Greater Manchester charities and community interest companies can make it easier for staff and visitors to their premises to travel by bike thanks to a new initiative aimed at increasing cycling.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is offering grants of up to £10,000 to cover the full cost of any new or improved cycle parking the organisations provide.The grants can be used to pay for a range of new schemes – including secure cycle stands, shelters and cycle lockers – or can go towards upgrading existing cycle parking facilities, such as improving lighting, CCTV coverage or security.
Since 2012 TfGM has funded more than £750,000 of sustainable travel improvements for hundreds of businesses and housing associations across the region.
Social housing provider Stockport Homes, for example, secured around £9,500 earlier this year to fund two new parking stores with space for 20 bikes on its Lancashire Hill estate.
Janice Samuels, Stockport Homes Neighbourhood Housing Manager, said: “Our customers were thrilled with the two new secure cycle stores and they are used on a regular basis. We held an open day event to promote the new shelters and to help customers understand bike safety as well as providing free bike safety checks.
“The funding support we received from Transport for Greater Manchester has helped customers by providing much-needed secure storage space for their bikes. The shelters are weatherproof and are proving popular with cycle owners on the estate.”
Councillor Chris Paul, Active Travel and Cycling Champion for the TfGM Committee, said: “Cycle parking grants for businesses and housing associations have been a huge success, with many firms and social landlords using the funding to introduce cycle storage facilities and encourage more people to get on their bikes.
“We’re now giving charities and community interest companies the chance to apply for a grant of up to £10,000 so staff and visitors can have a safe and convenient place to park their bike.
“Cycling is healthy, affordable and it’s also one of the most sustainable travel choices you can make. Over the last five years we’ve been delivering more than £80 million of investment in improved cycle facilities, routes, education and training to make cycling a more attractive and convenient travel choice for people across Greater Manchester.”
The cycle storage grants are being supported through the Department for Transport’s Sustainable Travel Transition Year Fund, which aims to tackle congestion, reduce carbon emissions and help people back to work.
The closing date for applications is Tuesday 3 January 2017. For more information on how to apply, visit www.tfgm.com/cycling/cycling-grants or contact TfGM’s Cycling team on [email protected].
