Sinn Féin MLA Phillip McGuigan has encouraged people to ‘get on their bike’ during World Bike Day and stressed the importance of cycling as a sustainable mode of transport. 

The North Antrim MLA said:

“During the recent health crisis many of us have been taking up cycling, either for the first time or to rekindle our interest in cycling.

“Cycling is a great tool for improving our physical and mental health and it also have great environmental benefits such as less congestion on our roads.

“We need to promote cycling more as a viable mode of transport through initiatives like Active School Travel program which aims to increase the number of students who walk or cycle to school. 

“Moving forward we also need people to feel safer when cycling, this includes building dedicated cycle lanes as well as seeing greenways expanded across the north.

“Having the right infrastructure in place is key to really promote cycling.

“I would encourage as many people as possible to jump on their bikes today, to urge their family and friends to join in and enjoy this great form of transport and to remember to adhere to social distancing guidelines while doing so.”