Enabling cycling will help Winchester tackle its challenges of pollution, congestion and unhealthy lifestyles.
A comprehensive, convenient and connected network of cycle infrastructure enables people to choose cycling as the safe, natural choice for a large proportion of everyday journeys. This frees up road space for essential car journeys.
Making our city more appealing for cycling and all types of active travel creates a more attractive place to live, work and visit. It can provide an economic stimulus and a pathway to a more vibrant future.
The Winchester Cycling Charter is a simple statement of support for ‘cycling’ as the means of making Winchester a better city.
It outlines the benefits cycling can bring to our city and is something that businesses, schools, the health sector, shops and individuals can readily support.
The Charter enables organisations across the city to express their support for cycling, showing they understand that cycling is good for business, good for our health, good for the economy and builds a better city for us to live in.
Charter signatories demonstrate to Winchester and Hampshire’s leaders that there is wide support for cycling and a growing consensus for investment in better cycling infrastructure.
The Charter is about the principle of enabling cycling rather than the specific road design solutions.
The wording deliberately stays away from stating specific design or policy measures that will get people to cycle (e.g. segregated paths). These design discussions will come later when engaging with Council Officers and Councillors.
No. The charter isn’t anti-anything. The charter is pro-cycling. It calls for a change in spending priorities so that more money is used to support and encourage people to ride bikes.
Organisations and individuals who sign the charter will represent a broad range of opinions. The charter aims to articulate the middle ground, a vision for cycling which the majority of people can get behind.
Individuals are encouraged to support the Charter.
The Charter was created to enable businesses / organisations to show their support for cycling. Organisations can range from large employers in the city, businesses, shops, schools, colleges, health practices, gyms, churches, youth clubs, emergency services.
No. We recognise that many organisations will be happy to support a call for better cycling provision without needing to align themselves with Cycle Winchester.
Yes. The purpose is to enable organisations to visibly support the Charter’s aims. Organisations may also wish to issue a press release and Tweet to express their support for the Charter.
The Charter will echo many organisations’ sustainability policies and we anticipate most organisations will welcome the opportunity to publicly support this initiative.
Register your support for the Charter by completing an online form on this site. There are separate forms for organisations and individuals.
We’d encourage you to go public, e.g. post on social media and/or draft a press release indicating your organisation’s support for the Charter. We can provide suggested wording for a press release. Tweet out your support, including #WinchesterCyclingCharter or @Cyclewin. Quotes and copy for a press releases can be made available by emailing [email protected].
As organisations indicate their support for the Charter this will be shared through social and other media. There may be Charter events to create newsworthy interest in the growing support for the Charter. To express our thanks for your support we may occasionally quote your organisation as a signatory and use your logo. Let us know at [email protected] if you’d rather we didn’t do this.
Yes. The supporting research and Council/government strategies are summarised in the links below.