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Staff at Middlesex University are being encouraged to get on their bikes.

The university believes it is the first in the country to introduce mileage for those using bicycles on university business. Staff cycling between university campuses, which range from two to eight miles apart, can now claim 10 pence a mile.

The scheme is the brain-child of Claire Barnes, head of human resources at the university. "We have 2,000 staff and many of them cycle, and the scheme is partly in response to their demands," she says. It was too early to say, however, how many staff were expected to use the scheme.

One of those planning to claim is Geraldine Parkes, who works in the library. "I cycle between 60 and 100 miles a week, but probably only about ten miles of that is on university business," she says. "I think it is a very good idea and should be taken seriously by staff."

Ms Barnes added that the university already has covered cycle parks on a number of campuses, as well as showers and changing rooms. The university has been pressing local authorities to provide cycle paths within the London boroughs in which the university has its campuses - and the scheme will add weight to these demands.

The university's personal accident insurance covers cyclists so long as they wear a helmet and show lights. Ms Parkes, who has been cycling for 15 years in London, is yet to don a helmet. And Ms Barnes is yet to mount a bike on university business. "Perhaps I will now," she says.