Inclusive Cycling in Westminster: Cycle Connect, the Smile Machine and Everyday Journeys
“I feel very good on the bike. Meeting people, people waving, people asking you about the bike. I feel very good going around on it.”
Cycle Connect rider
In Westminster, the Smile Machine is hard to miss.
Bikeworks’ side-by-side e-assist cycle carries residents through the borough for everyday journeys, appointments, errands, fresh air, conversation and time outside. Nicknamed after the look on people’s faces when they ride the cycle, the Smile Machine shows a different way of cycling on Westminster streets.
For people excluded from mainstream cycling, Cycle Connect makes cycling possible in a different way.
Cycle Connect is part of Bikeworks’ inclusive cycling offer. It uses a specialist, adapted side-by-side cycle, piloted by a trained Cycle Pilot, to make accessible cycling, movement and local journeys possible for disabled people, people with long-term health conditions, older residents and others who may not be able to ride independently.
Why Cycle Connect matters in Westminster
In Westminster, the need for equitable access to cycling is clear. Over 30% of residents aged 16 and over have one or more long-term health conditions, 25% of residents are inactive, and the borough has the highest male life expectancy gap in the country, with an 18-year gap between the richest and poorest areas.
Cycle Connect responds to that local need by making cycling, movement and everyday journeys possible for people who are often excluded from mainstream cycling, accessible active travel and public space.
What Cycle Connect makes possible
Cycle Connect in Westminster is delivered on the Smile Machine, a side-by-side e-assist cycle piloted by Erma, our trained Cycle Pilot.
The cycle can carry up to three passengers on each ride. Riders can pedal where they want to, rest when they need to, or simply enjoy the journey. Because each ride is led by Erma, passengers can experience cycling in a way that works for them.
Riders use Cycle Connect to reach appointments, run errands, travel to volunteering roles, get outside, move more, or spend time talking with Erma while travelling through Westminster.
The Smile Machine also changes what people see cycling as. A cycle does not have to mean one person riding alone on two wheels. It can be shared. It can be electric assisted. It can carry people, conversation, routine, fresh air and connection.
When the Smile Machine is out in Westminster, people stop, wave, ask questions and see a cycle built around access.
Accessible cycling and active travel in Westminster
Cycle Connect in Westminster is funded through Active Westminster, part of Westminster City Council.
Over the past year, the service supported 124 passengers across 394 rides. Of those passengers, 30% had a disability or long-term health condition.
This shows why accessible, supported cycling matters in a borough where many residents face barriers to mainstream cycling, physical activity and local travel.
Cycle Connect is not only about exercise. Riders use the service for practical journeys, social connection, fresh air and time outside. It gives people a way to move through the borough by cycle when standard cycling is not possible or not the right fit.
Meet Chris
Chris is one of our regular Cycle Connect riders. He has been riding with Erma for 15 months and uses the service as often as possible.
After being diagnosed with diabetes, Chris began using Cycle Connect as part of how he looks after his physical and mental health. The rides give him time outside, gentle movement and a way to travel through Westminster.
Cycle Connect also connects Chris to his local routine. He uses the service to travel to his volunteering role, go shopping and reach appointments. The routine has also given him the encouragement to join a local gym and build more activity into his week.
When we cycled with him in March, he told us:
“It’s really relaxing, it’s comfortable and it gets me out of the house as well. I find it very useful if you want to go somewhere, if that’s shopping or you need to go to an appointment or something like that, Cycle Connect can get you there. And obviously it’s free, so it’s useful for people who have low funding, low budget.”
Cycle Connect on Westminster streets
Chris describes Cycle Connect as relaxing, comfortable and useful. It gets him out of the house. It means he can go shopping, reach appointments, travel to his volunteering role and spend time moving through Westminster with Erma.
That is what the Smile Machine makes possible.
A cycle journey does not have to mean riding alone, owning a bike or being able to use a standard two-wheeled cycle. It can be shared. It can be electric assisted. It can encourage conversation, routine, fresh air and connection.
When the Smile Machine is out in Westminster, people notice. They wave, ask questions and see cycling working differently.
Cycle Connect makes everyday journeys possible for people who are too often excluded from cycling, active travel and public space.
Find out more
Cycle Connect is available to Westminster residents. To find out more, email cycle.connect@bikeworks.org.uk.
Bikeworks also works with local authorities, BIDs, event organisers and place-based partners to deliver Cycle Connect as an equitable active travel solution. If you are interested in commissioning Cycle Connect to improve access to local journeys, community events or public spaces, please contact info@bikeworks.org.uk.
