NEWS RELEASE

15 June 04

Get on your bike on Bike2Work Day

PHOTO  OPPORTUNITY At 8.30am on Wednesday June 16, at the Boston Tea Party in Kingsmead Square, there will be a photo opportunity when Chair of Bath & North East Somerset Council, Cllr Marian McNeir will be greeting staff as they arrive for work and breakfast in Bath on their bicycles.

Staff at Bath & North East Somerset Council will be getting on their bikes to support a national initiative to get fit and reduce traffic congestion.

As part of the National Bike Week, the Council is running a bike2work day on Wednesday, June 16. and to encourage its own staff to get on their bikes, it is offering them a free breakfast at a city centre café, when they arrive at work.

Cllr Marian McNeir, Chair of Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “To encourage people to cycle to work within Bath & North East Somerset, Bike2Work day has been organised as part of Bike Week. This is a national initiative aimed at encouraging people to cycle and to celebrate cycling.

“Last year a Bike2Work day was held within the council and it is hoped that we can encourage more people to take part and consider cycling as an alternative to using the car to commute to work.,” she added.

In order to encourage people to cycle, the Council adopted a Cycling Strategy in July 2001.

This strategy aims to increase the role of cycling as a key transport mode, by promoting it as a realistic alternative to other, less sustainable modes of transport and encouraging a healthy lifestyle.

Levels of congestion are increasing year on year and the strategy also aims to contribute to the national efforts to reduce this growth.