Drawing on its Dutch heritage, Greater Anglia has built a bicycle centre at Chelmsford station.
The new CyclePoint combines secure cycle parking with cycle- hire and maintenance facilities in a single location. Such centres are a common sight in Holland. Local MP for Chelmsford and transport minister, Simon Burns MP, joined Ruud Haket, managing director of Greater Anglia to open the first of the new CyclePoints.
Greater Anglia is planning other CyclePoints at Cambridge, Colchester, Ely, Ipswich and Norwich stations. The Day’s Yard site between the station and the car park has space for 1,000 cycles.
Says Simon Burns MP, ‘Used in combination, bike and rail offers one of the most environmentally friendly forms of travel. That is why DfT have provided £200k funding towards this innovative new cycle hub which will give people more options to make greener travel choices.
‘I am pleased that Abellio are using their experience and knowledge in the UK to introduce more ground-breaking cycle facilities. This is the sort of thing we need to be doing across the country to make it easier for people to cycle to and from the station.’
CyclePoint represents a significant investment of £680k by Greater Anglia, with support from the Department for Transport (DfT), Essex County Council and Network Rail.
