WORKERS commuting to Crewe will soon have the chance to keep fit and help the environment with the introduction of a special "cycle park".

Bike shop owner Les Rees plans to open part of his town centre premises as a cycle park, and has distributed questionnaires around the town to gauge public opinion on his plans.

If enough people support the proposal he is hoping he can get borough council backing for the scheme, which could be expanded to include showering facilities and lockers for clothes.

Mr Rees said: "I have been toying with this idea for about 12 months now. It has already proved a success in towns like Lincoln.

"I think people want to use their bikes more, but they get put off because there is nowhere to leave them and worries about them being stolen.

The borough council have shown an interest in helping with the scheme, but Mr Rees believes it is such a good idea he will go it alone if he has to.

Council spokesman, Norman Jones, said: "There are a number of advantages to this proposal.

"It will certainly contribute towards the borough council's aim of improving the environment around the town centre, by reducing traffic flows.

"Once the demand is established, a decision will be made regarding charging. It is recognised for the scheme to be successful, the fee must not be prohibitive and certainly less than the daily charge for parking a vehicle in the town centre."

The questionnaires to assess the demand will be collected from local shops and businesses next week.

Mr Rees hopes to have the cycle park up and running by Easter, with the extra facilities in place by June.

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