Wheels4MeLondon is a new service developed by Wheels for Wellbeing in collaboration with Peddle My Wheels and Sustrans, and funded by the Motability Foundation. The service is available for anyone over 18 who lives in London and wants to borrow a non-standard cycle.
Through increasing access to non-standard cycles, this landmark project will raise awareness about accessible cycling for disabled people whilst improving travel safety and confidence. A key focus of the scheme is its ongoing evaluation and development of the cycle loan scheme in partnership and collaboration with disabled users. This project was built with the foundation knowledge from Wheels for Wellbeing and it continues to be shaped with feedback from disabled people to highlight and advocate for this currently un-met need for disabled people.
At TRANSPORT Smart Class, London & South East England 2024 we were delighted to welcome back Alison Litherland, Sustrans’ London Head of Behaviour Change, to tell us more!
Alison’s presentation (and subsequent hosted roundtable sessions with delegates) discussed: Sustrans’ approach to addressing beyond infrastructural barriers to walking, wheeling and cycling; Importance of partnership working and co-designing with disabled users; Wheels4MeLondon progress to date; Project aim of revolutionising who can access cycle loans and training across London.
Presentation notes:
- Sustrans’ Vision – “A society where the way we travel creates healthier places and happier lives for everyone”;
- Sustrans’ Mission – “We make it easier for everyone to walk, wheel and cycle”;
- Sustrans’ Approach – Understanding the barriers to active travel; People focused interventions; and Place focused interventions…
- Scoping – Gathering the evidence; Defining the issues/barriers; Co-designing the intervention; Test interventions; Implementing programme of intervention; Handover. Continuous monitoring and evaluation is required;
- Behaviour Change Team – Even the most inclusively designed walking/wheeling and cycling infrastructure won’t on its own be enough to enable everyone to walk/wheel and cycle more; Sustrans’ behaviour change team specialise in understanding and overcoming additional barriers to active travel and unlocking the benefits of walking/wheeling and cycling for all;
- Examples of Barriers and their Disproportionate Impact on Specific Groups (Source: Cycling potential in London’s diverse communities, TfL. 2021)…
- “I don’t see people like me cycling” (35% of all non-cyclists) – Disabled people 42%; Asian people 44%; Disabled women 44%; Disabled and Black, Asian and ethnic minority people 51%; Women aged 16-34 and people on low incomes 41%;
- “I am concerned about harassment or intimidation” (49% of all non-cyclists) – Women 54%; Women 16-34 age range 58%; Asian people 55%; Mixed ethnicity people 56%; Asian women 64%;
- “Can’t afford to buy and maintain bicycle” (43% of all non-cyclists) – Mixed ethnicity people 59%; People on low incomes 57%; Disabled people 53%; Black people 48%; Women on low incomes 58%; Low income and disabled people 64%; Low income and Black people 58%;
- “I have nowhere secure to store a bike at my home” (35% of all non-cyclists) – People on low incomes 47%; People 16-34 age range 46%; Disabled people 16-34 age range 56%; Black, Asian, ethnic minority people, low income 48%;
- Majid Lane Play Street, Tower Hamlets – Building enthusiasm for a school street;
- COM-B Method of Behaviour Change – Capability + Opportunity + Motivation = Behaviour Change;
- COM-B Impact Examples…
- Schools – Bike It Tower Hamlets supports the whole school community to breakdown their barriers to active travel on the school run, resulting in: 13.5% increase in the number of pupils traveling actively to school, and 8.9% decrease in the number of pupils that are driven to school;
- Community – At Chrisp Street Community Cycles, a project focused on enabling Muslim women to cycle more: 93% of returning participants reported that they had spent more time cycling since their last visit;
- Workplaces – NHS Health Boards in Scotland Workplace Engagement Programme, a 3-year project: Participation in cycling increased from 22% in 2018 to 37% in 2019;
- “We get things done together” – Partnership working is key to everything Sustrans does;
- Wheels4MeLondon…
- Key roles have been played in this cycle loan scheme by the likes of Rebekah Stevenson (Senior Healthy Streets Officer, Sustrans), Isabelle Clement MBE (Director of Wheels for Wellbeing) and Alper Muduroglu (CEO, Pedal my Wheels/OurBike);
- Participation/Getting your Wheels:
- 1) Eligibility Checker – “Explore if our scheme is the correct one for you. Our eligibility checker will then you to check if you meet the scheme criteria and register your interest”;
- 2) Getting in Touch – “Our friendly Cycling Advisor will arrange a call-back, tell you a bit more about the scheme and talk you through our application form. They may advise you to come and try our cycles at a local session”;
- 3) Practicalities – “If all sounds good, we will send to you the application form for you to pop in your important documents and the wheels have been set in motion! Your details will be passed to our partners, Peddle My Wheels. They will send out a final hire form to you to fill out, arrange a date to handover you cycle and make sure its all prepared to specifications”;
- 4) You are off! – “Our cycle will be delivered by an experienced member of our team. They’ll check everything is suitable, give you a little bit of training and leave you to enjoy your new wheels! When the loan period ends Peddle My Wheels will collect the cycle and send you a final follow up survey to help us continue our work”;
- Disabled people have been and will continually be at the heart of shaping the loan scheme;
- Katie Renker, Inclusive Cycling Advisor, Wheels for Wellbeing: “When I first became disabled, I had no idea where to start researching mobility devices…The world of adaptive cycling can be incredibly overwhelming but I’m a firm believer that, with the right mobility aids and the right attitude, we can get anywhere and do anything. Having now had several years immersed in this world, I love the idea that I can make it easier for someone else to find the same joy I have”;
- Wheels4Me Cycles – 9 Cycles (to date), 5 Types of cycle; There are many adaptions that can be made to standard cycles to make them even easier to use and accommodate a range of needs;
- Progress to date (as of 10th October 2024) – 178 Enquiries, 12 Cycles Loaned, 13 Referrals;
- Feedback:
- Cycling to get to work – “Due to a stroke, I haven’t cycled for 5 years, I want to start cycling to work again – which is a 10-mile round trip – to help my fitness and save on cab fares. The Velcro handle is a revelation in giving me back some use/control with it”;
- Cycling for my son – “I did a long induction which his primary carer recorded so they can share it with the other carers. Perveen said she was very impressed by the quality of the bike and that it gets delivered to her door with excellent service”;
- Cycling to get around – “She’s used the bike at the Velodrome but never on the road so we cycled nearly all the way to the Velodrome on the road and she really enjoyed it and it will enable her not to use her car for short/medium trips and getting out more”;
- Getting things done together – “Our collective admission is to revolutionise who can assess cycle loans and training in London. What can you do to help us meet that aim?”
If you satisfy our regular delegate qualification criteria but were unable to join us in London on October 10th for the live in-person event at Greencoat Place Conference Centre, CLICK HERE and complete the short “Download form” (located at the bottom of the post) to receive a unique link enabling free access to the presentation video recordings and slides (including the film footage and slides from Alison’s initial presentation).
Those qualifying to receive the rich presentation content from this event include commissioning, procurement, trialling, partnering and policy leads, senior influencers, strategic decision makers, programme managers and planners from local authorities (e.g. city, borough, metropolitan, district and county councils); public transport operators; regional transport partnerships, sub-regional transport bodies, combined authorities, integrated transport authorities and passenger transport executives; highways authorities and road operators; government and supporting national transport agencies; non-governmental organisations; fleet operators, parking operators, prime contractors etc.
