Hackney pupils set new world record

Hackney bike around the borough

More than 1,000 school children in Hackney helped break the world record for most riders in a ‘bike bus’ on 6 July.

Organised by Hackney Council as part its annual Bike Around the Borough event, 1,005 children took the streets – surpassing the previous record of 880.

A bike bus is a cyclist’s version of a walking bus in which a group of cyclists ride together along a set route, picking up people as they go.

Designed to improve safety, the ride also provided a chance for students to practice their cycling skills and raise awareness of how easy it is to travel around the borough by bike.

Hackney Council hopes that events like Bike Around the Borough will help it become the most cycle-friendly borough in London and has set a target of getting 15% of residents travelling by bike for all journeys by 2025.

The borough has been recognised nationally for its innovative approaches to encouraging cycling with initiatives such as free training for children and adults; a cycle loan scheme; the introduction of a 20mph speed limit on all council-controlled roads; the Cycle Hackney app; and cycle awareness training for HGV drivers.

Councillor Demirci, cabinet member for neighbourhoods and sustainability, said: “We have been doing Bike around the Borough for five years, but this year has been exceptional because we are now world record holders!

“It’s been fantastic to see hundreds of school kids cycling on our roads and hopefully it will show them how fun, healthy and easy it is to get around the borough by bike.”

Inspector Homre Varley, Hackney Safer Transport Team, said: “There are hundreds of school children here today, so it’s a brilliant engagement opportunity for us. We don’t get a lot of time to engage with schools as much as we’d like to, so this has been a really positive experience.”

15 July 2016