Would this booking page encourage you to sign up for adult cycle training?

The subject of adult cycle training often attracts comments such as "everyone can ride a bike" or "if you can't ride a bike by the time your an adult its time to give up". 

Unfortunately, such beliefs are very commonplace. They are also both incorrect. 

Research studies have indicated that between 7-12% of adults in the United Kingdom never learnt to ride a bicycle as a child and many local and transport authorities now recognise the benefits of providing free adult cycle training programmes.

In Manchester the Freewheeling cycle training, delivered by BikeRight! has found that over 25% of the cycle training places have been delivered to people who could not cycle - literally Learn to Ride sessions.  

Even for people who can already ride a bicycle - they are often discouraged from cycling by the volume and speed of the traffic on Greater Manchester roads. There are strong arguments for re-allocating roadspace for cycling and creating a coherent network of off-road, segregated and shared-use cycle routes - and these need to be made to local authorities and Transport for Greater Manchester - but such changes will take time to implement. In the meantime, adult cycle training programmes - such as Freewheeling can help give people the skills and confidence to cycle on the road network. 

Manchester City Council are to be applauded for the support they have provided for adult cycle training since 2010 and cycling advocacy campaigns such as Love Your Bike successfully lobbied for adult cycle training programmes to be included in the Greater Manchester Local Transport Plan (LTP3) - "We will also work with key partners to identify funding and resources to deliver adult cycle training" (page 113) and the Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) Local Sustainable Transport Fund bids.

The Department for Transport (DfT) announced in June 2011 that TfGM had successfully been awarded £5million for the Key Component LSTF bid.  The bid document stated that: "A central pool of some 3,330 places will be funded by LSTF funding, to be matched by a similar level of locally funded training."

The bid document also stated that "TfGM will procure a supplier to deliver L3 Bikeability training and bookings will be controlled centrally (following consultation with TfL)." (Emphasis added).

In October 2011, TfGM announced that it had decided to run the adult cycle training 'in-house' and in June 2012 the new TfGM cycling website went live and the cycle training booking form is available here.

Unfortunately, it does not seem that TfGM consulted with TfL regarding the "look and feel" of the booking form as the incredibly long list of Terms and Conditions seem designed to be as off-putting as possible to potential participants.  Here are a couple of my least favourites:

"Clients must have their own bicycle."

"It is a condition that clients present themselves in a fit state, having had proper rest and not under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Clients need to be appropriately dressed for cycling with sturdy shoes."

"The Instructor may at any time refuse to continue to train a client if their ability level is deemed to be unsuitable for the training programme."   

[See bottom of this post for a list of the terms].

Contrast this with the booking form on the Transport for London website, or Leicester Council. Even where some providers - such as Peterborough Travel Choice do have similar terms and conditions they are listed at the end of the booking/consent form - not as the first text that you see!

I have argued for the inclusion of adult cycle training programmes in the Local Transport Plan as well as the LSTF bids and will continue to lobby for local authorities in Greater Manchester to provide adult cycle training programmes after LSTF funds have finished.

I disagree with the choices TfGM have made on how they will deliver the LSTF funded adult cycle training and who they are targeting the training at (those who can already cycle and have a bicycle).  But, they have made their decisions and for now so be it. In the meantime I do wish they would make the booking process a little less off-putting.

Transport for Greater Manchester - Book your training - Terms & Conditions

Please carefully read the following terms and conditions relating to your participation in Transport for Greater Manchester Adult Cycle Training programme.

