Ilkeston Road Recreation Ground in Stapleford is set to have a brand new cycle track and training area. As a part of the £21m government funding, this is one of the six projects for Stapleford.
The works for the cycle project began at the end of January and the works are set to be complete in April. Once complete the park will have a safe mini road network for people of all ages and a cycle facility. The new track is multi-use and can be used for buggy runs, roller skating, jogging and more.
It will give children and adults a way to safely ride a bike on such training areas and tracks. Organisations such as RideWise will offer free repairs, servicing, route planning and general advice about cycling.
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Park goers said they looked forward to it being complete. Kimberley Walters, 23, and her six-year-old daughter Darcie can’t wait for the cycle track to be built.
Kimberley said: “I think it’s really good. I think it’s going to be positive. I wish I had this as a child, I'll be the first one on it. It’s really going to teach her [Darcie] about the roads, so when she’s ready she’ll know about road safety. I think it’s really positive.”
Rhea Stables, 25, who is a regular at the park said: “I think it will be good, a lot of people ride on here. In the summer especially this park gets used quite a lot. It’s a good park. The paths are very small, you can’t fit two people on them. I think it's positive, it will be good for the kids.”
Stapleford resident Callum Gunn, 26, said: “That’s very good. I think it would be good to see. There’s nothing really here in the park.”
The idea was inspired by the current cycle track on The Victoria Embankment, between The Meadows and West Bridgford. Councillor Richard MacRae, Independent Councillor for Stapleford North, pitched the idea for the Ilkeston Road Recreation Ground to Broxtowe Borough Council.
Richard said: ”We’ve got £21 million for Stapleford and there were different people putting ideas forward and went through various stages of approval and everything. I actually had been down to the one at the Victoria Embankment with my wife and also my daughter and we had seen that one down there and I just thought that would be pretty good if we could take that to Stapleford.
“I went to one of the officers at the council and I said can we put this forward as an idea and it got approved and here we are a week into a twelve week project. It’s going to be ready around April time. The idea is to try and get as many people cycling there, to learn how to cycle. It’s a safe environment. There's an actual cycle park, a training area and organisations such as ridewise and individuals can go on to learn some skills and just build up their confidence.
“The actual path on the park, the one that’s on there at the minute, the one that is being dug up, was paid for by the Stapleford Community Group. We gave the money to Broxtowe Borough Council to build on it - that was many years ago. We got a landfill grant and it was £49,999 so that was spent many years ago.
“The new path is going to be three metres wide, it’s tarmac so it’s suitable for all kinds of things. I’ve already spoken to Broxtowe children's centre, and we are going to do some buggy runs on there so we can have new parents come out with their pushchairs to do some exercise. It’s not just about cycling, cycling is not for everybody - you could chuck a pair of rollerskates on and skate round it if you wanted to.
"It’s three metres wide, plenty of room for those who are walking, running, jogging, riding your bikes, buggy runs - it’s multi-use. With everyone just coming round and using it together, of course we have to thank the government for the funding because that's where the money comes from but the initial idea can come from myself, my wife and my daughter.”
Wider plans to prioritise walking and cycling across the town are hoped to make them as cycle friendly as those seen in The Netherlands.
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