High Wycombe, Aylesbury and Princes Risborough stations awarded funds to help improve facilities for rail commuters who travel by bike

High Wycombe, Aylesbury and Princes Risborough stations have been awarded money by the Department of Transport to help improve facilities for rail commuters who travel by bike.

The money comes from a total fund of £6.8m which has been shared amongst stations across the South East of England. The investment is part of the Cycle Rail Programme, which has now been backed by over £40m from the Department for Transport and has helped tens of thousands of cyclists to make their journeys to work more joined up and sustainable.

The money awarded to the stations served by Chiltern Railways in Buckinghamshire is as follows :

• Aylesbury : £90,000 for cycle parking.
• High Wycombe : £135,000 for cycle parking.
• Princes Risborough : £135,000 for cycle parking.

As well as the funds listed above a further £225,000 has been awarded to London Marylebone station for an intelligent cycle hire scheme.

It is hoped that the investment will help thousands of rail commuters in the South East of England to make cycling a seamless part of their journeys.

On Friday 14th June 2019 the Cycling and Walking Minister, Michael Ellis, announced that as part of the overall plan 2,300 extra cycle spaces will be built at 48 stations across England to enable commuters to cycle directly to the station and lock up their bike securely.

Cycling and Walking Minister Michael Ellis, said: ‘Cycling to your nearest station and catching a train to work is a great way to keep healthy, reduce emissions and help make our towns and cities vibrant places to live.

But to make this a reality, I know that the right infrastructure needs to be in place. This latest investment will see many more stations become accessible for cyclists, so that greener travel options – whether as part of a longer or shorter journey – become the norm.‘

The Cycle Rail programme has already tripled the number of cycle parking spaces at more than 500 stations, bringing the total to over 80,000. This includes the creation of integrated cycle hubs at key railway stations, including at Hove, where 150 additional bike spaces with secure key card access and CCTV have been provided, alongside a cycle maintenance, hire and repair business.

The announcement of the funds to help improve facilities at stations coincides with Cycling UK’s national Bike Week, which raises awareness of different cycling options to get as many people as possible on their bikes. As part of national Bike Week, the Government has already launched the refreshed Cycle to Work scheme, providing employees with a tax exemption to be able to access updated bikes and e-bikes and making it easier to have a greener commute.