• The Adult Cycle Training scheme is administered and delivered by Transport for Greater Manchester. The scheme is run in accordance with national guidelines set by the Department for Transport National Standard for Instructors.
• The Adult Cycle Training Course is a two hour session and is free. If you are unable to attend the session date allocated to you, you must contact us on 0300 123 1675 immediately so that the Instructor can be notified.
• Clients must be 16 or over and live or work within Greater Manchester.
• Clients must have their own bicycle.
• Clients may only book / rearrange a session on a maximum of 3 occasions.
• It is a condition that clients present themselves in a fit state, having had proper rest and not under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Clients need to be appropriately dressed for cycling with sturdy shoes.
• Clients must ensure that the Instructor is aware of any medical condition they have which may affect the training.
• Clients who need to wear glasses / contact lenses must ensure they bring them to the session.
• Every effort will be made to accommodate any special requirements clients may have provided they have notified us. If no indication has been made we cannot be held responsible should a client be unable to complete the session.
• It is the Client's responsibility to ensure that their bicycle is roadworthy before attending the training session.
• The Instructor may refuse to train Client's if their bicycle is not roadworthy. The Instructor's decision is final.
• Instructors working on behalf of Transport for Greater Manchester are not obliged to carry out repairs to make an un-roadworthy bicycle roadworthy.
• The Instructor may at any time refuse to continue to train a client if their ability level is deemed to be unsuitable for the training programme.
• Transport for Greater Manchester requires clients to be respectful and professional to our Instructors, staff and other attendees or participants whilst taking part in the Adult Cycle Training programme.
• Transport for Greater Manchester reserves the right to terminate the training or ask a client to leave should they be deemed rude, uncooperative, unprofessional, intoxicated or in possession of alcohol or any illegal substance. In such cases of unsuitable behaviour, clients will be excluded from any future training session.
• Transport for Greater Manchester is not responsible for any injury, loss or damage to any property.
• Clients are advised that to become proficient takes much more practice than a training session of this kind can provide.
• Clients are responsible for the decision to wear a helmet during a training session. If a helmet is worn it is must fit properly.
• Clients must ensure they wear suitable clothing for the training session and prevailing weather conditions expected during their session. Clients must accept the Terms and Conditions before a training session commences and that a training session cannot take place if these terms and conditions are not agreed too.
• In the unlikely event we are unable to deliver a training session due to reasons beyond our control; we will reschedule your session as soon as possible. Please contact Transport for Greater Manchester us if you are unhappy with any aspect of your training session.
• Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and its service providers will use your personal information for the purposes of customer services and administration, customer research and fraud prevention.
• We may contact you to ask for feedback regarding the training session.
• Under the Data Protection Act your details will not be shared with or passed onto any other organisation. You may request details of personal information which we hold about you under the Data Protection Act 1998. If you believe that any information we are holding about you is incorrect or incomplete, please contact us as soon as possible. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.

TfGM... cycling towards a sustainable transport plan?

Well the bids are in and now everyone has to wait for the Department for Transport (DfT) equivalent of the white smoke from the papal chimney....I am off course referring to the Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) bids that have been submitted seeking a slice of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund available from national government.  The Local Sustainable Transport Fund (or LSTF) is a Department for Transport funding scheme for "projects which stimulate economic growth whilst reducing carbon emissions." and TfGM have submitted two bids.

The "key component bid" (up to £5 million) for the Greater Manchester Commuter Cycle Project was submitted on Monday 18th April and the 'Large Project' bid (up to £45 million) was sent off on Monday 6th June.

The main element in the "key component" bid is for several large Cycle Centres (to be located in Manchester City Centre and possibly Media City) and a number of other smaller scale cycle parking/storage facilities. Whilst, the jury is still out in many cities on whether the large Cycle Centres will flourish or prove to be expensive white elephants there is a clear need across Greater Manchester for more and better cycle parking and storage facilities.


The "key component" bid also contains funding for a range of "Cycle Support Measures" including the provision of cycle training and the bid document states that:  "Bikeability Level 3 training will be provided for adults along their route to work, or as part of their work, particularly targeting new cycle commuters. Cycle training will also be offered to all those taking up the Bike Back to Work offer." (Page 11)  

The bid document goes on to state: "A central pool of some 3,330 places will be funded by LSTF funding, to be matched by a similar level of locally funded training." and that "Beyond 2014/15 the full costs of a cycle training programme will be met from local resources." It will be interesting to see if the 10 GM local authorities will still agree to the funding for adult cycle training beyond 2014/15 - even if the LSTF bid is unsuccessful.

Those nice people at Love Your Bike helped lobby Manchester City Council to introduce adult cycle training (for more details see the Freewheeling website) and over the last few years have been encouraging all GM local authorities to introduce similar schemes... so are delighted to see this included in TfGM's key component bid.

The snappily titled "Large Project Bid" was for just under £45 million and is an "expression of interest" which, if it makes it through the first round at the end of July, will be developed further with Department of Transport officers between August and December 2011.

Because the LSTF is a "competitive bid process", ie TfGM are bidding for funding against any of the other Metropolitan areas in England and Wales, the detailed bid documents were not available for public consultation.


