York Cycle Campaign dates for your diary
Secure cycle parking during Viking Weekend
Saturday 22nd February 10am-9pm and Sunday 23rd February 10am-5pm – York Minster refectory, 2 Deangate, YO1 7JA
YCC is running a free pop-up cycle park for Viking Festival. If you can help, email us.
Inclusive cycling event
Sunday 23 and Monday 24 February, 11am-2pm, at York Railway Institute, YO24 1AD
Sunday offers a chance for those who need a non-standard bike to explore the alternatives at this Get Cycling event (see Opportunities and Actions for more detail). Tickets are free but limited so you need to register in advance.
Cycling security and marking
Sunday 23rd Febuary, 12-2 pm at York Railway Institute
Free security marking carried out by the British Transport Police at the YCC stall as part of the GetCycling event.
Monday 24th March, 4-6 pm at York railway station (usually near Platform 3)
YCC recruitment and information stall with British Transport Police providing free security marking.
Please bring your bike along to either of these events if you need it marked, and let your friends and family know. If you can help with the YCC stalls, email us.
Recent events
SecureCycle is launched
There was a January launch for Securecycle, an anti-cycle theft group set up by YCC with key stakeholders. Partners in the collaboration to tackle cycle theft in York include the North Yorkshire Police, the British Transport Police, CoYC Transport Team, York BID, the University of York, Safer York Partnership, Cycle Heaven, and so on. An action plan of future events and initiatives is being developed. This includes an immediate increase in marking and registration of bikes around York, so volunteers are needed to help educate cyclists about using safer locks and the best anti-theft techniques. Please email FAO Leah Bennett if you are interested in helping.
Residents weekend cycle parking
Our second secure parking pop-up for Residents weekend provided safe parking for a variety of bikes and received some pre-publicity from The Press.
News
Station car park closure
The station car park is due to close from Saturday 15 March inclusive for the building of a multi-storey as part of the York Station Gateway Scheme. However, we have been assured by both the Council and Network Rail that the Lowther Terrace access route for cyclists will remain open throughout.
Improvements at the tip
Many of you will be aware that for several years there has been a recycling area for non-motorised arrivals at Hazel Court HWRC (household waste recycling centre). There are containers for general rubbish, garden waste, cardboard/paper, cartons, foil, glass, plastics, coffee pods and small electrical/electronic items. After contact from one of our members, this facility was recently enhanced by adding a buzzer which allows you to alert a member of staff. This helps when bins are full, or if you’d like to buy a bag of compost (previously you had to email beforehand). We hope for further advances, for instance providing somewhere to leave your bike/trailer without blocking the pavement whilst you use the facility.
Opportunities and actions
Help our Viking Weekend cycle parking
We’ll be holding the third of our secure cycle parking pop-ups in a space generously donated by York Minster Refectory to coincide with York Viking Weekend. If you can help supervise the area and register users please send us your availability (day(s) + time(s) during weekend 22nd (10am-9pm) /23rd (10am-5pm) February – max 2 hour shifts) and your mobile contact number so we can create a rota. There will always be at least one other helper present. In case of bad weather, there is a covered area.
Inclusive cycling event
Get Cycling is hosting a 2-day event to bring people of all abilities together to enjoy cycling. Sunday is a day for people with disabilities to find out more about the range of cycles available, and Monday is for organisations to learn more about the potential of inclusive cycling. YCC will be holding a stall on both days (11am-2pm) and if you can help staff it please let us know. For those seeking tips on how to choose a bike if a standard cycle isn’t appropriate, Wheels for Wellbeing has written a two-part blog (Part 1 and Part 2).
Cycle stand audit: update
About 30% of York bike stands have been surveyed, so a big thanks to the members who have helped so far. Most of the city centre has been surveyed, so we are on track to complete by the end of March. We still need your help to reach that date, so we would be grateful if you could click on the app and complete the remaining green spots/stands that need surveying on the map
If you notice a stand unmarked on the map, could you provide information about the location and send us a photo of the facility. Finally, if you feel a stand is needed in a particular area, note the location, take a photo, and please provide an explanation of why it is needed. For example, shops or schools are nearby, and there are inadequate stands (full) or none in the area. Note if there is a street light or CCTV nearby and email us the details.
Bike Is Best
BikeIsBest is a free weekly blog on Substack with stories about the most recent developments in cycling advocacy, policy changes, and industry insights.
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Bike Bus summit
The 2025 Bike Bus Summit is being held in Worcester on 10th/11th April. Keynote speakers include the CEO of Cycling UK. The event is free. The workshops will have limited capacity and tickets will be released in March, but they will also be streamed live on Bike Worcester’s YouTube channel.
Reporting dangerous driving
If anyone has headcam footage or other photographic evidence of dodgy driving, you can submit it using the North Yorkshire police’s Op Snap system – just go to this website and upload the footage. We’d be interested to hear from anyone who has done this.
If your bike is stolen
As well as reporting the theft to the police, there are two Facebook pages that might be helpful. One group is specifically for reporting lost, stolen and found bikes in the York area (you need to apply to join this group) and another group is for reporting any items lost, found or stolen in York, including bikes.
And in other news…
York Central update
This Community Drop-In Event runs from 3pm – 7pm on Thursday 13th February at the Guildhall. It will offer the opportunity to meet with members of the development team, and the York Central partnership, and to ask questions about the latest progress and next steps for the development. Similar meeting will take place quarterly.
Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel for schools
Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel 2025, an inter-school walking, wheeling, scooting and cycling challenge, takes place between 24 March and 4 April. If schools register before 17 Feb they get entered into a prize draw to win a bespoke cycle storage system worth up to £30,000. Sustrans provides a template letter to invite your school to join. Who knows, it could be the start of a culture change within your child’s school.
Award for Applefields School
Applefields (a York secondary school for youngsters with additional needs) has won the SEND school of the year for Yorkshire and Humber for the second year running in the Modeshift STARS awards for encouraging more sustainable forms of travel.
Hit and run horror
A driver was recently convicted of careless driving after he collided with a cyclist in York then drove off. We have information on the YCC website provided by Pryer’s Solicitors on what to do if you have the misfortune to be involved in a hit and run.
Barrier removal
Apologies to any of you who struggled to find the blog about barrier removal on the Sustrans network in York mentioned in the January newsletter, this is the direct link.
York Cycle Campaign 
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