Parking for 90 extra bikes has been installed at a station as part of a £56,000 upgrade project.

The new two tier cycle parking is now available at Royston Station, taking the total number of spaces available for cyclists at the station up to 240.

The £56,000 project was carried out by train operator First Capital Connect (FCC) and Hertfordshire County Council, and also included the installation of CCTV cameras covering all the station’s cycle parking.

Funding came from a successful bid to the Department for Transport supported by contributions from both the county council and FCC. Royston now has 240 cycle spaces compared with just 21 in 2006, when FCC took over the Great Northern franchise which covers the route from Royston to London King’s Cross.

Customer Service Director at FCC, Keith Jipps said:

“We are delighted to have increased the number of cycle parking spaces at Royston station by an astonishing 1,100%, which again highlights our drive to promote more environmentally friendly travel for our passengers.

“Alongside the new pedestrian and cycle crossing link we feel that together with Hertfordshire County Council we can get more passengers using bicycles when travelling to the station.”

Terry Douris, Hertfordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, said:

“We are pleased to offer improvements to the public using these facilities and encourage sustainable travel to the station.

“These extra cycle spaces will allow more people to cycle to Royston Station, helping to reduce the amount of traffic on the road and giving people the opportunity to undertake physical activity as part of their journeys.”

Cycling in Royston has boomed in recent years, with the opening of the £3.8million underpass linking Burns Road and Green Street, and several new cycle paths being established.

The news will be welcomed by the A10 Corridor Cycle campaign, whose Royston section has been campaigning for better facilities for cyclists in the town.