http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/ Cycling City York Pages en Copyright 2011 2011-06-29T13:50:14+00:00 http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/about/programme-review http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/about/programme-review/#When:13:50:14Z A review of the results of the Cycling City York programme by programme manager, Graham Titchener: "Well, in no uncertain terms a lot has been achieved, and for those that have been living in York over these last three years, the sight of more cyclists on the road is a clear measure as to what this programme has helped to achieve. Of course there have been other factors to consider such as fuel costs and the recession. Whether you like cyclists or not, if you see one around, chances are that represents one less car on the road. And, if you choose, or have to drive to your destination you may be getting there that bit quicker. Of course, if you aren't, then perhaps you should consider leaving the car at home when it is not necessary and either 'walk it', 'bike it', or 'bus it'. You could even 'share it' (your car that is) and find new ways to save money and keep you fitter as well as reducing your impact on the environment. As the Cycling City York programme has now officially ended, we will build upon what has been accomplished and keep up the momentum as much as possible, but also broaden the focus out to bus service improvements, walking, car sharing, cycling and, importantly, engagement with education centres and businesses. This will see us continue to work with schools and employers to reduce the number of people driving to school to drop their children off and then driving into work, when they live and working in York itself. This, of course, poses a safety risk outside of schools with parents dropping their kids off, both to the children and those walking or cycling by, significantly adding to the problem of congestion and the knock-on effects of pollution. Using the Department for Transport's Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF), if York is successful in its bid this year, these measures and projects will be implemented and taken forward in the future. All of us working together will help to create a better York to live and work in. Finally, and most importantly, Cycling City York has been a partnership and a community-led programme, showing that we all have a responsibility to do our bit and be aware of the consequences of our choices, both for yourself, your loved ones, others around you and indeed future generations." Graham Titchener, June 2011. For more information on the results of the Cycling City York programme, please contact Graham on 01904 551495 or Contact us 2011-06-29T13:50:14+00:00 http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/visitors/cycle-friendly-york/#york-sightseeing-tours-by-bike http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/visitors/cycle-friendly-york/york-sightseeing-tours-by-bike/#When:09:43:50Z Discover the delights of York by bike with a two-hour sightseeing tour.  Bikes and all equipment all provided. Tours run daily and depart from the riverside cycle path on the south side of the river near York City Rowing Club by Lendal Bridge. 2011-05-12T09:43:50+00:00 http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/work/employers/#examples-of-best-practice http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/work/employers/examples-of-best-practice/#When:11:19:04Z Many of York's leading employers are already working with us to increase cycling at their workplace. These organisations are seeing real staff and business benefits as a result, and many more businesses are being inspired to follow suit. Here are just a few examples of the kind of cycling initiatives businesses have run. For more information please download our NEW Cycling to Work factsheet for employers - 'Cycling to Work examples of best practice', available soon. Nestle  Nestle continues to be a leading cycle-friendly employer in the city. As well as being one of the first major employers to sign up for our Cycle 50% Challenge in 2009 and the York Cycle Challenge in 2011 Nestle encourages workers to cycle to work as part of its wellbeing programme, recognising the many health and business benefits to be had from high levels of staff commuting to work by bike.   Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton came to York to show her support for Nestlé's Cycle to Work day and encouraged workers to take up cycling to improve their health. As well as receiving information about the benefits of cycling, employees were offered free security tagging for their bike by the police and free repairs at a drop-in bike clinic provided by Haxby Cycles. Employees also got the chance to pit their fitness against Victoria in an exercise bike time trial over 200 metres. Portakabin Portakabin continues to be a leading cycle-friendly employer in the city. Last year saw the company, part of the Shepherd Group, win the Sustainable Transport Award 2010 at The Press Business Awards in York. Portakabin regularly participates in our cycling challenges and runs workplace-based cycling events of their own, including Bike Week Bikers' Breakfasts for staff and similar initiatives. University of York The University of York regularly participates in cycling initiatives and workplace events, including our Cycle 50% Challenge (seen here) and the York Cycle Challenge, as well as running frequent cycling events of their own on campus. Monthly bike maintenance sessions have proven to be very popular with staff and students alike and the University also sells heavily discounted bike accessories to staff to encourage cycling.  