The idea
YourBikeProject CIC specialises in up-cycling and cycle maintenance, teaching all walks of life within our community how to maintain their bicycles and how to be safe on the roads by teaching cycle safety and cycle provision.
We would like to create a Cycle-Hub for the community, enabling local residents from all walks of life access to a Cycle service hub to give their old worn-down bicycles a second life, by maintaining and restoring their bicycles, with parts and services included for free. We want to encourage a more active lifestyle to create a greener Camden High Street by reclaiming our High Street through cycling.
We want to empower and offer local people an alternative mode of transport, enabling local people to reclaim their local highstreets. We will be teaching cycle provision and cycle safety on our highstreets to ensure that cyclists understand what it means to be on the roads with other motorists and users, ensuring a greener and safer Camden.
What we'll deliver
- - Dr. Bikes - bicycle maintenance assistance & training to enable residents to learn to fix their own bikes.
- - Encouraging local people to cycle in the London Borough of Camden and beyond.
- - Public Cycling session - 1:1 or group sessions for cycle provision and safety.
Why it's a great idea
Overall air quality within the Borough of Camden is one of the poorest in London with toxic air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions being a concern, as well as providing a safe means of transport in the midst of a global pandemic that renders public transport as a risk. As we know, global warming and climate change is one of the biggest problems humanity faces today. Thus, it is important as a community that we harbour a cycling culture to combat these issues. Cycling is an eco-friendlier alternative mode of transport and it reduces individuals carbon footprint. We believe that encouraging a cycling culture will lead to a reduction in air pollution for our neighbourhoods, thus ensuring a greener Camden. Cycling offers a potential solution to the challenges presented by urban transport and climate change, despite it becoming increasingly evident how important regular exercise such as cycling is for all. As obesity and mental health are a prime issue and on the rise with many people.
Steps to get it done
- Buying bicycles parts
- equipment and tools to deliver the project
YourBikeProject CIC revolves around the younger residents of our community, but it is open to everyone. From speaking directly with residents, they have become tired and deflated by the lack of green spaces and activities which are responsible for supporting their mental health and well-being.
It is important that all social groups are inclusive and important to encouraging BAME communities to cycle. Current data on diversity within cycling isn’t encouraging, both at a local level and at a professional sporting level. The data suggests a lack of representation in cycling from non-white communities, differences between men and women, and a stark difference between socio-economic groups. A recent collaboration between UK cycling charity Sustrans and ARUP highlighted the demand for cycling among ethnic minority and disadvantaged groups.
