Highways Local funding is to be used to encourage school children and local people to cycle more in Abbeydale.

Cllr Andrew Gravells, county councillor for Abbey, is using his £10,000 budget to promote cycling in the area.

Funding will be used to provide cycle stands and storage for Heron Primary School to encourage more pupils to cycle to school.

Part of the funding will be used to pay for blue signs making it clear that there is a shared footway/ cycleway along Swift Way and the adjoining footpaths from Fieldfare.

The remaining funding will be used for cyclist dismount signs near the school entrances. The signs will be designed by pupils at the school and judged by Andre Bovington, road safety team leader at Gloucestershire County Council.

Cllr Andrew Gravells said: “Cycling is such a good way to keep fit and stay healthy. Local parents here have told me that they’d like to cycle to school with their children. So, working with the school and the county council, we’ve devised this scheme to make cycling to school safer and easier. Some of the money will be used to help the school to buy a cycle storage rack, as well as all the signage. Informing local people who live nearby of our plans is key to the success of this scheme.”

Gloucestershire Highways will write to residents alongside the path to inform them that the path is to formally become a shared footway/ cycleway, before the signs are put up.

Cllr Andrew Gravells will be talking to pupils from the school’s school council next month to tell them more about cycling and the changes to make it easier for them to ride their bikes to school.

Cllr Will Windsor-Clive, cabinet member for communities, said: “County councillors are our closest link to these communities, so it makes sense for them to be more involved and tell us which highways schemes would best meet the needs of people in their area.”

Each county councillor has an allocated Highways Local budget of £10,000 to spend on highways projects in their local area. Councillors have used their funding for a wide range of schemes from resurfacing and pothole repairs to drainage and safety schemes.