Special event to mark Cycle to Work Day this Thursday

Cycle to Work Day, the UK’s biggest celebration of cycle commuting, is back on Thursday, August 3. 

Whether you’ve never cycled before, not ridden in a while or cycle every day, Cycle to Work Day is for you. It’s a day to get in the saddle and experience the benefits everyday cycling offers – mental, physical and financial – first-hand. 

To mark the day, FOR Cardiff (the business improvement district in Cardiff) is putting on a special event at Central Square with a great line-up of stalls and exhibitors which you or your colleagues may wish to attend. 

The event runs from 11am to 2pm on Thursday, August 2 and activities confirmed to date include:  

• Free bike marking with South Wales Police and British Transport Police 

• Free bike maintenance with Dr Bike 

• Pedal Power – trikes to demo and info on Cycle Scheme and Green Commute Initiative Cycle to Work schemes 

• Ovo Bikes – will be bringing bikes to try and information on their corporate offers and membership 

• Cardiff Cargo Bikes – demos of cargo bikes and trailer 

• Electric Bike Company – demos of electric bikes 

• Sustrans 

It’s never been easier to cycle to work. Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, along with our two local authorities, are working hard to ensure an active commute is easier and safer than ever before.  

A new fully-integrated cycleway linking Cardiff city centre with the University Hospital of Wales has now been completed. The 3km route, which takes about 15 minutes to cycle, is completely segregated from traffic so you don’t need to worry about sharing the road with vehicles. More information can be found here. 

In addition, the health board runs a Cycle to Work scheme to encourage employees to ride a bicycle to work to help reduce congestion and environmental pollution.  

The government-backed employee benefits scheme enables colleagues to save money and spread the cost of a new bike for commuting to and from work. It’s run via salary sacrifice so you don’t pay tax or National Insurance on the cost of a new bike and accessories – a potential saving of between 32% and 42%.  

The scheme runs all year around so colleagues can order a cycle at any time. As long as the staff member is a Cardiff and Vale UHB employee (and on our payroll), and the deductions do not take the staff member below minimum wage, then they would be able to participate. For more details go here.  

For more information on Cycle to Work Day, and for your chance to win prizes, please go here.