A NEW cycle training area on the Recreation Ground in Stratford is helping young riders prepare for the roads.
The track, which is a stylised version of the town centre roads, is part of the Riverside Project developed by Stratford District Council (SDC) and Stratford Town Trust to help the town’s economy recover post-Covid by reducing traffic congestion, providing green routes into the town centre, and revitalising the riverside area.
As well as signs and street names, road markings, pedestrian crossings and even working traffic lights aim to make the area as realistic as possible.
The area, in the south-eastern corner, also includes new tree planting, cut tree trunks to form rustic/natural seating and long grass to help with a wilding approach.
The Riverside Project has been provided with £1.5million funding from the Government’s ‘Getting Building Fund’ through the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP). It will connect the riverside from the north at Fisherman’s Car Park to Lucy’s Mill to the south, creating a natural green corridor along the River Avon.
SDC leader Tony Jefferson said: “Both the play area and cycle track are fantastic additions for children visiting the Recreation Ground. A safe space for youngsters to master riding their bikes is essential for encouraging cyclists of the future and is a great way to have fun and keep fit.”
Sarah Windrum, chair of the CWLEP, added: “It is great to see the cycle training area and outdoor play area already in action thanks to the allocation from the Getting Building Fund which was partly established to facilitate infrastructure projects such as this.
“These facilities are part of the wider Riverside scheme which is an integral part of the CWLEP’s Strategic Reset Framework for a green and sustainable future for the area.
“This will involve designing more environmentally-friendly routes into Stratford and further promoting walking and cycling to improve air quality and health and wellbeing which will lead to more leisure and economic opportunities.
