Hounslow Council wants to be the biking borough
Hounslow is gearing up for a weekend of summer cycling next month, with the Prudential RideLondon Freecycle taking place on Saturday 3 August and the RideLondon Surrey 100 passing through Chiswick on Sunday 4 August.
A guided ride, leaving Hounslow Civic Centre (9.15am) and travelling via Market Place, Brentford (10am) on 3 August, will take recreational riders on a leisurely trip into central London where they can join the Freecycle, an eight-mile traffic-free circuit that features many of the capital’s world-famous landmarks, from Buckingham Palace in the west to the Tower of London in the east via the Houses of Parliament and St Paul’s Cathedral.
The following day, professional cyclists from across the globe will make their way through Chiswick as they race in the inaugural Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic, a 100-mile route on closed roads through the capital – including Hounslow – and into Surrey, before finishing back in The Mall in central London.
The council has also entered its own team – The Hounslow Wheelers – in the Business Relay section of Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100, the same course which Sir Bradley Wiggins rode in last year’s Olympics.
Cllr Colin Ellar, Hounslow’s deputy leader and cabinet member for environment, encouraged local residents to get on their bikes for RideLondon: “Hounslow is a biking borough and home to some of the capital’s most enthusiastic cyclists, who will no doubt be keen to make the most of these events.
“Whether you want to take in the sights of London as part of the Freecycle, or are an interested spectator for the cycling road race as it passes through Chiswick, this weekend of summer cycling has something for everyone.”
The event will also mean road closures and parking restrictions along the route, and traffic disruption is expected throughout the day.
More information is available at www.hounslow.gov.uk or www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk.
4.4 % of trips originating in the borough are made by bike, according to TfL’s recent London Travel Demand Survey.
Hounslow has submitted a bid to become one of the Mayor of London’s ‘mini Holland‘ cycling boroughs. Hounslow was named the first outer London ‘Biking Borough’. Biking Boroughs is a Mayor of London initiative to get more people cycling in outer London. Hounslow hosted the first major Mayor’s outer London Skyride in August 2009. The council and TfL are currently designing Cycle Superhighway 9 along the A315, aiming to make it the best Cycle Superhighway in terms of infrastructure quality and continuity.
July 25, 2013