Residents and businesses are encouraged to join Warwickshire County Council in supporting National Cycle to Work Day 2023.
Organised by Cyclescheme, National Cycle to Work Day is the UK’s biggest cycling commuting event and this year will take place on Thursday 3 August. The campaign has been running for eleven years and aims to encourage people all around the country to get on their bikes and get into work one of the best ways possible – on two wheels!
The day is an event for everyone, from people who have not been on a bike since their school days to committed cycle commuters.
At Warwickshire County Council, an enthusiastic group of staff will be leading the way by cycling to their various places of work. This group includes staff from across the organisation, cycling from various places across the county.
As part of its support for the event, Warwickshire County Council is calling on residents and businesses across the county to follow suit and try out an active travel commute – by bike or otherwise – on Thursday 3 August. The benefits include better physical and mental health, saving on fuel costs, less congestion on the roads and improved air quality as a result, and of course it contributes to reducing carbon emissions.
Cllr Heather Timms, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Environment, Climate and Culture, said: "At Warwickshire County Council, we have the #JustOneJourney campaign, which encourages residents to ditch the car for one journey and pursue an active travel alternative and this fits in perfectly with National Cycle to Work Day.
“We know that large numbers of residents are using their bikes to commute and we hope, more still, will take the opportunity posed by Cycle to Work Day and get on their bikes as we all strive, together, for a Warwickshire that is sustainable now and for future generations.”
In addition to encouraging residents to take up a more active travel lifestyle, the Council is committed to providing the robust infrastructure that makes this shift both desirable and possible. Following a boost from Active Travel England funding, good progress is being made on a number of active travel schemes across Warwickshire, including the flagship Kenilworth to Leamington (K2L) scheme. More details of these can be found here: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/cycling/cycle-routes-warwickshire
Active travel is also the feature of a recent Sustainable Warwickshire podcast, listen to it back here: https://sustainablewarwickshire.podbean.com/e/switching-to-sustainable-transport/
To support residents to choose active travel, Warwickshire County Council has produced this short video detailing how to put together the perfect active travel bag: https://youtu.be/nFuc9TixY60
Find out more about Active Travel in Warwickshire: http://safeactivetravelwcc.co.uk/