HubFest

ACTIVE travel’s contribution to cutting greenhouse gases is set to take centre stage in Dundee later this month.

HubFest, on September 26, will include the opening of the city’s cycle hub, and also see the launch of local events leading up to the COP 26 climate summit.

Slessor Gardens and Waterfront Place will play host to stalls and information stands, a mobile bike track, Segway sessions, upcycling, rewilding and many other activities.

Meanwhile the £1.2m Dundee Cycle Hub will be officially opened by Lord Provost Ian Borthwick and Lee Craigie, Scotland’s Active Nation Commissioner.

Lord Provost Borthwick said: “There’s a lot more to getting behind active travel than just having a few decent paths than you can cycle and walk on.

“One of those things is knowing there’s somewhere to go that you can meet other people, get advice on routes or your bike fettled. It’s also good to have a place where you can get a seat and refreshments.

“The new Dundee Cycle Hub provides all those things and more and is a great addition to Waterfront Place and the city in general.”

Lee Craigie, Scotland’s Active Nation Commissioner said: “Choosing how to get around should not be the privilege of few. Our shared spaces need to be green, fair and friendly so that we all have the choice to move actively if we want to.

“Dundee Cycle Hub will allow just that by encouraging and enabling more people to ride bikes and therefore creating safer, more accessible and healthier environments that we all benefit from.”

The Dundee Cycle Hub and surrounding network of paths have been part funded by the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) Low Carbon Travel & Transport Programme, which has contributed £1.2m towards the Waterfront Place transformation and also the Docks Way that opened in 2019.

Staff based at Dundee Cycle Hub will promote cycling and other forms of sustainable and low carbon travel to visitors and residents who will have immediate access to the National Cycle Network that runs alongside the Tay and across to Fife.

Scott Francis, project director of Angus Cycle Hub who will run the Dundee facility said: “We are absolutely delighted to confirm we will be partnering with Dundee City Council and other stakeholders to deliver a range of community-based initiatives from the new building to continue to develop the city’s cycling and active travel renaissance.

“It’s a really exciting project for us and we hope to be able to bring the lessons learned from the projects we have been running in the Angus region to also benefit the Dundee area.”

One of the highlights of the day promises to be the visit of Storm, a 10m high sea goddess who will be presented with ScrapAntics’ three metre long whale sculpture constructed from reclaimed plastic and built by local school children. As well as wandering through Slessor Gardens she will also take a tour of the city centre.

Storm’s walk on dry land calls on Scottish communities to join forces to face the oceans in crisis together.

All of the events, which are free, start at 11am and run until 4pm.

In line with current Covid-19 guidance attendees will be asked to track and trace and maintain hand hygiene at all times. All equipment will be cleaned between use.

Dundee City Council

Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.

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