900 UK firms take part in Cycle to Work Day

The UKs Cycle to Work Day on Friday saw an estimated 900 firms take part with over 30,000 commuters pledging to cycle to work.

Businesses across the capital called on their employees to cycle to work as part of a new initiative designed to promote the health and economic benefits of cycling.

The Cycle to Work Day is organised by CycleScheme with partners including Sustrans, Raleigh and British Cycling and urges businesses to make it easier for their employees to travel to work by bike.

CycleScheme is also working with the government and employers and offers a tax-free scheme, which allows employees to purchase a bike using instalments of their salary with a saving of at least 25 per cent on a new bike.

Businesses are granted a National Insurance exemption of up to £138 for every £1,000 spent on getting employees to cycle to work as part of the initiative.

CycleScheme said that 760,000 workers regularly commute to work by bike, but it hopes its annual event coupled with improvements to the UK's cycling network will increase the number regularly cycling to work to one million by 2021.

Cycling Minister Robert Goodwill also called on commuters to travel by bicycle and said: "We are committed to getting more people cycling and a key part of that is the daily commute to work… Cycling is great for our health and means less congestion in our towns and cities and less pollution. It also boosts the economy. We want commuting by bike to be an option for as many people as possible and are investing in better traffic infrastructure and facilities to make it safer and easier".

The DfT launched its cycling and walking investment strategy earlier this year, as part of the government's Infrastructure Act, which outlines its long-term plan to encourage more people to switch to cycling.