THE Government is more than doubling the amount of funding available to projects encouraging people to ditch four wheels in favour of two.

Schemes across the North-East and North Yorkshire are among those that will benefit from the move, with grants ranging from as little as £600 to as much as £50,000.

The £2.18m national initiative was announced yesterday by Transport Minister John Spellar to coincide with European Cycling Day.

He said the Government's cycling projects fund had been overwhelmed by the public response, with more than 550 bids for funding.

"The whole scheme clearly captured the imagination of organisations working to increase cycling, and in turn reduce car use," he said.

He said the response demonstrated just how much unmet demand there was at local level for improved cycling facilities.

Grants in the region include among others: £33,513 for a cycle centre and hire facility in Sunderland; £50,000 towards a 1.5km cycle path on the south bank on the river Wansbeck, at Newcastle; £50,000 to upgrade the Willington cycleway, County Durham; £33,000 for a safe routes to school project at Eastbourne Comprehensive, Darlington; £2,054 for cycle storage and training at Wolsingham primary, County Durham; £14,618 for a cycle promotion project on Teesside; £12,350 for cycle parking with CCTV at Durham, Newcastle and Berwick stations; £12,000 for a cycling project in Osmotherley, North Yorkshire; £660 for a bike maintenance project in North Yorkshire, £50,000 for a cycle promotion, demonstration and try-out roadshow in York; and £42,000 to provide a cycle-and-ride link between York University and satellite locations.