The Sevenoaks East to West sustainable travel route is opening with community bike rides, a free bike repair workshop, giveaways and more.
The official opening of the Sevenoaks walking, wheeling and cycling route at the Sevenoaks Education Campus (home to Trinity School, The Weald of Kent and Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys) takes place on Saturday, 11 October at 12.30pm with a free cycle repair workshop, run by The Bike Warehouse in Sevenoaks, free police bike marking and information stalls.
An opening ceremony will take place at 1.15pm before two group bike rides led by the police will take cyclists along the route to Brittains Common. The rides set off at 1.30pm and 2pm and are expected to take about half an hour.
A Batch 18 coffee van (charges apply) will be waiting for cyclists at Brittains Common along with a free cycling goodie bag giveaway, subject to availability.
The free bike repair workshop, police bike marking and stalls will be available until 1.45pm. Events at Brittains Common will continue until 2.45pm.
The two-mile Sevenoaks East to West route provides walkers, wheelers (people on scooters, parents with prams and wheelchair users) and cyclists with a safe route to six schools and local facilities.
It offers a safe opportunity for residents to exercise, benefitting their health, while improving air quality and helping to cut the District’s carbon footprint. The route should also take some cars off the road, especially at busy school times, helping to reduce traffic congestion.
The route links the three schools at the Sevenoaks Education Campus in the east of the town with Knole Academy, Sevenoaks Primary School and Walthamstow Junior School and Amherst and Riverhead Schools in the west. The route goes close to Sevenoaks Rail station and Sevenoaks Hospital.
The project was delivered in partnership with Kent County Council with a £1.2m grant secured from the Government. The launch event is supported by funding from Cycling UK’s Big Bike Revival grant.
Cllr Irene Roy, Sevenoaks District Council’s cabinet member for Cleaner and Greener, says: “We’re excited to open the first, walking, wheeling and cycling route in Sevenoaks. This project has been a long-term ambition of both Sevenoaks District Council and Kent County Council, and I am delighted to see it progress to fruition.
“Encouraging our residents to use safe, sustainable forms of travel is a top priority and forms part of our climate change ambitions. By improving transport connections, we hope that in time, the route will be popular with children, commuters and the wider community. I want to thank everyone for helping with the launch especially The Bike Warehouse in Sevenoaks for providing free bike safety checks and repairs.”
