21 September 2009

Minister Gets On Two Wheels

It will be easier - and cheaper - from this week for civil servants to bike-it to work.

The NI Transport Minister Conor Murphy (pictured) has today launched a money saving 'Cycle to Work' scheme.

The initiative - during European Mobility Week - will enable staff in the Department for Regional Development to save money on their daily commute to work by obtaining a bike of their own - and cycling safety equipment - at a significantly reduced price.

Payment will be taken gradually, through arrangements known as Salary Sacrifice.

The announcement marked the end of European Mobility Week, a Europe-wide week of events to raise awareness of the benefits of sustainable transport, during which Travelwise NI has also been encouraging commuters to swap the car for more sustainable alternatives.

Launching the initiative, the Minister said: "This scheme is a practical initiative to encourage staff to choose to cycle to and from work, providing a significant reduction in the total cost of the bike with the added benefits of improving health and reducing congestion.

"This Salary Sacrifice arrangement enables staff to hire a bike from the Department over a year and then have the option to purchase it at a greatly reduced cost, typically 40% off the full retail price, which is equivalent to the tax free cost of the cycle," he said, noting that cycling helps to address the problem of air pollution created by traffic.

The scheme makes it easier for employers and staff to move towards more sustainable modes of transport and help to create a greener environment and a fitter and healthier workforce.

Travelwise NI Cycling Co-ordinator Andy Bready said: "The levels of enthusiasm and demand we have already seen in the Department are encouraging and I hope that we will be able to extend it to the whole of the Civil Service before long.

"It is fantastic to see commuters so keen to embrace a healthier and more environmentally friendly way of getting to work each day, and helping to address the problem of air pollution in our towns and cities."

The scheme is the first of its kind for the civil service and is already running very successfully in many public and private sector organisations, including Belfast City Council, the Belfast Trust, Allstate Northern Ireland, Belfast and Langford Lodge Engineering in Crumlin.

The Cycle to Work scheme will begin in DRD on a pilot basis initially, with the aim of a roll-out across the entire service in 2010.

The Cycle to Work scheme is also open to all companies and several local employers in both the public and private sector have already introduced the scheme successfully.

Last week, in a 'green-scheme' that is being funded by an advertising agency, Dublin City Council signed-up 6,000 people to its innovative Dublinbikes scheme.

The council has 450 bicycles available from 40 stations between the Royal and the Grand canals for use by city commuters.

See: Biking Is 'Just Capital' For Dubliners

See: www.travelwiseni.com

(BMcC/KMcA)