Transport for London (TfL) is inviting community groups to apply for grants to make cycling more accessible to people who may not otherwise ride a bike.
As part of the Cycling Grants London programme, TfL is making more than £240,000 available to help up to 30 groups offer a range of cycling initiatives, including training, loan bikes and guided rides.
Launched in 2015, the programme is aimed at groups that are traditionally under-represented in cycling as a result of issues including low income, poor health, ability and not having access to a bike.
Since launch, the scheme has supported 90 projects which have encouraged more than 14,000 people to try cycling.
Limehouse Women’s Cycling is one example of a project which has received funding from Cycling Grants London. Although the group is mixed, the sessions are aimed especially at Bangladeshi women. One member described the experience as life changing.
Momtaz Begum-Hossain, a participant in the Limehouse Women’s Cycle Project, said:
”I had often wondered if I would ever be able to ride a bike. I never learnt as a child, and when I became an adult so many other distractions came along that my cycling goals were forgotten about.
“I enrolled in a free 12-week women’s cycling course; I absolutely loved the cycling part and seeing the others all grow and develop as the weeks go on.”
Staynton Brown, TfL’s director of diversity and inclusion, said:
“We’re working hard to make cycling more accessible for everyone and it’s fantastic to hear of so many success stories.
“As we enter the fourth year of this scheme, we hope to encourage even more Londoners of all ages and backgrounds to take up cycling, improving their wellbeing and London’s air quality and congestion.”
Applications for the grant are now open, via the Cycling Grants website, and close on 17 September.
02 August 2018