On your bike! Doncaster set to benefit from new cycling strategy aimed at getting more people in the saddle

Cabinet members have approved a new ‘Doncaster Cycling Strategy’ which sets out a plan to encourage more people to jump on their bike around the borough.

The council are keen to build on a previous strategy and carry on the momentum of big cycling events such as the Tour de Yorkshire and UCI World Championships which came through the borough in recent years.

A pending Sheffield City Region bid for government money will be used to improve cycling infrastructure across Doncaster if successful, senior council bosses said.

In a report seen by councillors, proposals include a ‘targeted bike hire scheme’, plans for a so-called ‘low traffic neighbourhood scheme’ and a temporary ‘street closure trials’.

Transport planners will also look at pedestrianised zones and explore the possibility of creating some areas for safe cycle use to run along side.

The proposals also include the possibility of promoting ‘car free days’ for people to use their bikes without traffic on the road to follow events in nearby cities like Sheffield and Leeds.

The report also mentions the need to improve the ‘quality and provision of cycle storage’ that is ‘secure and fit for purpose’.

Coun Nigel Ball, cabinet member for public health, leisure and culture, said: “The level of motivation and ambition around cycling has only increased and we felt that we had a Doncaster cycling strategy to match this.

“This aims to build on the success of previous work to promote cycling, tackle barriers that make less attractive to some in Doncaster and contribute to making the borough a better, nicer place to live, learn and work.

“We would like Doncaster residents to benefit from the physical, mental and social improvement and the addition cycling can have on improving air quality and addressing the climate emergency by reducing car usage particularly for short journeys.”