Interview 12 – Provision
Pauline Roby, Cycle Leighton Linslade
Gavin Baxter, Cycle Blackpool
I think the uptake is really about personal contact and I think this is what it comes back down to for all cycle promotion from my point of view that just by talking to people you get them enthused about wanting to be on their bike and then having that concern about oh I’m not very confident or I might not be very good and then you get them into the cycle training and that takes them out on their bike they physically get on their bike can have a nice time with a confidence building encouraging person and then it’s almost like they can’t stop after that and then they tell other people who then come down I think the other thing has that has really helped to kind of get rid of any barriers is that we also offer completely free loan bike long-term loan bike so we have refurbished bikes that we buy in about 60s each and we lend them out completely free and when people get their own bike or they’re not using them for any other reason they just give it back and we lend them out again so that has worked really well it sort of get gets rid of all those barriers but I’d say the other thing as well is that we also offer now we’re offering every single Tuesday we have a doctor bike session going on in the town somewhere at four different locations which we rotate through the month sort of regular program so anybody who’s got any kind of little issue with their bike or they just come bring it down for a quick bike check most of the time it’s a quick tweak sometimes we send them off to the bike shop so they’re very happy they got completely full workshops most of the time now um and you know it just means that people are riding bikes that are really enjoyable to ride you get on your bike oh it’s like a new bike and you see people going off really happy uh such a nice moment it’s just like um teaching someone to ride for the very first time and that complete beginners we’ve probably had I’m just trying to think at least I would say about 20 to 30 people have come as complete beginners adults oh I don’t know I shouldn’t do it I’ve never been able to write oh it probably won’t be for me then will it and no no no you are it you know and they ride and they ride off and then they’re riding down the canal toe path and the next thing they’re you know riding their whole journey to work on the road and everything and it’s that’s just [Laughter] wonderful making it convenient for him um so placing the bikes in as many convenient locations and accessible locations all the way across town um having them all the bikes concentrated in one area of town uh will not work you simply have to have the bikes in as many locations and have the bikes very visible in order that almost every time that somebody takes a journey across town they will see the bikes and that almost repetitive drip drip of them seeing the bikes reinforces the fact the bikes are there the bikes are attractive they’re clean they’re usable and it’s the service that they can they can get involved with and so that has been seen to be that where the bikes have been located first those stands have then become the most popular they’ve almost uh generated a new wave of of cycling within certain parts of the town and residents have been really Keen to get on board with those bikes