A brief "Vision for Sustainability' document was circulated to a small number of organisations before the bid deadline. One of the "outcomes" listed was the aim to achieve a "doubling of commuter mode share for cycling into the Regional Centre and a 50% increase elsewhere, delivering over 7,000 additional commuter cycle trips per day and replacing around 420,000 car trips per year." (Page 9).

Which sounds ambitious, until you realise that current levels of cycling into the City Centre (during the AM peak time) are estimated to be a 1.1% modal share. Therefore the 'target' is to go from 1.1% of travel trips being made by bicycle to a grand 2.2%.   Compare this to Copenhagen's current cycling modal share of over 40% !

It is also interesting to note the comment in Manchester City Council's Local Area Implementation Plan (LAIP) which states that: "Cycle journeys into the City Centre have doubled in the last 3 years and walking trips have increased by over 80%."  [Page 21]

Whenever discussing statistics it is always worth remembering Mark Twain's "lies, damned lies, and statistics" observation. However, if cycle journeys into the City Centre have already doubled over the last 3 years, then given that TfGM are asking for up to £50 million of Local Sustainable Transport Funds, it does seem a little unambitious to set a similar target (although of course the actual number of people cycling would be much larger than in the previous 3 years).

The Large Project Bid document is now available and outlines proposed projects in 4 main themes:

• Sustainable Access to Key Destinations and Transport Hubs
• Supporting sustainable choices
• Smarter Travel
• Enabling community transport

In the 'Supporting sustainable choices'  section the document describes how cycling training provides a "cost-effective means of giving adult cyclists the confidence to cycle to work and to cycle as part of their daily lives. It has already been successfully trialled in Manchester and Trafford, and the bid includes proposals to roll this out across the rest of the conurbation." (Page 10). Tucked away on Page 22 is a budget allocation for £2.9 million for Cycle training. If the LSTF bid is successful this revenue funding would support cycle training for 36,000 people in Greater Manchester over a 3 year period. 

Now, when adult cycle training is discussed, comments often run along the lines of "why do people need cycle training, anyone can ride a bike".  However, academic research has shown that between 7% and 12% of adults never learnt to ride a bicycle and the results from the Manchester Freewheeling adult cycle training scheme has shown that approx 20% of all the cycle training places were for "Learn to Ride" sessions i.e. for people who could not ride a bike - but in most cases could cycle after attending the training sessions.

Also, taking into account the large number of people who can cycle - but do not have the confidence or experience to cycle on the roads in Greater Manchester - then adult cycle training can have a big impact in helping and encouraging people to start, or return to, cycling.

If TfGM's Local Sustainable Transport Fund bids are successful, then Greater Manchester will have a mega adult cycle training scheme and this is very, very welcome....  and this element of the LSTF bid certainly cannot be described as unambitious! 

....but I cannot help wondering what effect such a huge cycle training programme would have on those damn statistics!


Update 5th July


Norman Baker M.P, the Transport Minister today announced the local authorities who had been awarded Local Sustainable Transport Funds for their "key component" bids.  Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) have been awarded the full £4.9 million requested for the Greater Manchester Commuter Cycle Project "key component bid".  Good news.

Bike Maintenance - learning to D.I.Y

The leaves are falling, its getting colder and the hours of darkness are increasing... so perhaps now is a good time to give your bicycle that TLC you have been promising it for ages...  and if your bicycle maintenance skills are not all they could be then there are a number of bike maintenance training courses on offer.  

Have listed several courses below - ranging from free to quite expensive. Have not done any of these courses so cannot comment on the quality (or otherwise) and value for money. If your organisation offers cycle maintenance and I have missed you off then please leave a comment.

Suggest you contact the organisation concerned and ask for more details to make sure the training matches your budget and skill level.

In alphabetical order

BikeRight!

Unit 8, 877 Ashton Old Road, Manchester, M11 2NA
Tel: 0161 230 7007

Email: info@bikeright.co.uk

Certified maintenance courses for beginners and the more experienced

"We currently run one day and two day courses which build up your maintenance skills step by step. By working with us you will soon develop the skills needed to keep your bike road-worthy and safe. Courses are for a maximum of 8 people so book early to avoid disappointment - dates are limited to availability. We also run bespoke courses for groups and offer maintenance contracts for bike fleet and pool bike owners.

Basic, intermediate and advanced courses 
By working with us you will soon develop the skills needed to keep your bike road-worthy and safe. Courses are for a max of 8 people so book early!" 

