EPIKS project officer Jim Gray and the team were out and about across Kirklees in 2024 with our Walk Wheel Ride e-bike roadshow. Did you see them? Our project gave hundreds of people the chance to test ride a range of e-bikes, learn about how they work, how they are a great way to help us achieve Net Zero and receive impartial advice about the best e-bike for their needs.
You might have seen our e-bikes and Walk Wheel Ride gazebo at Dewsbury Country Park, the Spen Valley Greenway, Holmfirth Food and Drink Festival, the Tolson Museum, Dewsbury Library, Oakwell Hall Country Park, the Kumon Y’all festival in Dewsbury, Greenhead College and the John Smith Stadium in Huddersfield.
We’ve got lots of plans for more e-bike activity in 2025, check out our Walk Wheel Ride website and social media for details or drop us an email on
EPIKS project officer Jim Gray with folding e-bikes
Why e-bikes?
The transport sector accounts for 40% of the UK’s carbon emissions, placing it as the second highest contributor. E-bikes provide an alternative, low-cost way to travel that is fast, boosts fitness and improves mental health and independence. Folding e-bikes can easily be put into cars or on trains to allow ‘blended’ travel. They can be shared by families and importantly, stored neatly indoors for security and in places like flats or rented homes where sheds and outbuildings are unavailable.
Using folding e-bikes also gives people a chance to boost their health and wellbeing and access some green, traffic free spaces for commuting or leisure. We’re all hearing that we should be cycling more- EPIKS wanted to give Kirklees residents some help and support to make the change to cycling.
Thanks to funding from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Kirklees and One Community, EPIKS were able to buy two folding e-bikes that are a very versatile way to travel. Suitable for riders from 5-6 foot tall, they can be shared within a family; folded neatly for storage at home and taken onto trains without the need to book a space.
What we did
Focussing on communities in wards within easy reach of the Birkby-Bradley, Calder Valley and Spen Valley Greenways, we worked with local community groups, businesses and organisations to make sure that our project was inclusive, well publicised and easy to join in with.
As well as giving people impartial in-person advice about e-bikes we also produced a handy online guide “How to get the right e-bike”
Over the course of the summer, 150 people hopped on at 16 events to give e-bikes a try, ably assisted by Jim and our e-bike instructor Darren.
Jim Gray said, “It won’t have escaped anyone who lives in Kirklees that we have a lot of hills! E-bikes are a great way to get about without being someone who considers themselves a super fit, “King of The Mountain” style cyclist.
On our e-bike roadshows we met many people who for one reason or another had stopped viewing cycling as a way to get about. It was heartening to see how freeing and empowering it was when people tried an e-bike and realised that this was something that opened up so many new options for them. As well as giving them a way to use their car less, e-bikes opened up possibilities for new experiences exploring special places, boosting health and wellbeing and in some cases being able to enjoy cycling together as a couple or as a family for the first time. ”
What you said
Here’s a few testimonials from some people who tried out an e-bike with EPIKS!
Tracey: “I have health problems, so cycling has always felt like something I used to do. Now I feel like I can ride with my family again.”
Sajid: “I took time out of work today and I’m really glad I came down. I’m pre-diabetic so I know I need to get out and get more exercise. I feel I can go out with my son now and have more family time. Thank you.”
Leanne: “I would love to cycle to work. It’s a 20 minute drive through Dewsbury. Getting to see the greenway and try the bikes has made me look into my cycle to work scheme, it’d make so much sense.”
Andrew: “It’s been so long since I’d ridden, I’d forgotten how free it felt. I’ll definitely get one, I just wish I’d tried it sooner”
Our e-bike activity this year has been supported by funding from Kirklees Council, One Community, City Connect, West Yorkshire Combined Authority/ Tracey Brabin Mayor of West Yorkshire and Active Travel England.
What’s next for EPIKS and e-bikes?
We’ve opened an active travel hub in Holmfirth and will be opening hubs in Huddersfield and Batley and the Spen Valley early in 2025. They’ll be our ‘one-stop-shops’ for people to access everything they need to walk and cycle, including advice and support on routes, equipment, training and group activities. We’ll be signposting activities in Kirklees to help you travel actively and will have a regular program of events to help you Walk, Wheel and Ride. Follow our Walk Wheel Ride website, Facebook page and Instagram for updates in 2025!
