£10 million to be spent on Bikeability?

Bikeability could be in line to receive £10 million a year, allaying fears over the future of the scheme.

Ministers have already promised that Bikeability is safe, despite the abolition of Cycling England, revealed last week. However a lack of detail on how it will be managed and funded has heightened fears for its future.

The £10 million per annum figure has not been confirmed and as yet there are no specifics on how the scheme will be managed when Cycling England is axed in March next year.

Speaking to BikeBiz, Cycling England chairman Phillip Darnton said: "We’ve heard that Bikeability might be in line to receive as much as £10 million a year. If that is the case then that’s obviously great news, but how that funding will be managed is not clear."

Currently Bikeability’s annual funding level is £12 million. The scheme – ‘cycling proficiency for the 21st Century’ – trains more than 300,000 children a year.

Darnton stressed the importance of the the scheme: "Funding for Bikeability is absolutely essential. It’s tough to turn a non-cyclist adult into a cyclist, but if we don’t convert them while they’re young then you have a mountain to climb."

There’s more on Bikeability here.