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Connect 2 Kenilworth Cycle and Pedestrian Route opens

The Connect 2 Kenilworth (C2K) cycle and pedestrian route that joins up Kenilworth and the Warwick campus had its official grand opening on Friday 26 October 2012.

The route, which saw the University working in partnership with Warwickshire County Council and the cycling charity Sustrans, runs from Coventry Road in Kenilworth, crosses Cryfield Grange Road, and ends at Leighfield Road on campus, next to the sports pitches and pavilion. Warwickshire County Council have a map of the route on their website.

This should make it much easier and safer to get to the University from Kenilworth by bike and on foot, and Warwick has been involved in the project in the hope that it will encourage more staff and students to cycle to work instead of driving in alone.

The route is part of the University's Travel Plan. Helping staff and students to live more environmentally sustainable lives is part of the University’s Strategy: "Encourage everyone to take an active role in achieving key environmental goals" (goal 5.5).

Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost Professor Koen Lamberts, himself a keen cyclist, attended the event to represent the University. He said:

"A world-leading University demands a world-leading infrastructure - cycling is part of that. Not only is it a benefit to staff and students travelling to and from the University, it also offers local people the chance to enjoy a peaceful, environmentally friendly trip to campus, where they can enjoy the scenery, food and drink, and events at the Arts Centre."

Many cyclists from across campus were also at the event, cycling down the route and taking pictures of a statue that has been erected next to it to tweet to the wider world.

The statue is of three figures associated with cycling, including John Kemp, a local producer of the Rover Safety Bicycle, Edward Langley Fardon, a pioneer of bike design, and a well-known Kenilworth philanthropist who funded a trust that continues to support the work of the University – the Helen Martin Studio on campus is named after her.