Here are some of the ways in which Bridgwater Area Cycling Campaign is helping in your community.
Something missing? More ideas? Let us know!
Boost Your Confidence
Group Rides
We frequently run organised group rides for a variety of people. There’s usually one every month, and they’re either a ‘led ride’ or a ‘social ride’. What’s the difference?
Led rides are aimed at those who are maybe less confident on their bikes, maybe they haven’t ridden for a while, or maybe they feel intimidated by riding in traffic. A led ride is carefully managed and risk-assessed to overcome these obstacles and empower people to feel more confident cycling around Bridgwater. Our led rides are organised in collaboration with Sustrans.
To get an idea of what it’s like to join one of these, check out this 2-minute video from Cycling UK.
Social rides are for those who are already happy riding on the road and covering longer distances, but everyone is welcome. The routes are carefully planned in advance and we tend to take them at a relaxed pace. We do these rides purely for fun!
All our rides are published in our calendar, and you can subscribe to our emails so you don’t miss a thing.
Cycle Training
For anyone who feels they could benefit from some more specialised attention, you can obtain training from Bristol-based charity Life Cycle UK. And in many cases, these lessons come completely free of charge!
Here’s what they say: “Our qualified instructors offer one-to-one cycle sessions to adults across the West of England. Each lesson is tailored to your level and moves at your own pace. Whether it’s help finding the safest route to work, tips for tackling that tricky junction, or general road skills support – we can help!” Find out more here.
Bikeability for Kids
Would you like to help your youngsters become confident riders? In the 21st century, it’s a real life skill, just like driving lessons. Bikeability is the Department for Transport’s flagship national cycle training programme for schoolchildren in England.
Somerset Road Safety offer dedicated cycling coaching for children in Year 5 and 6. You can get it organised through your child’s school, or they also run programmes in the holidays. Visit their website to find out more.
Getting Around Bridgwater
Our Mapping Pages
If you’re new to cycling around Bridgwater, you might be wondering what the best routes are to get from A to B. After all, our town isn’t exactly laid out in a logical fashion. Well, wonder no more! We have created an interactive corridor/route map on Google to assist you, and it can be found on our mapping page.
The Bridgwater Way
You may well have heard about The Bridgwater Way – it’s an initiative started by Somerset County Council to encourage more people to use active travel (i.e. walking and cycling). One of its main aims is to help you plan your journeys around Bridgwater – check out their tools here.
Helpful Resources
Useful Links
We certainly don’t claim to know everything there is to know about cycling and active travel! There is a huge wealth of knowledge out there, so to help guide you, we’ve compiled a handy page of links to some of those organisations that can provide more in-depth expertise.
As well as this, you’ll also find links to some helpful online tools, like reporting cycling-related incidents or maintenance issues with bike routes.
Bike Maintenance
If you’re handy with a set of allen keys, maintaining your own bike pays dividends. Bike Radar have a fantastic set of workshop articles here, and there are a host of great videos on YouTube to help you.
If you’re short on time and/or skills, though, there are plenty of friendly local shops well-equipped to take care of it for you — everything from a puncture repair to a full rebuild! Tap / click the images to go to their sites…
Bike Security
Bike thefts are sadly all too common, and the latest figures make grim reading.
But it doesn’t have to be like this! Prevention is better than cure… take steps to avoid your bike being stolen:
- Make sure it’s on the national Bike Register
- Get it insured – you can do this either under your home contents policy, or you may choose a dedicated policy – it depends on your individual needs, so here’s a handy guide.
- Make sure your lock is appropriate for your needs, and you know how to use it properly.
- Check out the advice from Avon & Somerset Police and the Bicycle Association.
If you do suffer the misfortune of a theft, you can report it here.
Become a Cycle-Friendly Employer
If you run a business in Bridgwater, there is lots you can do to support people commuting to work by bike.
Check out our brief guide and also see what Sustrans have to say.
Campaigning
Working for a Better Bridgwater
The real ‘meat on the bones’ of what we do is mainly behind the scenes – we are working tirelessly for you, our fellow townsfolk, to secure better bike routes – ones that feel safe and are safe. But it goes beyond safety, of course. We follow the five core design principles of the Dutch Cycling Embassy. These have been adopted into UK legislation, and state that bike routes should be:
It’s our mission to ensure any new cycle routes are well designed according to these principles, and that they meet the government’s guidance; and we also campaign for improvements to the existing network, such as upgrades and maintenance.
To do this, we work as closely as possible with our local authorities, with town and parish councillors, and with Sustrans.
Anything Else?
These are the main ways in which we are trying to improve cycling in and around Bridgwater. We consider ourselves experts, because we all live here and cycle a lot around the town and the local area.
But there’s always room for improvement, and we would love to hear from you! What else could we do to make your bike life better? Contact us here, or through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Alternatively, we always welcome new input at our regular bi-monthly meetings. You can join these from the comfort of your own home via Zoom. To find out when these are, check our calendar or subscribe to our emails.