Cycle tour a boost to town's economy

Buy photos » The Halfords Tour Series cycle race added thousands of pounds to Redditch’s economy. Picture by Marcus Mingins 2112007MMR1.

OFFICIAL figures show the Halfords Tour Series cycle race brought more than £100,000 into Redditch's economy.

It has also been revealed 10,000 people packed into the borough to witness some of the finest cyclists in the world go head-to-head around the town centre course during May's event - double the previous estimate.

Only a third of those lived in Worcestershire with the majority coming from the wider West Midlands region and the rest of the UK, according to a survey carried out to assess the economic impact of the race.

On average visitors staying overnight spent more than £141 each, the majority of which were in hotels around the town, and those who travelled in for the day spent over £62.

The event also launched Worcestershire County Council's £2.8million Choose How You Move scheme which aims to get people out of their cars and using alternative, more sustainable forms of transport.

As a result experts also analysed the impact hosting the race in Redditch had on encouraging people to cycle more, with 61 per cent saying they were inspired to get on a bike more regularly while overall 89 per cent of people said they enjoyed the experience.

The Halfords Tour Series is Britain's top cycle race and this year's event was the first in a three year deal to stage it in Redditch. A date for the 2013 event has yet to be set.

Not all traders in the town centre felt they benefited though, with some voicing concerns about their business being blocked and customers being unable to get to them, while the length of some road closures and diversion signage was also criticised.

Coun John Smith, responsible for transport and highways on the county council, said they were looking at improvements which could be put in place for next year.

"The findings of the impact assessment report for the Tour Series are very pleasing. It shows the event was really worthwhile – both in terms of promoting cycling as a travel alternative to the car and boosting the local economy," he said.

"The atmosphere on the night was fantastic and we can confirm we'll be bringing the event back next year, although at this stage we haven't yet got a definite date.

"We're hoping this time it will be even better. On the whole things ran very smoothly in May but as is usually the case there were elements that could have been improved.

"This time around we have the benefit of experience on our sides and we'll be looking to put that in to practice, particularly when it comes to communicating any temporary changes to the town's network of roads."

Regional news »