Confident Telford & Wrekin cyclists needed for Bikeability
Telford & Wrekin Council is on the hunt for confident cyclists to encourage other residents to get on their bikes this spring through the council’s Bikeability programme.
Confident cyclists can apply to be cycle coaches to go into schools, colleges and local businesses to train school pupils and employees how to keep safe on the roads and inform them about the benefits of getting back in the saddle.
Those who are interested in sharing their biking expertise can complete and return a recruitment form via the council’s ‘jobs’ website page www.telford.gov.uk/jobs and searching for ‘Road Safety & Sustainable Transport Assistant’. Cycle coaches are employed on a casual basis and there are currently up to 15 vacancies that need filling for this programme to be rolled out across the borough.
The council’s Bikeability programme aims to keep cyclists safer and healthier. The programme will also encourage a cycle culture in Telford and Wrekin that will see more residents opt for the environmentally friendly bicycle. The Bikeability programme is funded by the Department for Transport and is a modern equivalent of the old cycling proficiency training.
Councillor Hilda Rhodes, cabinet member for Transport and Community Protection, said: “Bikeability is a fantastic programme that supports the council’s aim of expanding people’s transport choices. The scheme encourages more people to discover, or in many cases re-discover their love of cycling, for leisure or commuting. Cycling offers a cost effective alternative, particularly when the costs of motoring are having a real impact on household budgets and many employers offer tax efficient ways to purchase bikes and cycling equipment through salary sacrifice type schemes. People who cycle also get the health benefits and contribute towards reducing carbon emissions. As part of our Travel Telford sustainable transport programme, through funding from DfT, we are investing in further improving a number of cycle routes in the borough and we already have over 212km of cycle routes in Telford and Wrekin. .
“We are on the lookout for coaches to help run the Bikeability programme to help us to create a sustainable, safer and healthier Telford and Wrekin. We are also able to provide advice to employers who want to support people in cycling to work, which can be one way of dealing with costs of transport for their employees or dealing with pressures on workplace parking.”
