The results are in for Cycle September!
Organisations from across Brighton & Hove took part in Love to Ride’s Cycle September challenge, a friendly competition between workplaces which aims to get as many people as possible to ride a bike and log their trip. Across the city, nearly 1000 people from over 100 organisations took part in the month long challenge. Between them over 13,000 trips were made covering more than 104,000 miles.
Companies of all sizes took part from schools to businesses, media outlets and charities. Workplaces were categorised by staff size, with companies of a similar size competing against one another. Local and national leader boards allowed those taking part to monitor how their organisation was faring against others throughout the month. The organisations which saw the highest percentage of staff riding in September were crowned this year’s winners.
The city’s two universities battled it out for the top two places of companies with 2000+ staff, with the University of Sussex coming first place. Some of the smaller organisations saw the highest participation, with Peter Gladwin Primary School taking the lead of organisations with 20 – 49 staff and a participation rate of 28%. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Brighton & Hove cycle workshop n+1 and cycling charity Sustrans saw significant staff participation, with 100% and 78% participation rates, respectively.
The annual Cycle September challenge is one of a number of initiatives promoted by Brighton & Hove City Council to encourage more people to take active travel to their workplaces. The cycle challenge is funded by the Access Fund for Sustainable Travel. Brighton & Hove City Council was awarded this fund in 2017 by the Department for Transport. The Access Fund supports several projects which are designed to encourage residents and employees to travel actively and sustainably.
Chair of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, Councillor Gill Mitchell, said: “There is a vibrant cycling community in Brighton & Hove and the annual Cycle September challenge is a great way for its members to communicate the benefits of riding a bike to those who don’t yet ride.
“Taking active travel to work makes people happier and healthier, while also supporting the environment by reducing congestion and air pollution. We will continue to support initiatives that encourage more people to walk and cycle to their workplaces.”
Click here for the full breakdown of local and national results