Worcester's mayor Louis Stephen makes ribbon-cutting cycling pledge

Keen cyclist Cllr Louis Stephen, who was elected the city’s first Green mayor earlier this month, has promised to make most of the journeys during his 12-month stint as mayor using two wheels.

Cllr Stephen has long been promoting the benefits of ditching the car for the bike and hopes to use his time in the spotlight as Worcester’s first citizen to prove he is not just ‘talking the talk’ on travelling greener.

Cllr Stephen said he wanted to “lead by example” during his mayorship and promote the physical as well as mental benefits of cycling.

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“I’ve always used my bike and I try and travel using it whenever I can so I don’t see why the next 12 months should be any different,” he said.

“Obviously a lot of occasions will call for suits or fancier dress but I’m going to be trying my best to attend every duty I can by bike.

“There are a range of benefits to cycling when you can including the physical but just as importantly the mental health side and it even frees up some road space for people who do need to use a car.

“If you can use your bike then I think it’s a very good thing to do and so I want to be a leader and show people that if the mayor of Worcester is doing it, then so can you.”

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In his first week as mayor, Cllr Stephen joined the city’s ever-expanding ‘bike buses’ which see parents, volunteers and organisers form a cordon to help children cycle safely to school.

The organised cycles-to-school have grown in popularity from humble beginnings with only a handful of dedicated riders to large groups of pupils now picking up the bike to cycle to school rather than being dropped off in the car.

The city council has also recently provided funding to city cycle campaigners Bike Worcester to help create six new routes for parents, carers and pupils to use.