LESS than two per cent of Sunderland residents get on their bike to work - despite the fact many live within easy cycling distance.
Now the city council hopes to increase that figure by developing a cycle strategy to encourage more people to take up pedal power.
Proposals include increasing the amount of cycle lanes, linking up local routes with national cycle routes in the city and providing more cycle parking.
It is hoped this will help the city reach national targets for quadrupling the number of cyclists using the roads by 2012.
Cycle routes in the city have increased by 60km in the past few years and more priority has been given to cyclists within the city's traffic system.
Barry Luccock, who is helping plan the strategy, said: "It's estimated every household in the country has access to a bicycle and 75 per cent of all journeys we make are less than four miles, so it's time we started putting our bikes to good use."
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