Bicycle Mayors “… role model good behaviour, identify solutions to local needs and bring together cycling organisations, residents, businesses and governments to make change happen.” HUFFINGTON POST
Simon Storey, became Bicycle Mayor for Warwick District in January 2024. Read the story
Here’s an update from Simon, halfway through his (voluntary) two year term.
What have been your highlights as Bicycle Mayor so far and what do you hope to achieve in the next year?
Simon, “Being asked to be part of a number of working groups in the area, like a cycle parking working group, and regular meetings with various council officers to receive updates and ask probing questions.
“Helping people that contact me overcome an issue they are experiencing feels great. Also the regional meetings I attend online with the other Bicycle Mayors from across the northern hemisphere to listen to talks from guests, give updates of our own work and bounce ideas around, in the last meeting we had Bicycle Mayors from the USA, Canada, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Georgia, Ukraine, Italy, Turkey and UAE to name a few.”
How can parish and town councils or community groups support/help set up a Bicycle Bus in their area? Find out more about the Bicycle Bus
Simon: “If anyone is interested in setting up a Bicycle Bus, I would urge them to contact me in the first instance. I set The Bicycle Bus up in 2020, one of the first in the UK, and have helped a number of others establish across the country and most recently 3 in London. I can advise and physically help and point you in the right direction for resources. Email simon@thebicyclebus.co.uk
“Take a look at the film made by BAFTA award winning director Michael Clifford about setting up the Wellesbourne Bicycle Bus. This is one of a series of Active Travel films commissioned by Stratford-on-Avon District Council.”
Wellesbourne & Walton Parish Council helped accelerate this local initiative, both financially and practically, liaising with Warwickshire County Council Highways about dropped kerbs to improve the route. Read more
How can we encourage more people to become Bicycle Mayors and/or get involved with active travel in their area?
Simon: “If you are passionate about cycling and want to help more people access cycling, maybe you could be your area’s Bicycle Mayor and be part of an international network of Bicycle Mayors, its a voluntary role, the term is for 2 years and is completely independent.
“You don’t need to work in a council or a position of power, you are supported by the BYCS network. It’s recommended you provide 4 to 8 hours a week to the role. Some do more, some do less, it’s up to you.
“It really is one of the best things I’ve ever done.”
How to become a Bicycle Mayor
- Complete an application, including three endorsements from key local stakeholders
- Application reviewed by BYCS staff and, when relevant, other Bicycle Mayors
- Be specific about your plans. Demonstrate you know the challenges and solutions
- Be realistic given your capacity and the scale of the challenge
- Logically connect the challenges in your city to your plans and the impact
- Approved candidates will receive a Getting Started toolkit and an announcement is made
Next step for the Youth Bicycle Mayor Movement
The Youth Bicycle Mayor’s role is to offer a teenager’s perspective and imagination to the realm of cycling activation, with the goal of making cities fit for all ages. They work alongside the senior Bicycle Mayor of their city to create tangible impact. 15 young cycling leaders will be elected in cities across the world to work with current Bicycle Mayors, promoting more inclusive mobility cultures.
Join the Bicycle Citizens Network
You can also join The Bicycle Citizens Network, a new platform uniting cycle advocates and mobilising the enthusiasm surrounding the Bicycle Mayor Network. It aims to shift the narrative around cycling and ultimately build demand for better cycling cities. Sign up to use Bicycle Citizen advocacy tools to help spread the message of cycle-centric cities.
More about Simon and his story
Since leaving school I have been a bathroom installer/plumber, with a few other interesting jobs along the way including a rugby ball stitcher!
Cycling is where my passion is & I’m British Cycling accredited coach (2019) and ride leader (2020) and it was in 2020 during lockdown I set up a free community initiative called The Bicycle Bus. The Bicycle Bus encourages and enables families to ride to school in a safe and fun environment, instead of driving, providing many benefits both for the families and the environment. I’m incredibly proud of being one of the first organised Bikes Buses in the UK. In the 6 years I have been doing it, I have helped 8 other initiatives get started. Most recently, I have set up one going to 3 different schools in London. I also have 2 others locally in Stratford that I’ll be setting up in the next few months.
I also organise Warwickshire’s first Kidical Mass rides being part of a world-wide movement campaigning for safer cycling infrastructure for our towns and cities, which has borne some fruit. I was invited to a local council meeting to discuss The Bicycle Bus, Cycle Infrastructure & safe school streets. As result of this, they are going to cost a proposal I made for a half mile section of safe cycle lane which will link 3 estates to 3 local schools enabling hundreds of families to ride to school. This was a prelude to me becoming Bicycle Mayor. I have also won multiple awards for The Bicycle Bus and volunteering.
In 2023 I set up Cycle Infinity CIC which is a Not-For-Profit organisation that provides many cycle services to the community, these include, learn to ride, cycle improver, confidence builder, guided rides, maintenance workshops and Dr Bike sessions, we offer these services privately to individuals, groups, organisations and local authorities, and also free to the end user by applying for grant funding from a number of organisations including sporting bodies and local authorities.
I used to play Rugby at county level and at a semi-professional standard, as you can see I am a keen cyclist and have been known to partake in running and triathlons and have completed the London Marathon, the Great North Run.
I enjoy a challenge and in 2012 started to organise my own cycle challenges to do with friends, together we have cycled from coast to coast at thinnest, widest and longest points of Great Britain, cycled between 5 countries, 5 capital cities in 5 days (the big 5) completed London to Paris to London in 48 hours, Wales in a Day (175 miles and very hilly), cycled to the Mohne Dam in Germany (The Dambusters dam) to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the famous raid and most recently, last year completed an event called Chase The Sun where we started on the east coast in Essex at sun rise on the longest day of the year and cycled 208 miles across the country to finish on the pier at Weston-Super-Mare with the aim of arriving before sun set, which I’m pleased to say I did, with about 45 minutes to spare!
On these challenges my friends and I have raised approx £45,000 for various charities.
Simon can be contacted by email at BicycleMayorWarwick@gmail.com.