A NEW workshop which aims to improve cycling safety and get more people on their bikes has been launched in Oxford.

The People’s Cycle Training workshop, which will be run by bike workshop Broken Spoke, will be offered to 17 residents for £5 each, discounted from an estimated £70 thanks to funding.

It is hoped the scheme will mark the start of a new series of collaborations between Broken Spoke, local authorities and private businesses.

It comes after Broken Spoke was handed £1,110 in funding by Green Party members of Oxford City Council last month to run the programme.

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The scheme will be based on the Bikeability project, which runs in schools and will teach people at three different levels.

Level one teaches the basics of cycling such as balance and changing gear away from public roads.

Level two focuses on how to cycle on roads and interact with other road users, and level three moves on to tackling more advanced issues such as multi-lane roundabouts.

Broken Spoke cycle training coordinator Sam Chappell said: “In the grand scheme of things it is quite a small project but the main reason why it is so important is that it raises awareness about what we are doing.

“It will hopefully improve safety and get more people on their bikes.

“We would love to do it again soon, so we are looking to develop relationships with local authorities and big organisations to offer this to as many people as possible.

“It is about breaking down the barriers between cars and bikes, it is about how to deal with cars and it is about facilitating co-operation between road users.”

Mr Chappell said: “Bikeability was brought in about 10 years ago and it is a more rigorous way of teaching cycling.

“It is more in line with a driving or motorbike test.”

Broken Spoke, based in Pembroke Street, teaches people how to ride and repair bicycles and aims to foster a cycling culture in Oxford.

Anyone over the age of 18 can get involved by visiting bsbcoop.org/peoples-cycle-training.