‘Repair your bike’ vouchers launch, as medical doctors to prescribe bikes on NHS

A authorities scheme providing £50 bike restore vouchers will launch in England on Tuesday as a part of plans to spice up biking and strolling.

An preliminary 50,000 vouchers might be made out there on-line simply earlier than midnight on a primary come, first served foundation.

The prime minister additionally introduced that bikes might be made out there on the NHS as a part of the technique.

However Labour stated most of the authorities’s proposals had been taking too lengthy to return into impact.

It comes after the federal government launched its weight problems technique on Monday.

GPs in areas of England with poor well being might be inspired to prescribe biking, and sufferers in a position to entry bikes by their native surgical procedure.

Current Public Well being England analysis discovered that being chubby or overweight places folks at larger threat of significant sickness or dying from Covid-19.

Authorities statistics confirmed almost 8% of critically in poor health sufferers in intensive care items with the virus have been morbidly overweight, in contrast with 2.9% of the final inhabitants.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated biking and strolling have “an enormous function to play” in tackling well being and environmental challenges.

“However to construct a more healthy, extra energetic nation, we’d like the precise infrastructure, coaching and help in place to offer folks the arrogance to journey on two wheels,” he stated.

“That is why now could be the time to shift gears and press forward with our largest and boldest plans but to spice up energetic journey – so that everybody can really feel the transformative advantages of biking.”

‘Repair Your Bike’ vouchers

The federal government’s “Repair Your Bike” vouchers are being launched in batches “to assist handle capability” and in order that the scheme will be monitored earlier than being rolled out extra extensively, the federal government stated.

They may usually cowl the invoice for the standard service and the alternative of a fundamental element reminiscent of an interior tube or cable.

Throughout a Downing Avenue briefing in Could, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps stated the initiative could be “out there from subsequent month”.

However the Division for Transport (DfT) stated in July that it might solely start when upkeep retailers may deal with the anticipated spike in demand.

Halfords stated it has 1000’s of slots out there every day for purchasers to carry their bikes into shops to determine potential faults which might be rectified beneath the scheme.

“We expect the federal government’s ‘Repair Your Bike’ voucher scheme is not going to solely assist people grow to be extra assured about retaining their bikes maintained, however will assist pace up the biking revolution,” stated chief government Graham Stapleton.

The retailer beforehand reported that bike gross sales had risen by 57.1% within the 13 weeks to three July, as folks sought to keep away from public transport throughout lockdown.

Hundreds of miles of latest protected cycle lanes, cycle coaching for youngsters and adults, and the creation of the UK’s first zero-emission transport metropolis are additionally a part of the plans to advertise biking and strolling.

Different measures to enhance the wellbeing of pedestrians and cyclists embody strengthening the Freeway Code, enhancing authorized protections, rising lorry security requirements and dealing with the police and retailers to sort out bike thefts.

The plans might be funded by a £2bn funding introduced in February.

Mr Shapps stated this can be a “as soon as in a lifetime alternative to create a shift in attitudes” to make biking or strolling a part of each day routines.

“The measures we have set out in the present day on this revolutionary plan will just do that,” he added.

Matt Mallinder, director of the charity Biking UK, stated the plan “locations biking on the coronary heart of our cities and cities”.

However he referred to as for much more funding “to actually shift gears so that everybody can really feel the transformative advantages of biking”.

Kerry McCarthy, Labour shadow biking minister additionally stated that the Conservative get together had “didn’t seize the chance this disaster has posed”.

“Though funding is welcome, cyclists might be rightly involved about how lengthy it’s going to take to really put these plans into follow.

“No-one needs a return to the degrees of air pollution and congestion we noticed earlier than the lockdown started, however, if we fail to make our roads protected sufficient to cycle, folks will revert again to taking the automobile.”