Deal Town Council’s Cycle Friendly Deal project, with funding from the Government’s Coastal Community Fund, has installed 26 new cycle stands at 11 different locations across Deal & Walmer.
In 2019 Deal Town Council undertook a review of all the cycle parking in the area and asked cyclists where they needed more cycle stands. This gave an accurate picture of the location and capacity for cycle parking and where people required more parking.
The Town Council then worked with officers from Dover District Council and Kent County Council, effectively the landowners, to create a final list of all the new locations. New Cycle Stands have now been installed from Sandown Castle in North Deal through to The Strand in the neighbouring parish of Walmer.
The style of cycle stand chosen was carefully selected. The M-Hoop Cycle Stand promotes secure locking, helps keep bikes upright, enables a wider range of bicycle styles to be locked securely and the stands are coated to protect against the weather and avoid scratching frames. The Cycle Stands have been supplied by Kent-based Cyclepods and installed by a local Kent Highways contractor.
“It is good to know that Deal is even better placed now to welcome cyclists to the town.” Said Cllr Sue Beer, who is lead councillor on the project. “Cycling visitors spend money in the town without having a damaging effect on the environment. If more local people choose to leave their cars at home and cycle – parking in our new stands – that will be even better”
“The Cycle Friendly Deal project is working to make our town attractive for family and occasional cyclists as well as serious cyclists,” said Eileen Rowbotham, Mayor of Deal. “These new visitors will make a very welcome contribution to our local tourism and hospitality industry.”
“When the Cycle Friendly Deal project was set up we counted 202 cycle parking spaces”, said council officer Adrian Oliver. “But there were still not enough for peak periods and some of them were not in the places where people wanted to park. Hence this new set of stands providing an additional 52 parking spaces, with the best design stand, now in the best places.”
Walmer has also benefitted from the Cycle Friendly Deal project. Six new stands providing 12 cycle parking spaces, have been installed for visitors and local people near the shops on The Strand.
Deal Town Councillor Sue Beer and local resident Vanessa Hermidos are amongst the first to park in the new stands on the seafront.
Robert Franks uses the additional parking in front of St Georges Church on the High St – which was often full up, even on weekdays.
