A MAJOR initiative to urge workers to ditch their cars in favour of bicycles was launched yesterday.

More than 70 public and private sector employers, including several in the North-East, have already signed up for the Cycle to Work Guarantee.

The Government project has been launched particularly to encourage staff at large, urban employers, who live close to work but commute by car.

A third of the country’s workforce live within a half-hour bike ride of work, but only three per cent choose to cycle.

The scheme hopes to increase that figure by providing showers and bicycle lock-up or parking facilities.

The company will also pay the cost of the bike.

The employee rents it through their wages and can buy it at second-hand market price after a set period.

Repair services are also available.

Many central Government departments have signed up, as well as major companies. In the North- East, dozens of local authorities and hospitals have signed up, including Darlington Borough Council, Durham Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Stockton PCT.

Darlington was chosen as a cycling demonstration town in 2005, and has aimed to increase the number of cyclists.

Richard Alty, assistant chief executive of regeneration, said the work had included building more cycle routes.

He added that grants were available to firms for changing and parking facilities to take part in the scheme if they had suitable travel plans.

One person using a bicycle at work is Louise Neale, who works as a transport policy officer with the council.

She attends many of her appointments by cycling across the town.

She said: “It is just as quick for me to get about by bike.

“If you are doing a journey within the town, you can do it just as quickly and most routes are offroad.”

Councillor David Lyonette, transport cabinet member, said: “Cycling to work not only helps the environment and eases road congestion, but importantly, encourages the long-term health and wellbeing of people in work.”

In a cycling challenge, run for two months during the summer in the town, more than 2,000 people from 33 businesses took part and cycled more than 24,000 miles.

Transport Secretary Lord Andrew Adonis, who launch-ed the scheme yesterday, hoped that the number of people cycling would treble with the offer of proper storage and changing facilities.

For more details, go to cycletoworkguarantee.org.uk