City Tower cycle park opens

From today, cyclists in Manchester have a new parking and changing facility to enjoy beneath City Tower in Piccadilly, with showers, lockers, toilets and racks for 200 bikes, at a cost of less than £1 a day.

Transport for Greater Manchester and Bruntwood have developed the City Tower Cycle Hub together. The facility opened on Monday and can be accessed off New York Street.

Cycle retailer Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative has a base within the hub, providing members and non-members with bicycle repair and maintenance services.

The hub has been delivered by Transport for Greater Manchester in partnership with Bruntwood and will operate on a membership basis. Membership costs £100 a year for parking and £200 a year including showers.

Kate Vokes, Bruntwood's brand and people director, said: "The City Tower Cycle Hub is a fantastic facility and a great addition to the Piccadilly area and we hope it will encourage more people to cycle to work."

The hub was delivered by Globe Construction's special works team during a ten-week build programme. The basement project included improved drainage systems, flooring repairs, complete M&E services installation, partitions and wall finishes throughout.

Ian Threadgold, director of Globe Construction, said: "It was crucial that our specialist team maintained a business-as-usual environment for the existing tenants of City Tower and that we completed a high quality scheme on time and within budget."

An introductory offer, running until the end of January, is available for cyclists who wish to try out the scheme before considering longer-term membership. This will cost £15 (standard, parking) or £30 (premium, with showers).

For more details of this and annual membership, log on to http://cycling.tfgm.com/join-a-hub.htm