DRD withdraw funding for Bike Week

[Steveb]

Bike Week is a national promotion aimed at raising the profile of cycling, it takes place every June when local authorities, cyling groups and employee groups get together to put on "cycling events". The idea behind Bike Week is to get people to try cycling, maybe for the first time, and remind everyone that bikes are not just for throwing yourself down a mountain on.

If you want to hold an event, obviously you'll need insurance, this could immediately put people off, so Bike Week had the answer and offered free liability insurance to any Bike Week registered event. However, as Forum regular BobBarends noticed, for 05 this offer of free insurance was removed for events in NI.

Suspecting this was to do with usual insurance companies approach to all things NI we looked into it, and a few emails later we got this back from Bike Week organiser Nick Harvey:

<!--StartFragment -->There were no claims from Northern Ireland (or anywhere else in the UK). But this year the Northern Ireland Department for Regional Development withdrew its funding for the UK-wide Bike Week. (Funding has been received from Department for Transport, Transport for London, Scottish Executive and Welsh Assembly Government. Plus £30K from Bike Hub). As the cost of the public liability insurance that we provide free to Bike Week and Bike2Work event organisers represents 10% of our annual budget, it seemed only fair as a consequence of the NI DRD decision to not extend cover this year to organisers based in Northern Ireland. That does not mean that we won't register and promote as part of Bike Week events in NI, just that we won't be providing insurance cover for those events.

[kenny]

Ask Department for Regional Development (http://www.drdni.gov.uk/contacts/) why.

[Colin O]

I just have. Perhaps we need to contact the Health Promotion Agency as well. But we need to do this in numbers.

[DAVEN247]

In The Words Of Marjorey Doors From Little Britain. Drd " Well Screeew Youuu!!!!"

[OllyMac]

Same DARD that on Saturday during a meeting stated that "we do want become a nanny body" rolling there eyes at the thaught of AALA now wanting to control outdoor coaching in NI.

Hmmmmm?

[Colin O]

I am happy to announce that I have received a reply from drdni, they said:

'Mr O'Prey

I have forwarded your query to Roads Service Transportation Unit who co-ordinate cycling related initiatives on behalf of DRD.'

Now what about that for action! :rolleyes:

[Pete 36]

Standard civil service computer generated answer, thats probably the last you will hear about it!

[AndyB]

I think some of us are getting confused between DRD (Dept. of Regional Development)
and DARD (Dept. of Agriculture and Rural Development)
A.

[Steveb]

I was, until correct by Mr. B earlier, hense the last paragraph was removed from the article.

Well, how many letters in the alphabet? And the government have two dept's both almost identicle names. That's just rubbish.

;)

[Colin O]

I'm totally confused now!! :confused:

[kenny]

I am happy to announce that I have received a reply from drdni, they said:

'Mr O'Prey

I have forwarded your query to Roads Service Transportation Unit who co-ordinate cycling related initiatives on behalf of DRD.'

Now what about that for action! :rolleyes:

I got the same reply (from the DRD, not DARD)

[Rick]

I did not get a reply!!!

[kenny]

An update, received today

Thank you for your email of*23rd March*2005 re Bike Week 2005.
*
Transportation Unit are presently making enquiries which are taking a little longer than we had hoped, so we will be in contact with you again shortly with regard to your query.

[Colin O]

I just received that exact same reply. My goodness they are keeping busy over there in the transportation unit. I replyed stating that we were all waiting patiently for an explaination.

[AndyHa]

had interview with drd last week and the asked about alternative forms of transport and they knew very little about bike week let alone taking away funding for it so keep pestering them

[Colin O]

Ok I just got a reply from DARD. as follows:

ps comments welcome. :)

Dear Mr O’Prey

The Minister Ian Pearson MP has asked me to thank you for your e-mail of 5 April 2005 about promoting cycling in the UK and provide you with a reply.

The Minister has noted your comments about the potential benefits that mountain biking in forests can bring to NI.

DRD Roads Service has advised that a local campaign will once again be hosted during National Bike Week, i.e. 11 - 19 June 2005 and a range of events, involving all sectors across Northern Ireland, is being planned.

The Roads Service has chosen not to participate in the national campaign and associated media initiatives organised by Nick Harvey because of the limited local impact achieved in previous years. In the light of this experience they decided that the bike week initiative would be better managed through local media, thereby securing better value for money. Roads Service is in the process of negotiating an insurance package for all Bike Week participants in NI and, as in other years, a significant media campaign is planned to maximise the impact of cycling events locally.

The Minister has asked me to thank you for your interest in these matters.



Yours sincerely

Deirdre O'Neill
Correspondence Secretary
Private Office
Department of Agriculture & Rural Development
Tel: 028 9052 4140

[andyh]

I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that CAAN have raised the matter with them ?

:confused:

[Mjb]

It makes sense to promote it via local media though. I can't remember seeing much about it in the local papers or on the local news last year.

[Rick]

I doubt you would because they (Roads Service) employed at great expense an advertising co - that was Roads Service contribution to promoting cycling in NI for the year!!

Local cycle clubs, comunity and charity organisations do a lot more with a lot less....

no surprise there then....

[Colin O]

My comments on the reply:

Actions speak louder than words!

[Colin O]

Just recieved a further response from DRD on bike week:

Dear Mr O'Prey

I fully understand and share your view on sustainability and am pleased to advise you that the Department for Regional Development has signed up to the Bike Week initiative for 2005.

I can now confirm that insurance cover has been provided by the Bike to Work Week National Co-ordinator for Northern Ireland cycling events this year i.e. 11-19 June 2005.

Yours sincerely

Alan Cuthbertson
____________________________________________
Alan Cuthbertson
Transportation Unit

Tel: ++44 (0) 2890 540684 (Ext 40684)
Fax: ++44 (0) 2890 540111 (Ext 40111)
E-Mail: alan.cuthbertson@drdni.gov.uk

[Conor]

Just try working with these people and you'll understand how stupid they really are.

[normalguy]

Thats a pretty good outcome from the situation.
Do you think they could be of use for info on how to obtain more mountain biking areas in ni?

Im surrounded by blank cd's and cake

[andyh]

Thats a pretty good outcome from the situation.
Do you think they could be of use for info on how to obtain more mountain biking areas in ni?

Im surrounded by blank cd's and cake

I doubt it, they were kind of pushed into the bike thing by someone from CAAN.