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The Story of Essex Pedal Power

Essex Pedal Power (EPP) is a pilot community-based free bike scheme that has been set up in Clacton and Jaywick Sands. This stemmed from the knowledge that local residents had a desire to be able to cycle along the seafront. However, one of the biggest barriers to cycling is the cost of a bike. The local area (Tendring) is ranked the most deprived of all Essex districts and Jaywick contains the most deprived area in the country when considering indices of deprivation, meaning it is very difficult for residents here to access cycling.

We initially considered setting up a bike loan scheme (e.g., Boris Bikes), however, such schemes are extremely costly to implement and require a large number of people to run (storage / collection of bikes etc.). We looked at what was working elsewhere and heard of the inspirational story of Big Birmingham Bikes, a scheme set up to provide free new bikes to the most deprived areas of Birmingham. This aimed to overcome barriers to cycling and increase sustainable transport for those who are usually excluded, as well as improving the health & well-being of residents and encouraging cycling around the city. This led to the desire to set up a similar scheme here in Essex, which would be based on replicating and adapting the good practice that had been implemented by The Active Wellbeing Society (TAWS) in Birmingham.

An important part of EPP is providing residents with a free, quality, new bike. It is not a loan, as lending bikes is not believed to be successful in these communities and the experience of “taking it back” is unpleasant for the residents.

The EPP pilot is focussing on six key outcomes to increase:

What has happened? Why (was this action taken or why has it worked)?
Investment for an active travel project (2.3m) was received through the Getting Building Fund run by the Southeast Local Enterprise Partnership, which included money for a free bike scheme. The bid for this money had been created collaboratively by the LDP, ECC Sustainable Travel Team, Localities Team and The Active Wellbeing Society. This provided initial investment which led to additional funding from Sport England through the LDP (400k). The initial investment provided the key to unlocking additional funding.
Community-bike scheme launched around a year ago in the Clacton & Jay wick area. So far, the pilot has distributed 200 bikes to residents. The bikes are being built by the community for the community. We have listened and responded to the individual needs of the community and incorporated them in what we do. We have had to go slow – it’s all about listening, learning, and giving space. This has allowed us to engage with a range of individuals from 12+ to individuals in their 70’s. It has involved a grass-roots approach, by people who know the people and the area, who have lived here for a long time, and “not just shipped in based on their job title”.
Data on the EPP pilot is being collected using a mixed methods approach (qualitative & quantitative). To enable us to see the impact on key outcomes for the individuals and to continually reflect and share learning from the project. GPS (See Sense) and survey data will provide insight into how the bikes are being used, who the project is reaching and how it is influencing key outcomes. Interviews with service providers, volunteers and bike recipients will capture their ways of working and lived experiences, crucial in helping to understand what is working and why in this community.
It is apparent that EPP is about so much more than just giving someone “a bike”. Along with a bike, recipients are provided with safety equipment, information on local cycling infrastructure, access to bike training, mechanic access, knowledge of bike maintenance and community led rides.  It is an ongoing wrap-around service, continuing to listen to individuals and maintain that relationship with bike recipients, to build that community. At times this has been challenging to keep up with, due to available staff and resources. This has been crucial in developing a real community around EPP and providing additional opportunities locally. We want to ensure individuals feel safe using a bike and teach them to be independent in using a bike (e.g., Dr Bike, guidance on maintenance) and also provide the support that is required to build a local community around cycling. The bikes are a drive for engagement (catalyst). There is a sense that the principle of “Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man to Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime” fits very well what has occurred through EPP. We hope that it will also change infrastructure in the local area, firstly to create safety of cyclists but also to increase the enjoyment of cycling and benefit not just cyclists but the whole community.
Individuals have been able to access year-round employment due to having bike travel available to them. Links have developed with the job centre to prioritise bikes for individuals who could not take up employment without transport. Training for three volunteers to receive City & Guilds mechanic training. An EPP volunteer has gone on to take up a funded role within EPP as Volunteer Coordinator. The local area is a seaside town with a high amount of seasonal work. The local transport links are poor in the area, meaning it is difficult for residents to access other employment opportunities. Providing these opportunities for training helps increase how EPP is working towards its outcome of improving employability & the local economy.
We have worked with VCS to provide bikes as part of social prescribing, a process which has developed organically. To improve the mental health of residents in local community through cycling.

