New Forest votes against public cycle hire scheme
Despite public support, members of the New Forest National Park Authority vote against the creation of a cycle hire scheme in the area
Members of the New Forest National Park Authority voted against the creation of a public cycle hire scheme in the area on Tuesday afternoon, despite £2million funding for the scheme from the Department for Transport.
The scheme was due to commence from April 2015, but vocal objections from anti-cycling campaigners in the New Forest have now seen it shelved. The DfT funding needed to be spent by March 2015, so it would now appear that the funding will be lost.
Over 2,000 people signed an online petition to support the cycle hire scheme's go-ahead, and it attracted support from cycling luminaries such as Chris Boardman and Trek professional Jens Voigt.
No reasons have so far been given for the NFNPA members' vote to scrap the scheme, but the NFNPA says it will publish details later on Tuesday.
The decision was met with criticism from the cycle hire scheme's supporters.
Anti-cycling campaigners thwart New Forest cycle hire scheme
New Forest cycle hire scheme could be scrapped despite £2million of government funding
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Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
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