One day overview course – covering the basics
Two day course – the basics and more
Course costs range from £65 to £130.

British Cycling

Stuart Street, Manchester, M11 4DQ

Tel 0161 274 2000end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Learn Bike Maintenance and Repair with the Professionals British Cycling is launching bike maintenance and repair workshops aimed at beginner and intermediate cyclists. Workshops will be delivered by world renowned mechanic Peter ‘Spike’ Taylor. Courses take place at the Manchester Velodrome on Wednesday 27 October 6pm -9.30pm (Beginners); and Thursday 28 October 9.30am – 5.30pm (Intermediate) Stewart Kellett, Director of Recreation and Partnerships, British Cycling said; ‘Manchester is the home of British Cycling as well as thousands of cycle commuters, leisure cyclists and would-be regular cyclists. We know that many would like help to develop their maintenance and repair skills, giving them the confidence to take their cycling further. As the national governing body British Cycling can offer something different. We have the real inside track on maintenance and repair, and a fun, hands-on, expert approach with wide appeal.’

For more info see britishcycling.org.uk/recreation or contact bikemaintenance@britishcycling.org.uk or 0161 274 2049

Course costs range from £65 to £130.

Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative

7 Wilmslow Road, Rusholme, Manchester, M14 5FT 

Tel: 0161 257 3897 

"And the easiest way to get hands-on mechanical experience is to spend a Saturday or Sunday at one of our day classes where you will be shown how it's done by one of our mechanics. You will then get to practice your newly-learnt skills on your own bike on a proper workstand using the right tools. Choose between the all-day Intensive Class or the half-day Foundation Course. Beginners welcome to either (though if you have a smattering of mechanical experience you might find the Foundation Course too basic)."

Half-Day and Full-Day Classes

Half-Day Foundation Course in Cycle Maintenance
All-Day Intensive Course in Cycle Maintenance
Intensive Cycle Maintenance Course for Women
All-Day Course in Wheel Building

Course costs range £25 to £49.

FW Evans

201 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3NW.

Tel: 0161 834 6732 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Chill Factor, Trafford Way, Trafford Quays, Manchester, M41 7JA

Tel: 

Are running FREE bi-monthly sessionson basic cycle maintenance in every store.  The staff in the shop have been trained by a Cytech mechanic to demonstrate the best methods of home maintenance and are eager to share these techniques.
The session will cover the following topics:

Punctures/Tube Replacement – some handy tips to make the process stress free! 
Brake Set Up – adjustment of your braking system and how to check for wear 
Gear Set Up – adjustment of your gear system, including how to ‘index’ your gears 
Transmission Cleaning – cleaning of the drive chain and how to check for wear
Q & A – the opportunity to speak directly with one of our trained mechanics
 

Every attendee will also receive a FREE Fix It Home Cycle Maintenance Guide
For more infromation visit: www.evanscycles.com/servicing/free-bike-maintenance-classes

Pedal Mcr

Website

Birch Community Centre

Workshop 3 (24/10/10; 2pm- 4pm): Bike Basics: Brakes- including types of brakes, changing brake cables
and brake blocks.

Workshop 4 (7/11/10; 2pm- 4pm): Bike Basics: Gears-How gears work + correct use of gears (cycling skills); Basic gear adjustments barrel adjusters +
understanding what limit screws do + no adjustments to limit screws and solving common gear problems such as erratic shifting and chain coming off.

To secure your place at the basic bike maintenance workshops please fill in
your details here:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dDZZRHIxT2E2RXFXaU9oQ2l...

All workshops are 2 hours long and cost 5.00 benefits/students etc. and 6.50
for employed people. If you would like to do pay in advance for the 4 weeks
then it will be 18/24- you can pay in advance by paypal to nesthebear_23(at)riseup.net

All tools and components (such as cables etc) are included in the cost of the
course. Drop-in is fine but where possible please let me know if you are coming so
that i can bring enough tools etc. (if we are mega short of components compared to
attendants those that have reserved a spot will take priority)

You can email info(at)pedalmcr.org.uk or text 07866734351 for more info.

1000 and counting.... cycle training pays off in Sheffield

"It has cost public funds the equivalent of a metre of modern highway and led to a council-estimated increase in cycling of 70%. And that's in Sheffield, where both the landscape and shifts in political control are as up-and-down as they come."

Photo Caption:Wendy Melia cycling in Sheffield. 

Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian

A recent Guardian article has praised the work of Sheffield-based Pedal Ready cycle training co-op which has just past the milestone of training 1000 adults to cycle safely and competently in Sheffield.  In an accompanying audio slideshow the1000th trainee, Wendy Melia a HR officer at the Department for Work and Pensions recounts how the one-to-one cycle training has given her the confidence to cycle the two miles to work.

So what's happening in Greater Manchester?

On 22nd June 2010, during Bike Week, Manchester City Council announced that they are funding an adult cycle training scheme which would provide free training for up to 300 people. The cycle training will be provided by BikeRight! the Manchester-based cycle training company and if you live or work in Manchester you could be able to sign up for a free cycle training session. The project blurb highlights how "If you don't cycle and want to learn all the right skills, or are returning to cycling and want to brush-up on your technique then this FREE training is just up your street" and that "During the training you will"

• Discover how to deal with busy traffic

• Learn about road positioning and how to be seen by other traffic

• Find great cycling routes for your everyday journeys around Manchester

• Get tips for riding at night-time or in bad weather

• Learn all about safety, clothing and other equipment

• Pick-up maintenance tips

• Learn to ride if you are a complete beginner."

As the BikeRight! promo says: "Get fit, save money, meet people, get to work and back on time, avoid traffic jams, save fuel, exercise for free, loose weight, burn calories, learn new skills, gain confidence… what more can we say to get you cycling around Manchester? -How about FREE adult cycle training?"

So thats all really fab from Manchester but what is happening in the other 9 local authorities in Greater Manchester?

Well, those lovely people at Love Your Bike wanted to ask the same question and had noticed that buried away in the Local Transport Plan (LTP2) was a commitment from all the GM local authorities to establish adult cycle training projects before April 2011. The LTP2 document states that:

“Actions for Cycling: During the next five years, we shall take the following steps to improve cycling:  Delivery of improved school cycle training  and establishing adult cycle training - the latter inline with the recommendations of a study to be commissioned" 

So Love Your Bike wrote to all the Chief Executives and Council leaders at the other nine Greater Manchester local authorities asking when they would honour their commitment in Local Transport Plan 2 to establish adult cycle training schemes.  Listed below are the key points from the responses received:

Bolton: "Further to your recent e-mail enquiry to Access Bolton, I can advise that it has now been passed on to our Chief Executives Department. They will respond to your enquiry within 14 days."   [Automatic message received on 21st June (and following a reminder email - on 15th July). Love Your Bike has apparently not yet received a response].

Bury: "In conclusion, I regret to say that without bespoke funding we are unable to deliver a wider programme of adult cycle training."

Oldham: the provision of adult cycle training, has been considered in Oldham.  The Cycling Officer and Road Safety team at the Unity Partnership, which works on behalf of Oldham Council, are looking at establishing targeted adult cycle training initiatives. ...These adult cycle training courses would be delivered by officers from the Unity Partnership but the number of courses available would be limited in number.  They are planned to be piloted over the next twelve months.

Rochdale: " we in the Road Safety Team, have offered Adult 1:1 cycle training for at least the 5 years I have been over the team.  I know that the CTC based officer who is linked to RMBC Sustainability Team also offers Adult Cycle Training."

Salford: "I have now passed your email on to Sue Lightup, Strategic Director for Community, Health and Social Care."  (21st July)

Stockport: "Adult cycle training is available for Council employees as part of the Councils own staff travel plan.  Officers are considering how adult cycle training could be provided for the public."

Tameside:  "Here in Tameside we take a holistic approach to cycling both in capital infrastructure and in promotional activities. During the first 4 years of LTP2, Tameside has spent over £580k purely on cycle schemes during this period. These were mainly linked with off road schemes such as surfacing the NCN 66 linking Ashton with Oldham and on the ongoing upgrade of the cycle link connecting Ashton and Manchester via Droylsden."   Its a shame that the Council's holistic approach didnt extend to answering the specific question(s)!

Trafford: "It is encouraging to note that cycling levels in GM have increased by 17% (2009 values as compared to the 2005 base) but unfortunately due to the financial constraints imposed on local authorities regarding public sector spending, it is unlikely that the council can allocate any monies for adult cycle training at this moment in time. However, recognising that the correct cycle training could help break down the barriers for a lot of people wishing to commute via cycle, we will continue to source and secure any future funding opportunities that may arise in the future."

