NOTTINGHAM - ‘CYCLE CITY’?

With an impressive history on two wheels already, Nottingham City Council is aiming to transform Nottingham into a “cycle city”, supporting commuters, young people and those that cycle for sport to get on the saddle. Izzy takes readers through Nottingham’s cycling history and the measures being put in place to encourage more pedalling around the city…

Nottingham’s Cycling History

Nottingham’s cycling roots run deep within the city, being the birthplace of the most recognisable bike company in the UK; Raleigh bikes. If you’ve ever been to a cycle shop, chances are you’ve heard of them, no matter where you are in the country. Raleigh was founded in 1887 by Sir Frank Bowden, who fell in love with the sport himself after a spell of bad health. His doctor prescribed cycling to him, after warning he may not have long to live, and the search for a good quality bike amidst questionable penny farthings and outdated designs led him to find his eventual business partners. The business eventually blossomed into the mammoth Raleigh and by 1913 became the biggest manufacturer of bikes worldwide. Today, Raleigh no longer manufactures in the UK but the bikes remain popular with signature designs like the Chopper carrying big sentimental value for many cyclists.

Speaking of signature designs, there is a very famous figure in Nottingham that’s hooked on cycling; Sir Paul Smith. In his early life Smith aspired to be a professional cyclist. Today, the sport continues to inform the fashion designer’s work, who goes by the saying ‘you can find inspiration in anything’. His namesake brand, Paul Smith, is one of the leading luxury fashion brands in the country and is still based in Nottingham. The brand notably has an entire line for cyclists, offering colourful helmets, jerseys, bidons and even bib-shorts for the sporty folk that want to ride in style.

Some students in Nottingham may remember a very notable visitor to the famed Lenton triangle in 2020. On Rothesay Avenue, a bike-related Banksy appeared on the side of a hair and beauty shop. It was very clear the infamous street artist had been influenced by Nottingham’s cycling history, as it featured a young girl using a bike wheel as a hula hoop, next to a real bike missing a wheel. This generated buzz and conversation about Nottingham’s cycling history before being removed by a collector for a hefty six-figure sum.

Cycling as a Student

With over 5,000 cycling spaces across all campuses, it is clearly a popular choice for students and staff at the university, which has also invested in a number of shower facilities and locker storage areas in order to allow cyclists to keep their items safe and to freshen up after their journeys. You can find these locations by going to the University’s website and looking at the interactive maps. There are also handy puncture repair kits in a number of buildings on campus too, so if you run into trouble on the road, patching up your trusted machine should not be too much of a challenge.

Provided by Enactus Nottingham, U-Cycle provides rentable bikes for staff members and students looking to transform their journeys. Students can hire a bike for a semester for £45, or £70 for the year. This could be a good option if you want to cycle around the city without needing to worry about lugging a bike between home and student accommodation.

However, bike theft on campus, and in Nottingham as a whole, is still very much an issue. It is recommended to use D-Locks when you’re locking up your bike, as they’re far more secure. You may even want to consider using two types of lock to make it even more challenging for thieves to steal your bike. Opt for well-lit locations near CCTV cameras and consider insuring your bike to prevent an expensive loss.

Off Campus and Into The City

In 2015, Nottingham City Council secured £6.1m dedicated to the improvement and maintenance of the cycling facilities, and recently received another financial boost for such plans. Students might be particularly familiar with the Western Corridor, going along Castle Boulevard and Abbey Street, which connects University Boulevard with the city centre. This is the first two-way segregated cycle track in the East Midlands. It comes with its own set of traffic lights, incorporating cyclists into the traffic system in a way that keeps them safe and separated from cars. Building more cycle paths is a conscious commitment to the health of the city’s people and the planet. The Eastern cycle corridor also connects the train station to employment sites like BioCity into the east. There are newly proposed corridors to the North of the city which will aim to make cycling in Nottingham more attractive to those tempted to get active.

there are hopes to reopen it soon with the right funding solutions.

While hobbyists and commuters can easily find their way around Nottingham, professional cyclists have also recently found a reason to visit the city. Last year’s Tour of Britain saw some of the sport’s best athletes go from West Bridgford to Mansfield as one of the stages. It attracted massive crowds of cycling fans: from school pupils, cycle clubs and those

Supported by the council’s Active Travel Fund, there are also four Ridewise Community Cycle Centres in the city. These offer free and private paid cycling lessons for people in Nottingham for both individuals and primary schools through the Bikeability scheme. They also offer useful cycle maintenance training sessions to keep Nottingham’s cyclists safe when out and about. Unfortunately, due to funding issues, their bike library, which allows Nottingham City residents to borrow bikes free of charge, is currently out of action, but less familiar who were curious about the commotion.

Is Nottingham a ‘Cycle City’?

It is clear the council has the intent to shift the city’s planning focus in favour of bikes, though there is certainly some way to go to undo the car oriented planning of the 20th century. The demolition of historic streets in the city centre in the 1960s to build Maid Marian Way is an unfortunate example of the council’s past mistakes. Yet, there is good cycling heritage and history in Nottingham. The new cycle lanes in recent years are welcome additions and suggest perhaps the council’s “cycle city” may come to fruition with consistent planning.