Cycle training at the Croydon Arena. Image: Croydon Council
“Cycling is a great way to stay fit and build exercise into your day, and our free training is helping residents of all ages build their skills and confidence.”
That’s the assessment of Croydon’s executive mayor, Jason Perry, upon the resumption of courses in the borough.
Cycle training for children and adults is offered free-of-charge as part of the council’s programme to get more people riding for travel and leisure.
The courses are run by contractor Cycling Instructor with funding from TfL, and focus on ‘cycling for wellbeing’, with group sessions offered fortnightly.
Qualified instructors help beginners build skills and gain confidence to navigate around complex junctions, heavy traffic, and cycling at night – all while allowing them to practice in a safe environment provided by the council.
More experienced cyclists can expect to perfect their technique and refresh their skills if it’s been a while since they’ve been on a bike.
Jason Perry, executive mayor of Croydon, said: “Cycling is a great way to stay fit and build exercise into your day, and our free training is helping residents of all ages build their skills and confidence, so they can enjoy active travel safely.
“It also helps to reduce pollution if more people leave the car at home and choose to cycle instead.
“Knowing how to ride a bike properly can be the difference between making it safely to your destination, and a serious accident, so I’m really glad to see so many residents taking advantage of our free offer.”
Croydon Council also takes part in Peddle My Wheels’ Try Before You Bike scheme, which it says saw ‘massive success’ during the pandemic as people turned to cycling as a Covid-safe, low-cost activity and alternative to public transport.
The scheme allows residents to trial a bike, e-bike, or cargo bike before committing to a purchase.
To date, more than 130 bikes have been delivered to cyclists through the scheme.
07 November 2022