A number of positive outcomes have been observed in response to implementing EPP:

Development of a community of volunteers
  • The “biggest strength is our people”
  • We have learned that nurturing your volunteers is key if you want a project to be successful, making them feel valued
Growth of individuals (in confidence, training and pathway to employment opportunities) and sense of community
  • Facebook group, community newsletter, formal & informal cycling groups
  • New friendships & networks, often involving individuals who had not previously met, tackling isolation
Partnership working
  • Eg.  Job centre, social prescribing
Project well received by the local community
  • local authorities are not always welcomed
  • Why? A bike is tangible and provides a sense that “somebody cares”
  • Provides a freedom that individuals haven’t had before
  • There has been a real passion from all involved, often going above and beyond what would be expected of them
  • Helped to reduce historical stigma between the Jaywick & Clacton communities

There have been learnings involved in implementing EPP, allowing reflection and growth to occur as the project progresses:

A sense that it would be quick and easy – Some of the individuals involved in delivering EPP initially thought it would be a quick and easy process and that we would have a big launch event and hand out lots of bikes straight away (I.e., 50 bikes). However, this did not occur; delays due to Covid and equipment supplies meant a more gradual approach was taken. On reflection, this is considered a good thing as it allowed the project to develop organically and greater support to be provided to those who did receive a bike.

GPS Trackers – There were issues with the GPS trackers initially fitted to the bikes as they required the user to charge the device. This led to the loss of important data which is crucial to understanding how the bikes are being used. On reflection, it was naïve to assume the recipient of the bike would be focussed on this as they have other priorities they are more focussed upon. Bikes are now being fitted with dynamo charging trackers to alleviate this issue moving forward.

Premises & People – Premises are required to operate the project to provide office space, bike building and bike training. The scheme also requires a full-time bike mechanic and a volunteer structure. EPP did not have these in place beforehand and this is an important step to consider when setting up future bike schemes.

Bike Storage – Prior thought was not given to where the individuals who received bikes would store them. This led to bikes being stolen from a communal area before being later recovered. It is important to consider how recipients will be able to safely store the bikes they are given, providing a lock alone is not enough.

Partnership working – EPP has involved partnership working with a large number of stakeholders from around the country. However, there was some lack of clarity or understanding from the start into the individual roles and responsibilities. This led to issues such as not being aware of where to go for support. TAWS are still establishing their role in EPP, with the aim to have a greater presence going forward. Future working may benefit from a clearer plan from the start, as to how all the partners will operate together.

Overall, the project has led to a large amount of learning which is helping to create a “playbook” of how-to best setup and run EPP. This learning is now helping to feedback to other organisations and LDPs currently running free bike schemes (TAWS, Southall) and those looking to develop them in the future.

What's next?

Funding has been secured to continue running the Clacton & Jaywick EPP project until 2025, with plans to distribute a further 1200 bikes. This will allow for more data to be collected, including the lived experiences of those who have received a bike. This is vital in ensuring evidence is provided to politicians and senior leaders, to gain support and funding for future free bike schemes. Additionally, we are looking into electric bikes and considering how these could assist people with medical conditions that present a barrier to cycling and help individuals access employment opportunities further afield. There are also plans to expand EPP to additional areas in Essex (Colchester, Basildon, Harwich, Harlow), based on learning from the EPP pilot. Further funding will be required as bike schemes are expensive to implement.

Colchester has plans to implement an EPP free bike scheme which will focus on Greenstead, another area associated with high levels of deprivation and inequality. Funding for the project was received from the Town Deal which acted as an initial catalyst and has led to further funding being provided by the LDP and North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group. The project was informed by the practical elements observed in Tendring and will prioritise the same outcomes, hoping to learn from and avoid previous mistakes. The project is looking to launch in July this year with the plan to provide 800-1000 bikes. There is a desire to widen the project to other areas of Colchester in the future, however, this would require additional funding.

There are also aspirations to deliver EPP in Basildon, another target area of the Essex LDP, with funding for this still being required. This project would have a slightly different focus in order to ensure it accurately met the needs of its residents. Unlike in the previous EPP areas, Basildon does not have the same issues with unemployment. Basildon was a town designed in the 1950s with the focus on car travel, leading to high levels on congestion and a need for more active travel. The project will look to work closely with the local hospital (an anchor employer) to see how it can help overcome travel inequalities for its staff. Learning is still ongoing to fully understand what the people in the local community require.

 

 

 

 

 

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