Big Bike Revival in England back and bigger for 2019!

• £1million of funding committed to the Big Bike Revival, up from £500k  in 2018
• Announcement made as part of a Government package of measures to increase cycling and walking

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

In particular, it targets people on low incomes, those from ethnic minorities, people not in work and those who do not meet the Government’s physical activity guidelines.

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 number of journeys made by bike in the UK remains obstinately low at just 2 per cent.

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

The Big Bike Revival is unique in reaching people who will benefit most from cycling and is fantastic value for money.

James Scott, Director of Behaviour Change and Development at Cycling UK

James Scott, Director of Behaviour Change and Development at Cycling UK, said: “The Big Bike Revival is unique in reaching people who will benefit most from cycling and is fantastic value for money.

“Last year, almost half of the participants were women, 30 per cent were from a non-white background, and 18 per cent 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.”

In 2018, the Big Bike Revival achieved an increase of more than 9,000 people cycling more regularly in England. It has been running for four years and attracts both regular and non-regular cyclists.

This year, funding from the Department for Transport and has doubled from £500,000 to £1million, after findings showed the Big Bike Revival in 2018 created savings for the wider economy of £7 million through the project’s wider health, environmental and decongestion benefits.

The Big Bike Revival was launched in England in 2015 following research that showed around 42 per cent of people in the UK own bikes but don’t use them. For the past three years, with funding from Transport Scotland, it has also run in Scotland where it has reached over 46,000 people.

The project aims to increase the number of people cycling and the number of short trips made by bike, by providing training, encouragement and helping people overcome their safety fears.