Labour in Leeds

A leading Labour Councillor is urging the Council not to miss out on the opportunity to make Leeds a national Cycling Champion.  

A record £140m is up for grabs for towns and cities across the country to help a generation rediscover the joy of cycling. A number of exciting initiatives could be given the go-ahead in the city as part of the funding. This would include a number of projects to boost participation numbers and work to improve travel links to schools and air quality. This includes the Bikeability cycle training programme for 10-year-olds, which gives them the skills to cycle safely and responsibly.  

This money, which forms a part of the Government’s forthcoming Obesity Strategy, will be distributed over the next three years. Already six Cycling Demonstrations Towns have been created across the country, whose remit is to showcase a variety of cycling initiatives for other areas to learn from. It is hoped through this scheme, that ten cities and towns will be encouraged to become a demonstration town of its own. This follows the success of the existing scheme which has achieved an average 20% increase in cycle trips.   

Councillor Roger Harington (Labour, Shadow Spokesperson for Leisure) said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for our Council to grab a slice of funding, which could help put our city at the forefront of cycling participation in the UK.  

“Cycling is an excellent way not only to keep fit, but also very importantly in tackling traffic congestion and pollution. Not only would this funding allow more children to take part in cycling training, it would also help build safer links to schools, which is very important indeed.  

“As a keen cyclist myself, I am always delighted to see initiatives like these given the go-head in our city, which is why it is so vital that we do not miss out on this opportunity to benefit from this money.”  

The funding will nationally allow an extra 500,000 10-year-olds across England to take part in Biekeability training by 2012. The Bikeability scheme is a new training standard designed to provide children with the on-road skills they need to handle modern traffic conditions.