Great Western Railway have opened their bids for this year’s Customer and Community Improvement Fund applications. Bids have to be for rail related projects, which could include things that provide useful onward travel information.
So Kevin Humphreys, Transport Planner at Dorset Council, is taking the opportunity to put in a bid application to update our local Dorchester Area Cycling and Walking Map. Along with updating and improving the interactive cycling map on the Dorset Council website.
Kevin contacted us to ask if Dorchester Transport Action Group would be supportive of the application. We’ve replied saying more than happy to do so.
The current map was originally produced in 2010 so desperately needs updating. Here’s a link to it.
The interactive map is currently so out of date it doesn’t even include Dorchester! So getting Dorchester and surrounding area ‘on the map’ is clearly a top priority. Here’s the current version.
Kevin would like to make the new version far more interactive with a search facility that could incorporate ‘hot spots’ and provide information like train times, train station information, opening times of cycle shops, defibrillator locations and so on. As well as including information on national cycle routes, trails such as the Dorset Food Trail and the South West Coast Path which rail users could then use to access and enjoy these facilities.
If successful Kevin has asked for our input into other things we would like to see included in the maps. We’ve already made some suggestions like the Beryl Bike sites and where local bike racks are. So if you’ve got ideas on things that should be included please let us know and we will pass on the information to Kevin.
Applications close at the end of January so perhaps we will hear reasonably soon if it is successful. We will keep you posted!