HAMPSHIRE and the Isle of Wight are set to benefit from a £700,000 fund that aims to encourage more people to take up cycling.

Money released by the Department for Transport will be used to fund electric bikes, which make it easier for older or less fit people to explore the countryside on two wheels.

Three e-bikes will be delivered to the New Forest and another 25 are destined for the Isle of Wight.

They offer battery-assisted pedalling at the flick of a switch and are likely to prove popular with people reluctant to hire conventional cycles.

Transport minister Andrew Jones said: “Electric bikes are a great way to encourage new people to get into cycling and today’s announcement will provide an opportunity for thousands more to enjoy the advantages they offer.

“Cycling helps cut congestion and is a healthy, affordable transport option.

“We want to double the number of journeys made by bicycle.”

The 25 bikes earmarked for the Isle of Wight will be based at visitor centres in Newport, Ryde and Cowes.

Those destined for the Forest will be available from Cycle Experience in Brockenhurst following a funding bid submitted by PEDALL, an inclusive cycling project set up by the National Park Authority (NPA).

PEDALL bid for only three bikes because it already has a large fleet of speciallyadapted cycles that can be used by disabled children and their families.

Mr Jones’s announcement is part of a government campaign to double the number of cycle journeys by encouraging people of all ages and abilities to get on their bikes.

Alistair Kirkbride, director of Carplus, one of the organisations involved in the project, said: “Electric bikes have been shown to encourage more people to cycle more often.

“By supporting electric cycles in shared bike networks it will enable a greater number of people to enjoy the benefits in more locations.”

Cycling charity CTC welcomed the move but claimed the UK’s use of battery-assisted bikes was still behind some other European countries.