BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
The continued existence of Bikeability is top of the trade’s concerns following the news of Cycling England’s culling.
Councillor Dr Jon Rogers, executive member for Cycling City, told BikeBiz: “There is a worry that the demise of Cycling England may mean the removal of Bikeability, which provides cycle training for children and adults. Bikeability is integral to the success of Cycling City as it helps boost the confidence of people who may not otherwise take to the city streets on their bikes. Again this would affect any future plans to encourage more people to cycle more often.”
Halfords CEO David Wild said: “With more cyclists on the roads than ever before, we are pleased to see that the Bikeability scheme, which teaches people to ride their bicycles safely and proficiently, will continue to receive Government funding.”
Red Cloud Marketing’s Mark Almond also warned of the dangers of losing the training scheme: “That the future of Bikeability is in doubt as Phillip Darnton suggests, is a major concern. This scheme has the potential to make a huge difference to the take up of cycling and is only just becoming established in some areas. By binning it now, it sends out the wrong message and also reduces the likelihood of success for any subsequent scheme.”
The Government has promised that Bikeability is safe, despite not providing any details of funding or who will manage it. Recently BikeBiz was told that £10 million is on the table for Bikeability, though this has not been officially confirmed.
