Cycling UK Forum

First Bus wrote:To build awareness and mutual understanding between bus drivers and cyclists First is organising a Cycle 'Swap with Me' event on Sunday 6 July in Bristol. All cyclists in the city, and the surrounding areas, are invited to take part in it.

Taking place in the Lloyds Amphitheatre on Sunday between 10am and 4pm, First is delivering the event in partnership with the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, Dr Bike, the Bristol Cycle Forum, the Brandon Trust, Avon and Somerset Police and the TravelWest Team.

Cyclists of all ages are invited to come down and take part. It will be an interactive session, giving people the chance to sit in a bus drivers seat while others cycle around a static bus. There will also be opportunities to talk to staff about any concerns that they may have while cycling in close proximity buses.

To keep things interesting for those attending First will also have its Wheel of Fortune game at the event, giving people the chance to win cycling related prizes as well as bus tickets and sweets. The police will also be on hand to talk about ways of keeping your bike safe, while Dr Bike will be able to provide advice and tips regarding bike maintenance.

Talking about what is happening, Natacha Tagholm, First's Regional Customer Service Manager, says: "This is the latest in a series of events we have held. We recently had a stand at the bottom of Park Street coinciding with the electric bike race and similarly held a Cycle 'Swap with Me' session last week as part of Bike Bath. This weekends event is expected to be as popular as those if not more so, and wed like to encourage people to come down and see us. The whole thing is designed to especially appeal to children and young people and 'leisure cyclists' but more experienced riders are welcome to come along too.

"Were aware that occasionally tension can build between cyclists and motorists and we want to do our bit to reduce this. We want to build understanding and awareness between road users, so we'll have some of our drivers on hand to listen to any concerns raised by cyclists during the day. Well also be giving cyclists the chance to sit in the drivers seat, so they can better appreciate the challenges drivers face while understanding more about blind spots that can exist for them.

"This is all part of our work to reduce the number of incidents between cyclists and our buses. It complements the other activities were involved in, for instance trialling the use of technology on the buses to alert our drivers to the presence of a cyclist in their blind spot."

The Cycling Swap with Me event will take place from 10am until 4pm on Sunday 6 July at the Lloyds Amphitheatre in Bristol. It is a free event and people can turn up throughout the day as they please.

The event also coincides with the city's Make Sunday Special event and the Bristol Cycle Festival (5-13 July). People travelling into the city by bus for these events may wish to note that the Bristol FirstDay Family Inner zone ticket - which offers unlimited travel for one day for up to five people (maximum two adults) - will be reduced on Sunday to £5 (from £8) as part of First's support for the city's Make Sunday Special events.