- passengers at 48 stations will benefit from 2,300 extra cycle
spaces, making it easier to commute by bike
- new investment takes total spending in the Cycle Rail
programme to over £40 million
- part of a wider government drive to encourage more active
travel, following refreshed Cycle to Work guidance published
earlier this week
Thousands of rail commuters will be able to make cycling a
seamless part of their journeys thanks to a £6.8 million
government investment.
Cycling and Walking Minister has today (14 June 2019)
announced an extra 2,300 cycle spaces to be built at 48 stations
across England, enabling commuters to cycle directly to the
station and lock up their bike securely.
The investment is part of the Cycle Rail programme,
now been backed by over £40 million from the Department for
Transport. It has helped tens of thousands of cyclists to make
their journeys to work joined up and sustainable.
, said:
Cycling to your nearest station and catching a train to work is
a great way to keep healthy, reduce emissions and help make our
towns and cities vibrant places to live.
But to make this a reality, I know that the right
infrastructure needs to be in place. This latest investment
will see many more stations become accessible for cyclists, so
that greener travel options – whether as part of a longer or
shorter journey – become the norm.
The Cycle Rail programme has already tripled the number of cycle
parking spaces at more than 500 stations, bringing the total to
over 80,000.
This includes the creation of integrated cycle hubs at key
railway stations, including at Hove, where 150 additional bike
spaces with secure key card access and CCTV have been provided,
alongside a cycle maintenance, hire and repair business.
At Preston, cyclist access to the station has been improved by
the completion of a cycle path alongside a cycle hub, providing
safe parking for more than 200 bikes.
Xavier Brice, CEO for Sustrans, the walking and
cycling charity, said:
Walking and cycling should be the easiest way for everyone to
get to their local station, making our towns and cities better
places to live by reducing congestion and air pollution, and
improving our physical and mental health. But it’s not always
easy.
Train operators and their partners have come up with a range of
schemes that will make it easier for people to get to and from
their station under their own power, which we hope will
encourage more people to choose cycling and walking as part of
their everyday journey.
Phillip Darnton, Chair of the Cycle Rail Working Group, said:
This latest, most welcome grant to the Cycle Rail Working Group
continues the Department for Transport’s successful funding
programme which, over the last 5 years, has directly led to the
number of trips to and from stations by bike more than
doubling.
This cost-effective investment really does work.
Today’s announcement includes financial contributions from wider
station development projects, including the Chisholm Trail cycle
route in Cambridge and 280 additional spaces being provided for
ongoing improvement works at Chatham station in Kent.
It coincides with Cycling UK’s national Bike Week, which raises
awareness of different cycling options to get as many people as
possible on their bikes. As part of the week, the government has
already launched the refreshed Cycle to Work scheme,
providing employees with a tax exemption to access adapted bikes
and e-bikes, making it easier to have a greener commute.
It follows a government push to help people to make more
conscious transport choices and understand how these contribute
to greenhouse gas emissions.
This includes a commitment to end the sale of new conventional
diesel and petrol cars and vans by 2040, investment in hybrid
trains, the doubling of investment in cycling and walking since
2010, along with the £2.5 billion Transforming Cities Fund which
will develop innovative public transport schemes in some of
England’s biggest cities.
