Bike Week 2015 - #ChooseCycling
Bike Week is an annual opportunity to promote cycling, and show how cycling can easily be part of everyday life by encouraging ‘everyday cycling for everyone’. Demonstrating the social, health and environmental benefits of cycling, the week aims to get people to give cycling a go all over the UK, whether this be for fun, as a means of getting around to work or school, the local shops or just to visit friends. The 2015 event takes place week beginning 13-21st June and to kick it off this week, we joined the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group (APPCG) on their annual bike ride, from the Dutch Embassy to Westminster Palace.
It was a glorious day that joined together leading cycling advocates, MPs and visionaries, plus those on the field including Bike Week deliverers CTC, plus representatives from Cycle Alert, Sustrans, London Cycling Campaign and British Cycling to name but a few.
With a special focus this year in encouraging more people to cycle to work, #ChooseCycling network (brought together by British Cycling) members including Halfords, Sky, National Grid and new Boris Bike sponsors Santander, took the opportunity to call on Cycling Minister Robert Goodwill MP, for decisive action to make commuter cycling an option for employees and customers.
The #ChooseCycling Network has given leading businesses an opportunity to join calls for change on how government invests in cycling to meet challenges on public health, pollution and productivity.
As part of an open letter to party leaders on the subject the network wrote:
“There are clear benefits for our staff, our customers and our businesses in putting cycling at the heart of transport policy. People who cycle regularly have fewer days off sick, are more motivated and suffer from fewer of the serious conditions caused by a lack of physical activity. More cycling can help retail businesses on our high streets thrive. Studies in New York City – on the streets where cycling lanes have been installed – have seen retail sales go up by 150%.”
Ian Austin, co-chair of the APPCG said,
“Cycling is booming in Britain but the biggest barrier to more people cycling is concern about safety. We need our roads and junctions to be safe for everyone and the APPCG will continue to campaign for this in parliament.”
