WORK has begun on a £4.5m scheme to improve some of the cyclepaths across the town.

The money, from Government funding, has been made available for the project which will involve four schemes.

The first will be known as the Western Flyer and will see improvements to the cycleway that runs from Mead Way by the Westmead industrial estate, to the town centre at Sheppard Street.

Work has already begun on improving the lighting under the railway bridge on that stretch of cyclepath and more work is expected in the next couple of months to improve the surface and signage.

As part of this month’s cycle challenge, which aims to get more people who work in the town centre to cycle there, the Swindon Travel Choices group will exhibit the proposals at the Link Centre Library in West Swindon on Saturday, June 16, between 10am and 2pm.

The exhibition will be combined with a cycle roadshow from 10am to 3pm.

Twenty per cent of town centre workers live in West Swindon and it is hoped the investment in the route will encourage more people to use their bikes to get to work.

The estimated journey time from West Swindon to the town centre using The Western Flyer is between 10 and 15 minutes.

Travel awareness officer, Claire Fleming said: “The feedback so far has been positive.

“The funding will be available until 2015 and it is a really good opportunity for us to make improvements to the cycle paths in the town.

“People are saying they don’t know the paths are there so we will have money for better signage. This is all part of our aim to get more people cycling.”

The second scheme which will be on display is an improvement to pedestrian and cycle access for the Regent Circus and Princes Street area.

The work at Regent Circus aim to provide a more direct, quick and attractive route for cyclists and pedestrians travelling from the east into key workplaces such as Nationwide’s Kingsbridge Point and Swindon Borough Council’s Civic Campus.

The scheme complements the work at Whalebridge Round-about and Fleming Way to prioritise sustainable methods of transport in the town.

The free events at West Swindon Library are part of Bike Week and will also offer maintenance and safety checks by a cycle mechanic, bike security marking, and an information stall packed with maps, leaflets and goodies. For information visit www.active swindonchallenge.org.uk.