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For the second year running, record numbers of employees have participated in the cycle to work scheme, according to figures released by the Cycle to Work Alliance.
The findings are timely, coming in election year. The Alliance stressed that the scheme’s ongoing success is ensured through continued governmental commitment to cycling, adding that central and local government must work together to promote the benefits of cycling to local employers and the wider community.
Providing proof of the continued growth in the number of individuals choosing to commute to work by bike, 183,423 employees participated in the scheme in 2014, breaking the previous record set in 2013. Overall, 2014 saw an 11.6% increase in uptake compared with 2013’s figure.
A recent survey of first time participants highlighted that over 70% of users had been either occasional, novice or non-cyclists prior to joining the scheme.
Needless to say, it is good news for the NHS, the Treasury, the environment, car drivers who enjoy having less cars to queue behind during rush hour and the thousands of British businesses that rely on cyclists.
Steve Edgell, Director of Cycle Solutions and Chair of the Cycle to Work Alliance, said: “It is clear that the cycle to work scheme is a key mechanism for delivering on the Government’s health and sustainable transport objectives, such as those set out in the draft Cycling Delivery Plan. The Alliance is obviously delighted in the part it can play in driving these positive behaviours, with 2014’s figures showing that the scheme is on an upward trajectory and more people than ever across the country taking up cycling."
