West Lothian Loves to Ride

In 2016/17, West Lothian Council used part of its Smarter Choices Smarter Places funding to participate in the National Cycle Challenge, run by Love to Ride.

Cycling is a great way to get to work

Designed to encourage employees across Britain to get on their bikes, this fun competition ran throughout September 2016.
Individuals, teams and workplaces were invited to register for the challenge and log journeys via a dedicated online platform for West Lothian.

The council took the lead and signed up as one of the 16 registered organisations taking part.

The event encouraged employees to get on their bikes, inclduing new cyclists and a mix of genders and age groups.

Overall, 183 people took part in the challenge, and 93 council officers registered a cycling trip.

Over 1160 trips were recorded by council officers, representing 10,446 miles.

It is estimated that officer participation in the challenge saved 1797 kg / CO2.

Jim Stewart, development management and transportation planning manager at West Lothian Council said:

Encouraging Active Travel is important to reduce travel by car, especially for shorter commuter journeys.
The Love to Ride Cycle Challenge in West Lothian did this with a high level of engagement particularly within the council.