FREE 'socially distant' cycle training is being made available to help more people living and working in West Yorkshire travel by bike.

The cycle training scheme is being delivered as part of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s CityConnect programme, aimed at enabling more people to travel by bike and on foot, in partnership with local authorities.

Whether people are looking to learn to ride for the first time or if they want to get back on a bike having not cycled in years - or even decades - there is a session for everyone.

Councillor Kim Groves, Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Transport Committee, said: “To date, more than 1,860 people have benefitted from the Combined Authority’s free adult cycle training scheme, with nearly 60 per cent of attendees cycling more often as a result.

“Two thirds of journeys in our region are less than five miles, which takes about 30-minutes by bike.

"Enabling increasing numbers of us to travel by bike and on foot is more important than ever, not only as we look to address the health, transport and economic challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also in helping us achieve our aim of becoming a net zero carbon economy by 2038.

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“Encouraging more of us to travel by bike or on foot not only saves individuals money and boosts people’s health, it also brings wider environmental and economic benefits, which is why we want to make cycling and walking short, everyday journeys a viable option for all our residents, regardless of age, ability or circumstance.”

This latest offer builds on the one-to-one socially distant cycle training from the front door launched earlier this month.

From journey planning to cycling in traffic, and tackling busy junctions and roundabouts, the one-to-one sessions are aimed at giving people the skills and confidence to travel by bike regularly to a destination, such as a workplace.

The sessions are available to anyone aged 16 plus who lives in West Yorkshire. Participants must have access to a roadworthy bike and be confident cycling on traffic-free routes and, ideally, quiet residential streets.

The free adult cycle training scheme is being delivered in partnership with Bradford Council, Calderdale Council, Kirklees Council, Leeds City Council and Wakefield Council.

Find out more information about the free adult cycle training and book a session at cyclecityconnect.co.uk/get-cycling/cycle-training.