2011-05-11T11:19:04+00:00 http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/work/workplace-events/#bike-week-2011 http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/work/workplace-events/bike-week-2011/#When:10:37:24Z Would your organisation like to be involved in Bike Week 2011? Find out more about what's happening across the UK this year during Team Green Britain Bike Week from 18th-26th June and how your business can get involved, or register an event yourself, at Bike Week. 2011-05-11T10:37:24+00:00 http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/work/workplace-events/#workplace-cycle-challenges http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/work/workplace-events/workplace-cycle-challenges/#When:10:21:10Z A number of the city's largest employers have taken part in Cycling City York's workplace-based cycle challenges over the last three years. Funded by the Cycling City York programme, our Cycle 50% Challenge and Bike Boost initiatives have proved to be extremely popular and always over subscribed. Organisations taking part included: 2009/10 - Nestle, the University of York and York Hospital 2010/11 - Aviva, City of York Council, York Hospital and the Marriott and Holiday Inn hotels. Organised in partnership with York-based community interest group, Get Cycling, these schemes work by providing employees with everything they need to enable them to commute safely to and from work by bike - from a new bike with locks and lights to route planning advice and cycle training if needed, plus mentoring support. In return, staff must aim to cycle to and from work for at least half of the time during the 4-week challenge period. By experiencing the many benefits of cycling first hand, it's hoped that they will continue to cycle to work once the challenge is over - and spread the word to colleagues and friends. Seventy seven per cent of staff who have so far taken part said they’d be ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to continue cycling in the future, despite the fact that 48 per cent were not regular cyclists beforehand. In total, the participants from Nestlé, York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and The University of York, in the first round of the initiative, clocked up 794 journeys by bike during the four-week challenge period, a total of 7,182 return miles - 4,596 of which would otherwise have been made by car. Before starting the challenge, participants cited not having a bike (14 per cent) and not getting round to it/not being fit enough/having too much to carry (8 per cent) as key reasons why they didn’t cycle. They said they had opted to take part in the challenge to get exercise (27 per cent); because cycling is sustainable (16 per cent) and because cycling is quicker than other modes of transport (12 per cent). Other factors behind their decision to give cycling a try included saving money, having fun and avoiding problems with parking. At the end of the four-week challenge, participants confirmed that the benefits they got from taking part were more exercise (23 per cent); quicker and more fun journeys (11 per cent) and being ‘greener’ in the way they commute to work. Other top benefits included money saved on parking charges; the fact that their journey was more predictable and less stressful; and the convenience of travelling door to door. 2011-05-11T10:21:10+00:00 http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/work/employers/#cycle-parking-at-workplaces http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/work/employers/cycle-parking-at-workplaces/#When:09:58:05Z If you would like to improve the cycle parking facilities at your workplace, either by expanding them, improving security or providing weather protection, we can help. Please contact our Cycling Office for further advice and guidance on (01904) 551608 or Contact us For locations of public cycle parking see Cycle parking ; for detail of secure valet-style cycle parking open to the public see Cycle Hub Station     2011-05-11T09:58:05+00:00 http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/work/employers/#cycling-as-part-of-a-travel-plan http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/work/employers/cycling-as-part-of-a-travel-plan/#When:09:52:30Z As part of your organisation's plan to promote cycling, you may wish to consider developing a travel plan for your site, or refreshing an exisiting travel plan if you already have one. A travel plan looks at the way in which your staff, visitors, customers and suppliers travel to the site. An action plan can then be drawn up with the aim of increasing the use of more environmentally friendly modes of travel - such as walking, cycling, using the bus and train, and car sharing - and cutting car use to the site.   2011-05-11T09:52:30+00:00 http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/work/staff/#discounted-loans-for-bike-purchases http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/work/staff/discounted-loans-for-bike-purchases/#When:08:36:28Z North Yorkshire Credit Union, Cycling City York and local cycle retailers are working together to provide affordable, low interest loans and a special discount to those who’d like a bike but can’t find the spare cash. Each loan will cover the cost of buying a suitable bike from a reputable, local retailer, along with a good lock and a set of lights. Care is taken to ensure that the loans provided are suited to each individual applicant, subject to the necessary financial checks and approval by the credit union. Participating retailers are offering a six per cent discount to those buying a bike through the scheme. Anyone over the age of 18 can apply for a bike loan, regardless of cycling experience or ability. Applicants under the age of 18 will need to ask their parents or guardian to submit an application on their behalf. A number of local cycle retailers have joined the scheme and they will make referrals to the North Yorkshire Credit Union on behalf of customers who need a loan to buy a bike. For more information, contact North Yorkshire Credit Union on 01904 676633. 2011-05-11T08:36:28+00:00 http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/work/workplace-events/#york-cycle-challenge http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/work/workplace-events/york-cycle-challenge/#When:13:03:00Z Catch up on the latest news from the participants of York's very first cycling challenge by visiting York Cycle Challenge 2011. The York Cycle Challenge was a fun, free competition to encourage people working or living in York to cycle more. Organisations, departments and teams all competed with one another to see who could get the most staff cycling - even for only 10 minutes - over a two week challenge period. Lots of prizes and incentives were on offer including new bikes and cinema vouchers. Participants logged their trips and inspirational messages on a dedicated website. Another exciting aspect of the challenge was pitting two great cycling cities against one another. York beat Cambridge in a competition to see who could get the most new cyclists on board.  