MINISTER for Local Transport Lilian Greenwood and MP for Liverpool Riverside Kim Johnson visited the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, part of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHL Group) last week, to hear how cycling and active travel initiatives are helping NHS staff access healthier, cheaper and more sustainable journeys to work.
 
The visit, organised alongside the Cycle to Work Alliance, forms a part of wider activity promoting active travel during Walk to School Week and highlighted the growing role cycling can play in supporting public health, reducing congestion and helping working people manage the cost of commuting. 

UHL Group, which also runs Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital and Liverpool Women’s University Hospital, is committed to promoting active travel for staff and visitors, alongside its wider focus on health prevention, staff wellbeing and sustainability. 

During the visit, Minister Greenwood met NHS staff who use the Cycle to Work Scheme, alongside representatives from the Group, and the Cycle to Work Alliance, to discuss how active travel can support healthier communities while helping tackle the rising cost of living. 

The Group also showcased a range of initiatives supporting walking and cycling at the Royal Liverpool site, with staff sharing their experiences of using cycling as part of their daily commute. 

The visit comes after independent analysis highlighted the wider benefits of the Cycle to Work Scheme, including savings for households, improved workforce wellbeing and support for cleaner transport. 

The research found the Scheme returns more than £4 of value for every £1 invested by Government, while employees who switch from driving to cycling save an average of £1,262 a year on commuting costs. 

Lilian Greenwood MP, Minister for Local Transport at the Department for Transport, said:- “It was fantastic to visit Royal Liverpool University Hospital and meet staff who are already feeling the day-to-day benefits of getting around by walking or cycling. The Cycle to Work Scheme is helping people save money on commuting, improve their health and choose greener ways to travel, while also supporting less congestion and cleaner air in our communities. To make walking, wheeling and cycling a more accessible option for people across the country, the Government is investing £626 million up to 2030 for local authorities to deliver vital walking and cycling schemes - enough for 500 miles of new walking and cycling routes and 170,000 more active trips per day. This will also help boost local businesses, grow local economies and ease pressure on the NHS." 

Steve Edgell, Chair of the Cycle to Work Alliance, said:- “At a time when many households are continuing to feel financial pressure, the Cycle to Work Scheme is helping people access a healthier and more affordable way to travel. Cycling delivers benefits far beyond transport alone, supporting public health, reducing congestion and helping employers build healthier and more productive workforces. UHL Group is a brilliant example of an organisation creating the conditions for staff to choose healthier and more sustainable ways to travel, and we were delighted to welcome the Minister to see that work first-hand.” 

Thomas Pharaoh, Group Chief Strategy Officer at UHL Group, said:-  “Supporting our staff to use cycling and active travel to get to and from our hospital sites is really important to us – it lessens our impact on the environment and improves the health and wellbeing of staff. We were delighted to showcase the work that we are already doing in this area, with support from the Cycle to Work Alliance, as well as showing how we’re planning to offer more support to staff in the future.”  

Kim Johnson MP, Member of Parliament for Liverpool Riverside, said:- “Hearing directly from staff that are benefitting from Cycle to Work emphasised how the scheme is helping workers access cleaner, healthier and more affordable forms of travel. Thank you to the team at UHL Group who showed me how they are enabling staff to make the change to active travel through better infrastructure and storage facilities. People in Liverpool Riverside are rightly focused on managing the cost of living, so it is encouraging to see employers step up and support their staff to cycle to work.” 

The Cycle to Work Alliance advocates for expanding access to active travel schemes will play an important role in supporting healthier communities, reducing transport emissions and helping more people benefit from affordable and sustainable travel options.