Getting unused bikes out of sheds and garages and back on road works, says Cycling UK

Cycling UK says that its Big Bike Revival programme, which encourages people to get unused bikes out of their garages and sheds and start using them for everyday trips, has led to one in three people it has encouraged to cycle more cutting their car journeys by half.

According to the charity, four in ten adults throughout the UK own a bike – but only 12 per cent ride a bicycle once a month or more.

It says that in the year to March 2022, its initiative has encouraged more than 80,000 people to either start cycling, or to get back on their bike.

And in a follow-up survey conducted by Cycling UK after three months, 36 per cent of respondents said that they were now using two wheels for trips that they had previously undertaken by car.

The charity says that initiatives such as the Big Bike Revival “are essential to achieving government targets across the UK,” including “doubling cycling journeys in England by 2025, reducing car journeys by 20 per cent in Scotland by 2030, significantly reducing car journeys in Wales by 2040 and for 20 per cent of journeys under one mile to be cycled in Northern Ireland by 2025.”

Sarah Mitchell, CEO of Cycling UK, said: “These dramatic results show the difference it can make when we support people to cycle as a form of transport rather than a sport.

“The programme’s track record of getting people out of cars and onto a bike is a clear sign that people are willing to cycle when it is introduced to them in the right way. I’m especially pleased that the Big Bike Revival has reached people who don’t usually cycle, like women and people from minority ethnic groups.

“The Big Bike Revival is a blueprint of how to get more people in the UK cycling, particularly in harder to reach areas. This is vital as the need for cycling - a cheap and accessible form of transport - will only grow as the cost of living crisis deepens,” she added.

Jesse Norman, Minister at the Department for Transport, which has funded the initiative to the tune of £2 million, added: “It’s great news that this programme has transformed travel habits and given thousands of people the confidence to switch to cycling.

“The government has committed £600 million since the start of the pandemic to accelerate the use of active travel. It is a great way to get fit, save money and keep the planet green,” he added.