There are nearly as many reasons for cycling as there are cyclists. If you are thinking of leaving the car keys behind, but suddenly develop a severe case of procrastination every time someone mentions a bike, we are here to gently educate you and answer any questions you may have as a potential cyclist.
Cycling is Good For You
Only 30% of men and 20% of women are as fit as they should be for their age (British Medical Association). Cycling can greatly improve your health: you will feel and look better. Even moderate cycling every week can give you the health and fitness of someone ten years younger.
A little cycling could also decrease your chances of heart disease. Heart Disease rates would fall by five to ten per cent if one third of all short journeys (less than 5 miles) were made by bike (CTC Bikes Not Fumes, 1992).
“Won’t my bike get stolen?”
No guarantees here, but be sensible and lock your bike, even when ‘just nipping into the shop for a paper’. A British Home Office survey of crime found out that the odds of having your bike stolen were the same as having your car stolen.
“Isn’t cycling in traffic dangerous for my health?”
There is now evidence to support the view that a car driver breathes in twice the amount of carbon monoxide that a cyclist does on the road. The Government have now accepted the fact that pollutants inside the car are higher than out.
“But cycling is so slow.”
Not so. In large cites motorised traffic is now slower than it was in horse drawn Victorian days.
There have been lots of Commuter Challenges in recent years, where the time taken to tavel a commuter route using different forms of transport was compared. One such Commuter Challenge commissioned by Strathclyde Regional Council summarised that:
* For distances of two miles or less, a bicycle has a clear advantage over a car and public transport.
* For distances up to two miles walking is just as fast as a car.
* For distances of five to seven miles cycling is still faster than a car and does not have the disadvantages of parking.
* Overall – cycling, walking and public transport were the most sensible modes of transport for commuting in terms of health and economic and environmental well-being.
Cycling is fun, it’s a great way to spend leisure time, plus it’s a stress reliever – you don’t suffer from ‘road rage’.
Cycling Snippets to Bore People with at Parties
Each year Britons cycle about 5 billion kilometres. But this is less than 1% of total distance travelled by other means.
There are around 21 million bicycles in Britain today. This almost equals car ownership.
Cycle use in the UK is relatively low: only 2.3% of journeys are currently made by bicycle. This compares with 9.8% in Germany, 18.4% in Denmark, and 27.3% in Holland.
Nearly three quarters of all journeys made are local trips under 5 miles – even 60% of car trips are under 5 miles. Half of all journeys are less than two miles, but most trips between 1 and 2 miles are still done by car!
Cycling at least 20 miles a week reduces the risk of coronary heart disease to less than half that for non-cyclists. If one-third of all short car journeys were made by bike, national heart disease rates would fall by between five and ten per cent.
In 1934, there were 1,563 cyclist deaths on the roads. In 2007, there were 136 cyclist deaths. (Source: ‘On you own head be it’ – The Guardian, 11-8-08).
Choke Choke
Traffic in Britain has increased by 50% in the last 10 years. The Government is expecting a further increase of up to 143% in the next 25 years.
The car uses 3 megajoules per passenger mile.
The bike uses only 0.1 megajoule per passenger mile.
Cycling is two-and-a-half times more energy-efficient than walking.
The worlds largest bicycle was made by Californian Dave Moore. Called the Frankencycle, its wheels were 3.05 metres in diameter.
Over 80 million bicycles are made in the world every year, 75 percent of them in the Far East.
The modern day bicycle was invented by a SCOT – Kirkpatrick Macmillan. He put pedals on a bicycle in about 1840 and was subsequently arrested (in about 1842) and fined for knocking a child over when riding on the pavement.
References:
- http://www.edinburghbicycle.com