Funding commitment doubled for project to inspire more people to cycle

Funding has doubled for a flagship scheme to inspire more people to start or return to cycling in England after the Government today announced a £1 million investment in the project.

The Big Bike Revival, run by Cycling UK, aims to incentivise the 42% of the population who have access to a bike but who don’t cycle.

Paul Tuohy, Cycling UK’s chief executive, said: “We are delighted the Big Bike Revival will be going ahead again in 2019, helping tens of thousands more people to discover the joy of cycling. Last year we put on more than 1,000 events across England, kickstarting a lifetime of cycling for more than 40,000 people we reached.

“It’s clear cycling has the ability to change people’s lives, improving their health, happiness and air quality, but to increase cycling rates across the population, we now need to see greater investment across all Government departments.”

The funding announcement was made as part of a package of measures to boost walking and cycling nationally, and includes £21 million to improve significantly on and off-road stretches of the 16,000 mile National Cycle Network.

James Scott, director of behaviour change and development at Cycling UK, said: “The Big Bike Revival is unique in reaching people who benefit most from cycling and is fantastic value for money. Last year, almost half of the participants were women, 30% were from a non-white background, and 18% were from the most deprived areas in the country.

“The increase in funding means we’ll have the opportunity to reach many more people in 2019, delivering a significant programme for change at the heart of the communities who will benefit the most.”