Manchester City Council has formally submitted a bid on behalf of the city of Manchester to become the ACES European Capital of Cycling for 2024. In September, the city will welcome a delegation from ACES Europe, who will decide the winning bid to become the Capital of Cycling, to meet with city partners and set out the city’s ambitions to become a great cycling city.
This month will also bring some incredibly exciting news for the cycling community in Manchester as the National Cycling Centre, the home of British Cycling, will reopen to the public following a two-year renovation project. Plus, one of the biggest events on the world cycling calendar – the Tour of Britain – will be making its way through Greater Manchester this Sunday (September 3), culminating in an all-out sprint towards the finish line on Deansgate.
British Cycling CEO, Jon Dutton, said: “At British Cycling we’ve been proud to call Manchester our home for almost three decades, and with its vibrant communities, world-class facilities and investment in active travel, the city is leading the way when it comes to helping more people to ride more often. Being awarded the European Capital of Cycling for 2024 would be fitting recognition for the progress that the region has made.”
Manchester City Council believe that by being named the European Capital of Cycling for 2024 this would be “an incredible reward for the work done to promote cycling in the city”. With this accolade, the council hope this can spark an even greater transport revolution to get many more Mancunians cycling, put the city in an even better position to bid for future funding and to continue to grow Manchester as an international city of cycling.
Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council said: “We’re incredibly proud to have been in a position to make this bid. Cycling is at the heart of our transport strategy for the next five years, and with the impetus this accolade would bring, I am confident we will be able to truly make Manchester a great cycling city.
“We are determined, alongside our valued partners in the city, to capitalise on what becoming the Capital of Cycling would mean and to ensure that we can create a lasting legacy.”
Earlier this year the Council made a statement on how important cycling would be in the future of the city. By the end of 2028 it is hoped that the mode share for cycling in the city would be doubled, and that cycling would become the default choice for making short journeys. This is also hoped to contribute to the target of becoming a zero-carbon city by 2038.
Manchester is also home to the Bee Network, a £70m pipeline of funding which will create protected cycling routes throughout Manchester. More than 13km of cycleways have already been constructed, with additional routes in locations such as Ancoats and Deansgate in the pipeline.