the project has been not been able to procure as many bikes as anticipated. It was originally expected that up to 1,620 bikes could be be bought from the £600,000 budget. However that money has only stretched to 1,300 bikes.

South East Local Enterprise Partnership has now agreed to released an additional £300,00 so another 422 bikes can be purchased for people living in Jaywick, Clacton and Harwich. The money will be used to buy 362 standard bikes, 10 adapted bikes and 50 e-bikes.

The project was initially agreed in 2022 to deliver a scheme aimed at tackling inequality within one of the most deprived areas of the country by improving the cycle way between Jaywick and Clacton. This will allow cyclists in Jaywick to connect to roads and cycle paths in Clacton to allow access to the station and on to the business and industrial estates of Clacton.

It will also allow students to access schools and colleges with the aim of improving skills level in the area. Alongside this a bike loan scheme in Jaywick for local residents for an initial period of one year offers the opportunity to cycle to the station and places of work in Clacton and Jaywick.

A statement to the South East Local Enterprise Partnership which agreed the funding, said: “We would like to increase the bike availability for the local community, there are in excess of 200 eligible applications in Clacton and Jaywick, who would benefit from a bike, but current funding would not stretch to all of these beneficiaries.

"Moreover, some of the applicants with disabilities have stated that they would like adapted bikes, which will help them to ride more safely and gain access to jobs and opportunities.Some of the requests from applications are for e-bike which would expands the reach for labour market and job opportunities.

"A pool of e-bikes could be added, providing additional support for those who may need to travel longer distances or for those who need additional support.Therefore additional funding is requested to both account for cost increases and to maximise the opportunities on the new infrastructure and enhance opportunities to another cohort of residents who would not otherwise benefit from the scheme."

SELEP board member Councillor Lesley Wagland said: "I think overall the ability to get people to jobs I think is really significant. This is an area where you either have a car or you don't get anywhere and the ability to get that experience, training and other things has proved absolutely invaluable. And it has been popular."

https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/tendring-over-1700-bikes-hire-8091336

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> A bespoke bike scheme aimed at tackling inequality within one of the most
> deprived areas of the country is to receive extra money so more bikes can
> be purchased. The Tendring Bikes and Cycle Infrastructure scheme
> originally was awarded £2.3m to fund a £1.7m cycleway improvement project
> with the remaining £600,000 to purchase bikes.

> However while the infrastructure aspect is progressing as planned, due to
> increased costs the project has been not been able to procure as many
> bikes as anticipated. It was originally expected that up to 1,620 bikes
> could be be bought from the £600,000 budget. However that money has only
> stretched to 1,300 bikes.

That’s only £460 per bicycle!

Considering there’s going to be a £1.7m cycleway, why go cheapskate on the
bicycles? Surely £10,000 carbon-framed bikes would help to improve the
self-image of the poor of Jaywick and Clayton?

> https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/tendring-over-1700-bikes-hire-8091336

--
Spike

Sack the picture editor - that cycle lane is in Austria! :-)
Nowhere near chavdriver central.

Simon Mason <swldxer2022@gmail.com> wrote:

> Sack the picture editor - that cycle lane is in Austria! :-)

> Nowhere near chavdriver central.

Nowhere near 1.5m clearance either.

--
Spike

On Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 7:56:17 PM UTC, Simon Mason wrote:
> Sack the picture editor - that cycle lane is in Austria! :-)
> Nowhere near chavdriver central.

QUOTE:15 hrs ago

Surely you must have been able to find a picture of a UK cycle lane, rather than Austria? ENDS

You spotted it too?
Give that man a ceegar!

swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> Simon Mason wrote:

>> Sack the picture editor - that cycle lane is in Austria! :-)

> QUOTE:15 hrs ago

> Surely you must have been able to find a picture of a UK cycle lane,
> rather than Austria? ENDS

> You spotted it too? Give that man a ceegar!

‘ENDE’ in the cycle lane gave a bit of a clue.

--
Spike

QUOTE:A bespoke bike scheme aimed at tackling inequality within one of the most deprived areas of the country. ENDS

Very low car ownership as a consequence.
WIN - WIN

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> QUOTE:A bespoke bike scheme aimed at tackling inequality within one of
> the most deprived areas of the country. ENDS
>
> Very low car ownership as a consequence.
> WIN - WIN

Have you got rid of your car, then?

--
Spike

QUOTE: Councillor Lesley Wagland said: "I think overall the ability to get people to jobs I think is really significant. ENDS

I cycled to work for 15 years - my car was not "significant" at all.

On 01/02/2023 02:16 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> QUOTE: Councillor Lesley Wagland said: "I think overall the ability to get people to jobs I think is really significant. ENDS
>
> I cycled to work for 15 years - my car was not "significant" at all.

Of course it wasn't.

Neither, really, was your job.

After all, you used to spend almost the entire night shift posting to
Usenet instead of getting on with the brushing up, mopping, etc.

No wonder you were worried when you were kidded into thinking that TMH
and Judith had attended the BP AGM... ;-)

....just as if you were important enough to go to all that bother!

On Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 2:16:32 PM UTC, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> QUOTE: Councillor Lesley Wagland said: "I think overall the ability to get people to jobs I think is really significant. ENDS
>
> I cycled to work for 15 years - my car was not "significant" at all.

Correction - wife used it to get to work apart from 2010 when it was snowbound like most of the rest.