LEICESTER people are being encouraged to take to their bikes on Thursday 5 August for Cycle To Work Day, and be in with a chance of winning some prizes.
Anyone can join in Cycle To Work Day and enjoy the simple pleasure of being on a bike – whether you’re a regular cyclist or haven’t ridden in years.
If you’re still working from home, you can join in by cycling on your lunch break or as you run errands on the day. Even if you don’t have a bike you can still join in, by registering with Santander Cycles Leicester and hiring one of the new e-bikes you’ll see at docking stations throughout the city centre.
Share your Cycle to Work Day selfie on social media using the tag #C2WDLeicester on Thursday 5 August to be in with a chance of winning a cycling goodie bag containing a Choose How You Move backpack, water bottle, bike lock and lights.
You can also earn double reward points on the day through the free Betterpoints app. To celebrate getting on your bike for Cycle to Work Day, BetterPoints will be giving all Choose How You Move Leicestershire participants double BetterPoints, which you can trade in for high street shopping vouchers or donate to a charity of your choice.
Figures show the number of cyclists recorded at key count sites in the city nearly doubled in May 2020 compared to May 2019, as key workers chose alternative ways to travel and people chose to cycle for exercise in response to the coronavirus lockdown.
New dedicated cycle lanes on some city routes have led to a significant rise in the numbers of cyclists using these routes. For example, the introduction of a segregated cycle lane on London Road saw cycling numbers increase there from about 300 a day to over 850 a day by April 2021.
The cycle route on Welford Road near HMP Leicester saw the number of cyclists rise from 230 a day before it was installed, up to 726 a day by 2019.
Across the city, Leicester’s cycle route network attracts about 18,000 cycle journeys each day.
Deputy city mayor for environment and transportation, Cllr Adam Clarke, said: “Leicester is a cycling city, regularly attracting national interest for the innovative measures we’re introducing to make cycling or walking an easier, safer option for people.
“We took lots of steps to make cycling as easy as possible at the height of the pandemic – such as introducing ‘keyworker corridors’ to help people get to work. Now we’re building on the increase we’ve seen in everyday cycling by introducing Santander Cycles Leicester, which will be the largest docked e-bike hire scheme in the UK. More than 12,000 people have already signed up and more than 24,000 trips have been made on these e-bikes.
“That’s why we’re pleased and proud to support Cycle to Work Day, encouraging more people to give cycling a try. Creating more everyday cyclists benefits the whole city: cutting congestion, improving air quality and improving the health of our residents.”
Cycle To Work Day is a national initiative, now in its ninth year, backed by charities and organisations including Cycling UK, Sustrans, British Cycling and Love To Ride. Find out more at www.choosehowyoumove.co.uk/C2WD
For more information on cycling in Leicester, visit https://www.choosehowyoumove.co.uk/cycling/
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Notes to editors:
The city council’s Transport Recovery Plan, published at the end of May 2020, sets out goals for helping the city’s economy to recover following the lockdown, while also meeting the city’s environmental objectives to improve air quality and encourage people to make more sustainable travel choices. Read more at: https://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council/city-mayor-peter-soulsby/key-strategy-documents/
Leicester City Council also has a package of nearly £80million, including funding from the Government's Transforming Cities Fund, to spend on a range of major projects. They include developing better walking and cycling links, launching the UK’s largest e-bike sharing scheme and upgrading park and ride buses from diesel to electric.
By December 2020 Leicester’s extensive cycle transport network totalled 235km of cycle facilities, with more than 100km of this either within the footway or entirely segregated from pedestrians and other traffic.
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