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4 Mar 2024

The British Book Awards has announced its shortlist for Independent Bookshop of the Year. 

4 Mar 2024

The ACT is happy to confirm the date for Local Bike Shop Day 2024 as Saturday 4 May, the weekend of the early May Bank Holiday.

4 Mar 2024

Research by global fintech company SumUp has revealed the best cities in the UK for independent businesses.

21 Feb 2024

The latest quarterly State of the Industry survey from the National Hair & Beauty Federation (NHBF) shows that the recovery of the sector was slow and steady through 2023 and into January...

21 Feb 2024

The UK has voted for its favourite pun-based shop name, and 'Sew It Seams' - a clothing alteration store in Belfast - has been awarded the top spot. 

21 Feb 2024

Businesses in the Devon town of Ottery St Mary have praised their local council for initiatives designed to help support them and boost trade.

19 Feb 2024

A new ranking of the most popular independent coffee shops in the world has put three UK cafes in the top 10.

19 Feb 2024

Older people could be the financial shot in the arm needed for Britain’s high street, according to research commissioned by the University of Stirling. 

8 Feb 2024

The ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has celebrated the crucial role that rural shops play in thousands of communities across the UK in its 2024 Rural Shop Report.

8 Feb 2024

New research reveals that Apple Pay and contactless payments have overtaken cash payments by a landslide as our favourite ways to pay in-store.

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London's cycling population must be more diverse, says Walking and Cycling Commissioner

Posted on in Cycles News

Cycling must be made more attractive to a wider audience, says the capital's first walking and cycling commissioner.

Will Norman who is tasked to deliver London Mayor Sadiq Khan's pledge to make walking and cycling safer in the capital, said he is now considering setting diversity targets for London's cycling population.

bike pathSpeaking to The Independent Mr Norman said: "There is a problem with cycling and the way it is perceived of getting middle-aged men cycling faster around the city, which is not the objective at all.

"It touches on something which is a real challenge for London cycling, which is diversity."

To address this issue the mayor's office has announced a number of projects. These include cycle training courses, grants for community groups who do not typically cycle and promoting electric bikes and expanding existing cycle routes.

Mr Norman continued "Even when we have seen the growth in the number of cyclists, we haven't seen that diversity.
"There are a number of reasons for that. One is that safety is paramount for getting different people from different walks of life cycling: older people, younger people, those from different backgrounds."

Sadiq Khan has promised an average of £169m annually for cycling schemes over the next five years, up from an average yearly spend of £91m promised during the previous Conservative mayoralty.

Discussing the efforts being made to encourage more people to cycle, Duncan Dollimore, road safety and legal campaigns officer at Cycling UK, backed the move, saying authorities should be "focusing on the barriers that deter people from cycling rather than existing cyclists".

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