2011-05-10T13:03:00+00:00 http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/school/school-cycle-monitoring http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/school/school-cycle-monitoring/#When:10:25:21Z Monitoring of cycling levels at school sites is vital to enable the council to gauge the success of cycling policies across the city. It helps us to assess the impact of local cycling improvement schemes around schools and also plan ahead to meet future demand for cycling. The data collected will also help schools to assess how effective their own travel plans are.  To help us monitor cycling levels accurately, we need each school to count the number of bikes parked on their site on a monthly basis. To enable accurate comparisons between schools to be made, counts should be made at the same time: on the 2nd Tuesday of the month except where that would fall within a school holiday period where the next suitable day should be used. Data should be input into your school's section of this website, selecting your school from the drop down menu. If you have any queries, please contact Cycling City. 2011-03-09T10:25:21+00:00 http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/your-cycling-world/women/#wheel-women http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/your-cycling-world/women/wheel-women/#When:14:23:11Z Some of our bike maintenance courses, such as ‘Wheel Women’, are aimed exclusively at women who want to learn how to maintain their bike, and carry out basic roadside repairs Anyone interested in booking a place on a future course should contact us. 2010-10-22T14:23:11+00:00 http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/your-cycling-world/women/#cycle-chic http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/your-cycling-world/women/cycle-chic/#When:14:19:57Z Cycling City York has come up with the perfect solution for women who’d like to combine a little gentle exercise and socialising with a spot of retail therapy -  a series of new Cycle Chic™ guided cycle rides. The Cycle Chic™ events are the latest addition to Cycling City York’s extensive programme of free, guided cycle rides and have been devised to encourage more women to give cycling a try. All of the guided rides are free of charge and they cater for differing levels of ability. Most include a stop off for refreshments. The new guided rides timetable is available from the led group rides page. Paper copies are available from libraries, leisure centres and City of York Council reception points. If you have any questions about the rides, telephone Loretta Spyers-Ashby on 01904 553440 or contact us. To find out more about Cycle Chic™ visit www.copenhagencyclechic.com 2010-10-22T14:19:57+00:00 http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/work/employers/#bike-2-work http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/work/employers/bike-2-work/#When:09:40:42Z  Our Bike 2 Work project in 2010 aimed to demonstrate that cycling is a healthier, cheaper, quicker, more environmentally friendly and stress-free way of travelling from home to work. The Cycling City York team visited workplaces in the city to run cycle maintenance workshops to equip employees with the skills and confidence to care for their bikes, and to be able to carry out simple repairs and maintenance. Satff were offered advice on how to plan the best route to and from work, buying the best bike for their needs, as well as getting practical tips on cycling techniques and building cycle confidence. Free cycle route maps, high visibility ‘slap-wraps’, bike bells and information were also provided. The Environment Agency actively promotes cycling to its employees and last year took advantage of one of our Bike 2 Work sessions at their site on Clifton Moor. James Finigan from the Environment Agency said: "By promoting safe bike commuting within the city, we will cut the environmental impact of our journeys, reduce travel costs, improve our staff's safety and shorten journey times. We also hope to improve the overall health of our staff."     2010-10-20T09:40:42+00:00 http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/school/school-events/#beauty-and-the-bike http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/school/school-events/beauty-and-the-bike/#When:09:16:11Z More than 140 York school girls are pedal ready and raring to go after taking part in the Beauty and the Bike project.Groups of girls from primary and secondary schools across the city benefited from the project. Those taking part enjoyed bike maintenance classes; the chance to design fashionable cycle wear; cycle training; natural beauty sessions with high street retailer Lush; and guided bike rides along York's cycle path network into the city centre. Positive comments from the girls who took part, who are all aged between ten and 13 years, included "it's the best thing we have ever done - we should do it every week", "cycling makes me really happy", and "before, we used to go everywhere in the car - now my whole family are going to come out cycling". 2010-10-18T09:16:11+00:00 http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/school/cycle-training-in-schools http://www.cyclingcityyork.org.uk/school/cycle-training-in-schools/#When:14:38:37Z We offer a range of cycle training during the school day, to the latest Bikeability standard levels 1 to 3. Training sessions are usually booked through the school, however, you can use the form at the bottom of this page to request an additional one-to-one level 3 training session. Level 1 We offer primary schools level one cycle training for year five children (nine and ten year olds). The whole class attends a single session for a full morning or afternoon. It is based in the playground and allows children to develop control skills and prepare for on-road training. No teacher assistance is required. Children will need a bike for training. The charge for level one training is £3.20. Level 2 Level two cycle training is offered to primary schools for year five and six children (ten and eleven year olds). It is run over a minimum of five sessions (taking place over one half-term) on roads near the school and covers all the basic manoeuvres. The charge for level two training is £16. Level 3 Level three cycle training is offered to secondary schools for year seven children and above (11+ year olds). It consists of a two-hour, one-to-one session on the route from home to school. It prepares children for most on-road situations, such as cycling in heavy traffic. A bikeability certificate is issued at the end of the training. The charge for level three training is £8. 2010-08-31T14:38:37+00:00