Cyclists now have some further options to secure their bikes in our village centre, thanks to two double cycle racks just installed on The Green by Ruddington Parish Council.
The idea of more robust bike racks for Ruddington, in addition to those outside the Co-op and the wall brackets attached to some existing shop fronts, was suggested by Ruddington Village Centre Partnership (RVCP) as part of the ‘Traders’ Village Improvement Plan’.
Julie Smith of RVCP explains: “It was felt that there was a lack of places near the High Street for bikes to be stored when customers came to shop. This also aligned with the Neighbourhood Plan’s aspiration to give priority to non-vehicular modes of transport. We therefore proposed to the Parish Council that the bike-parks be increased on the High Street/the village green to encourage this activity. The Parish Council were able to align our request with their own plans, and have been proactive in making these happen on the Village Green.”
Councillors voted to fund these four, black, metal bike racks at their meeting last March – at a cost of £60 each – with two being installed near the bus shelter (above) and another two at the corner next to the noticeboard (below). It has taken until now to get the work done. These new racks should be especially useful for cyclists visiting the monthly Village Market and other outdoor events held there throughout the year.
Julie adds: “Proposals are with the County Council for another six bike racks actually on the high street.”
Ruddington Parish Councillor, Cllr Mike Gaunt, who is also an elected Borough Councillor, says: “I am delighted to see that four new bike racks have been installed by the Parish Council on The Green. It is essential that, wherever possible, we encourage people to leave their cars at home and come into the village to use our fantastic local shops and services.”
He adds: “The Parish Council continues to look at ways that we can make Ruddington more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable – and cycling safely into the centre provides one of these opportunities. Hopefully the County Council will get the wheels in motion soon and finally provide the six further cycle racks that they have promised for the high street, so that we can further improve the green credentials of this amazing village.”
Mark Pinks of RVCP reveals that these additional village centre cycle racks have been requested outside Ruddington Fish Bar, Coral Bookmakers and Morton’s Deli/Phoenix Flowers. However, they are still going through Nottinghamshire County Council‘s planning process.
Meantime, the County Council – which declared a ‘Climate Emergency’ last May, has this week re-affirmed its commitment to cutting ‘greenhouse gases’. It has just announced a new ‘Carbon Reduction Plan’ – promising to slash emissions from its activities and services.
The authority’s ‘Environment Ambassador’, Cllr Mike Adams, says: “It is good news that we are now in the process of drawing up a Carbon Reduction Plan; it is going to be a game-changer in our ambition to become net zero in all of our activities by 2030. Producing our greenhouse gas report was the first step to getting our plan up-and-running – we couldn’t go into this important project without getting the facts right about the origins of our emissions.”
He adds: “We are already ahead of time with some of the elements likely to be in this plan, for example, we have switched the majority of our highways lighting to LEDs and we are now moving our electricity supply to a green tariff. We are serious about doing our bit to mitigate the effects of climate change in Nottinghamshire and our carbon reduction plan will be an important blueprint for our work.”
Another environmentally friendly initiative, launched last October in Ruddington, is the ‘Green Rewards’ scheme being run by Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) in tandem with Nottingham Trent University and The University of Nottingham. By using a new app and web platform they have developed, village residents are now accumulating points and earning prizes for many activities we do every day at home, or out and about, that help lower our carbon footprint. Some Ruddington businesses (below) and community organisations are now offering discounts, vouchers and prizes for playing our part in combatting climate change and achieving ‘net zero’.
If you’re also doing something ‘green’ for our village, please let RUDDINGTON.info know: either via our social media or >>HERE<<.
