A local charity has organised a free event to entice people in Carlisle to take up cycling.

The Carlisle Community Cycle Hub hold their ‘Super Cycling Saturday’ event this Saturday (16th) at Hammond’s Pond.

Discussing the plans for the day, Secretary Lance Greenhalgh said: “We have been going for over 18 months now and this is our 30th event. The connection from Hammonds Pond goes all the way along the N7 route to Denton Holme. We want to have fun so we’ll have this one-hour ride starting from the pond where everybody can take part, no matter what wheels you use.

“After the ride we have an Adopt a Bike stand who will be offering free bike checks, we’ve done around 500 of these since we started around the city. Bikes can be borrowed from us for the ride. There’s also a BMX track where we’ll have some competitions on as well.”

The day is also being used to help the public consider the idea of having 37 more cycle routes around the city. The County Council are due to start a public consultation at the end of the month to gain a public perspective on the option for new cycle ways.

Cllr Keith Little, Cumbria County Council Cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said: “Cycling and walking have many benefits, not just for our mental and physical wellbeing but also for improving air quality, reducing congestion and making our towns more vibrant. During the pandemic we’ve seen an upturn in cycling and walking for exercise and safe travel. With the Covid-19 restrictions starting to ease and more people returning to work, we are looking at measures to support this shift towards more active travel.

“To help develop our proposals, we are inviting the public to give us their views on the proposed routes.”

Mr Greenhalgh continued: “This is what we want, but we would like there to be more safety and that’s what we would like to bring to the consultation. It’s been great to see so many people in the city want to go on bikes, but it just isn’t safe on the roads. That’s why there is a need for the new cycle ways. We believe that when people start to try cycling then they’ll want to continue doing so. I think it’s very important to get more people on bikes.”

The event starts at 10am and more information can be found on https://www.carlislecyclehub.org/