Hackney break world record at Bike around the Borough 2016

Hundreds of school children enjoyed the first sunny day in weeks when they took to the streets of east London, in a world record breaking mass cycle ride. VolkerHighways was proud to be a Gold Sponsor of Hackney Council’s sixth annual ‘Bike around the Borough’ event on Wednesday 6 July. This year, the Council was delighted to smash the record for the most riders in a ‘bike bus’.

A bike bus is a cyclist’s version of a walking bus, where a group of cyclists ride together along a set route, picking up people as they go.

With 50 schools taking part, the final count stood at 1,005 cyclists. This year’s figure was well above the current record of 880, but will be verified by Guinness World Records in the coming days.

Councillor Feryal Demirci, cabinet member for neighbourhoods and sustainability at London Borough of Hackney said: “It’s been fantastic to see hundreds of school kids cycling on our roads and hopefully it will show them how fun, healthy and easy it is to get around the borough by bike.”

The ride provided a chance for students to practise skills learned at cycle training and raise awareness of how easy it is to travel around the borough by bike. Hackney aims to be the most cycle-friendly borough in London with 15 per cent of residents travelling by bike for all journeys by 2025.

Alistair Thompson, managing director of VolkerHighways said: “We are delighted to be supporting this world record breaking event once again. It was fantastic to see so many children taking part in this healthy activity. We have constructed cycling infrastructure in Hackney and across London to increase the safety of cyclists on London’s busy roads; this event will help promote this mode of travel in the borough and London.”

Bike around the Borough was organised by Hackney Council in partnership with the Metropolitan Police and supported by VolkerHighways, Berkeley Homes and Keepmoat.