Ahead of the upcoming general election, Cycle to Work Alliance members gathered in Westminster on Monday, June 17, holding a roundtable, specifically addressing steps an incoming Government can take to dismantle barriers to cycling commuting.
The body, a policy coalition of five of the leading providers of the Cycle to Work Scheme, represents around 80% of the Cycle to Work Scheme market.
Attendance at the round table included industry leaders and employers as well as representatives from the Bicycle Association, Wheels for Wellbeing, the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals, Bikeability. and more.
The roundtable took place as the Alliance celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Cycle to Work Scheme, which has enabled over 2 million employees to purchase a bike.
Despite the milestone, numerous barriers still deter people from considering cycle commuting or utilising the Cycle to Work Scheme. These obstacles range from inadequate cycling infrastructure and rising bike theft to low confidence levels among adults and poor cycling proficiency.
At the gathering, there was significant consensus for greater cross-industry partnerships – to set out a blueprint for increasing cycle commuting. It was agreed that industry collaboration with the incoming Government would help to frame the policy environment needed.
Key topics discussed:
- Infrastructure and Support: the main challenges deterring people from cycle commuting and the role that employers play in supporting employees who wish to cycle to and from work.
- Financial and Accessibility Issues: how the financial barriers can be addressed and whether the Cycle to Work Scheme can be expanded or modified to include more participants.
- Integration and Education: educational initiatives to encourage cycle commuting, how to combat the challenges of integrating with other modes of transport, and successful examples of other cities/countries to inspire UK policy.
- Policy and Advocacy: the legislative changes needed at the national level to support and encourage cycle commuting, and how the group can work together to better engage policymakers to prioritise cycling infrastructure and policies.
Chris Last, chair of The Cycle to Work Alliance set the scene by outlining: “Today’s discussion outlined the need for greater collaboration between industry and Government if we are to fully dismantle the barriers to cycle commuting and make it accessible for all.
“Not only would a robust policy enable more people to move to active travel – benefiting both health and the environment – but it would also crucially be a huge boost for the bicycle market.”
The post gathering announcement concludes by stating: “In light of recent commitments from both the Conservative and Labour parties regarding active travel, the roundtable served as a crucial platform for industry stakeholders to collaborate and contribute to the development of a manifesto paper, which will be launched at a parliamentary drop-in later this year.”