Councillor Mark Ieronimo went “back to the floor” as he joined Hull City Council’s dedicated cycle path team for a morning’s work.
Donning high-vis gear and wielding a litter-picker, the council’s Portfolio Holder for Roads, Highways and Transport mucked in with the team as they tidied up a cycle path near Priory Road.
Armed with leaf blowers, hedge cutters, grass trimmers, bin bags and a road sweeping vehicle, the team cleared the path before jumping back in their vans and moving on to the next one.
The council has three two-person teams that ensure Hull’s off-road cycle tracks are clear and safe for cyclists. The teams were set up in 2020, and mainly cover three main routes, which follow old railway lines: the Hornsea, Withernsea and the Cottingham branch lines.
Their tasks include fly-tip removal, litter-picking, sweeping, emptying litter bins, strimming and cutting back vegetation. They also focus on gritting and removing fallen leaves to prevent slip hazards, and removing glass to reduce the risk of punctures.
Cllr Ieronimo said: “If we want to encourage more people to get on their bikes in Hull, it’s essential that the city’s cycle routes are kept as places where cyclists feel safe and can enjoy their ride.
“Keeping the city’s cycle tracks clean and tidy is something we are asked about a lot, including in last year’s traffic and transport survey, so it’s great to see how hard these teams are working every day to make sure this happens.
“The teams obviously take a great deal of pride in what they do, and it was useful to hear about what resources they might need to do their jobs even more effectively.”
Doug Sharp, the council’s Head of Waste Management and Street Cleansing, said: “It was great to have Cllr Ieronimo working alongside our cycle path team, seeing what they do, day in and day out, to keep the city’s routes clean, tidy and, most importantly, safe.
“We know how important the off-road cycle network is to cyclists, and the old branch lines are critical routes for navigating the city. That’s why we are working hard to ensure they are clean and safe for cyclists.”
For more on cycling in Hull, including an interactive map of cycle routes, visit Travel Hull.
