Cycle parking for Burlington Danes School

Cycle parking for Burlington Danes School

"Fewer young people are cycling to school because they don't feel they have a safe place to leave their bikes", said Mayor.

Mayor Ken Livingstone launched London's first safe cycle parking for schools programme this week in Hammersmith. Students at the Burlington Danes Secondary School, Wood Lane, Hammersmith, have now a safe place to park their bikes.

This is part of a £1.5 million joint initiative by the Mayor's transport body Transport for London and the Cycling Centre of Excellence, the programme is designed to provide modern cycle parking facilities at all of London's schools and colleges.

According to GLA, it is a response to a problem regularly highlighted in youth forums - that people are put off cycling to school if they don't feel their bikes will be secure.

Ken Livingstone said: "Providing safe cycle parking facilities is just one very important way to encourage young Londoners to take up cycling. Fewer young people are cycling to school because they don't feel they have a safe place to leave their bikes.

"The scheme will reward schools and local authorities that are already developing cycling, as well as giving those that are less advanced an incentive to get started."

Also launched is the London Cycling Action Plan. This six year strategy sets out measures that will help deliver the lifestyle and economic benefits of cycling, highlighting cycling as a low-cost form of transport that offers a healthy, congestion-free and non-polluting way to get around the city. The overall aim is a trebling of cycle use with a forecast target of an 80% increase in cycling by 2010.

Rose Ades, Head of the Cycling Centre for Excellence, said: "The plan aims to create a strategic, quality cycle program that clearly meets the needs of the public. It will also include measures designed to help overcome both the perceived and practical barriers to cycling."