Wigan: We have also been offering free cycle training sessions to the residents of Leigh, as part of the Leigh Cycling Project; ten adults signed up for this during Bike Week last year.   In addition, we get ad-hoc telephone calls and emails from adults requesting cycle training and we try to accommodate them, where possible.   These have been one-off projects but we are exploring ways of providing more structured adult cycle training on a longer term basis.

So with a couple of small exceptions, it would seem that there isn't much in the way of adult cycle training being provided by other local authorities across Greater Manchester.  A number of responses made the same point (excuse?): "So although there was a commitment to investigate the potential at GM level and implement any recommendations this study at GM level has not been undertaken so there are no recommendations for individual authorities to follow at the present time." 

Basically the arguments put forward seem to be that because "no Greater Manchester-wide study was undertaken" and that "no central revenue funding has been available for adult cycle training" that the Greater Manchester local councils have been unable to provide adult cycle training schemes.

What is encouraging about the Sheffield Council adult cycle training scheme is that it has been funded from the Council's main transport budget.  Sheffield didn't wait for any revenue from central government.  It saw that there was a need for adult cycle training and got on and did it.

The Sheffield cycle training for 300 people last year was provided for approximately £16,000.

Sheffield's population is estimated to be 534,500 and according to the 2001 Census data, Bury's population was 180,608 and Tameside's population was 213,045. Pro-rata, in terms of population, adult cycle training schemes for Bury and Tameside (just to take two examples) could be run for around  £5,000 (100 people) in Bury and £6,000 (120 people) in Tameside.

This is not about access to Government or Cycling England funding it is about the LACK of political priority for measures to increase cycling levels in Greater Manchester - which are very low compared to other metropolitan areas in the UK. Many other local authorities across the United Kingdom have actively supported adult cycle training projects with funding from a wide range of sources: health, transport and even crime reduction budgets (or from fines for inconsiderate cycling or driving but thats a subject for abother blog entry). These Council's have recognised the importance and effectiveness of cycle training in encouraging more people to cycle safely and confidently.  They haven't moaned about the lack of central government funding - they have got on a done it.

The road crash data (Killed and Seriously Injured, KSI) for Greater Manchester in relation to cycling shows that in the past few years the (thankfully small number of) people who have been killed whilst cycling have mostly been adults - and yet the response from the road safety units - that often have responsibility for cycle training -  is that they have not established adult cycle training - because there is no central government funding available.

So if you live or work in Manchester and would like to cycle more (to work, the shops or for leisure) but don't feel confident on the roads then get in touch with BikeRight! and sign up for a Freewheeling cycle training session.

If you live and work in another Greater Manchester council area - we suggest you get in touch with your councillors and Chief Executive and ask them when they are going to provide adult cycle training in their area.

It will be important to make sure that pro-cycling measures and funding are included in the new Local Transport Plan (LTP3) - but that, as they say, will have to wait for a future blog.

The CarbonCycle: Get on your bike to help tackle climate change

The CarbonCycle project was officially launched on Thursday 3rd June at the Co-operative Group offices in Manchester. Supported by the City Council's Carbon Innovation Fund, the CarbonCycle project is designed to deliver long-term carbon reductions through inspiring and empowering the people of Manchester to increase the number of journeys being made by bicycle. The project will run for 12 months and will be working with businesses both large and small. Up to 240 people will receive free cycle training, which is aimed at improving cyclists’ safety and confidence when riding in busy urban areas such as Manchester City Centre. The plan is to encourage non-cyclists or people returning to cycling to commute by bike instead of car, or to combine cycling with public transport. At the launch event, BikeRight! provided a bike road show and demonstrated a range of commuter bikes for The Co-operative staff to try out, including Bromptons and GoCycle electric bikes. A qualified mechanic demonstrated basic maintenance skills and Co-op staff could get get advice and information on cycling – from purchasing a new bike to identifying good cycle routes to work.

From a business perspective, research has shown that regular cyclists are better timekeepers, are healthier, have less time off sick and have a more positive attitude to stress due to the ‘happy hormones’ that are released during exercise. 

Further details about the CarbonCycle project can be found on the BikeRight!sweb site www.bikeright.co.uk/carboncycle  

Any organisation wanting to join the project can register on-line via the web site. Companies have to be based within the Manchester City Council boundary in order to take part and be prepared to sign up to ‘Manchester A Certain Future’ action plan.