Cycling is one of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint, your transport bills and your waistline all at the same time. With ever increasing petrol prices, obesity levels and carbon emissions, there has never been a better time to consider leaving your car at home and hopping on a bike.
Save Money
There are a wide range of bikes for whatever you plan to do: road bikes for dedicated riders, mountain bikes for those keen on an adrenaline rush, or hybrid bikes for a more casual cycle around town. The cost of a bike can range from under £100 for a basic model, to over £2,500 for the latest model of road bike. Other upfront costs can include puncture kits, helmets and a chain to ensure your bike stays safe. However, even including other similar purchases, the cost of a bike is far less than that of a car. And while your car needs regular checks, services and repairs, the only continuing costs of a bike are repairs on potential tyre punctures, and the cost of food to keep its user going! By cycling instead of driving, you cut out your need to purchase petrol, pay road tax, or pay congestion charges around town.
Get Healthy
Adults are recommended to do at least 2.5 hours moderate activity per week, however in the UK only 40% of men and 28% of women reach even this minimum level of weekly activity [1]. Cycling regularly can help to improve your fitness, and reduce your waist size, with studies showing that physical activity can also help your mood by exposing cyclists to more daylight every day. The average commute to work by bike burns approximately 235 calories, which is the equivalent to a bar of Cadburys Dairy Milk. Regular exercise can also help to reduce the likelihood of suffering from diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
Cut Your Emissions
The most important thing about riding a bike is that it creates zero pollution. Transport is one of the major contributors to CO2 emissions worldwide, currently making up almost a quarter of total emissions in the UK and causing 70% of air pollution in UK towns and cities [2]. If vehicle use continues to rise at the current rate, then emissions are expected to have risen by 35% from 1990 levels by 2030 [3]. Bike manufacture consumes a fraction of the energy that car manufacture requires, and does not require a constant input of fossil fuels such as petrol. Increasing concentrations of air pollution in cities and towns has lead to a rise in the number of asthma cases, especially in children, so by cutting your emissions you can help to put a stop to the increase in cases each year.
What Businesses Can Do
Businesses can get involved to encourage workers who live within cycling distance to leave their cars at home and make the trip by bike instead. Reduced vehicles at work can help save businesses money by reducing the need for parking spaces, and by creating happier, fitter, and more productive employees. A Dutch company, Waterschap Veluwe, gave free bikes to all employees who lived within 10k of the office [4] which allowed these employees to make the switch to a more eco-friendly form of transport without having to pay an upfront cost themselves. If your office does not have a shower and change facilities, speak to your supervisor or manager about where the nearest facilities may be, or the options for providing one in your building.
London’s Cycle Hire Scheme
Living in London is one of the best places in the UK to take full advantage of reduced cost bike use. The City of London Barclays Cycle Hire scheme has been a great success since it was set up in July 2010 by the then Mayor Boris Johnson, which lead to the bikes being commonly referred to as ‘Boris Bikes’. Bikes were available to members from the launch month of July 2010, and to the general public from the 3rd December 2010, since which there has been over 22,600,000 cycle hires [5]. Bikes are also a great way for tourists to see the city: on the final day of the Olympics there were a record breaking 47,105 hires on a single day [6].
The process is easy and affordable: hire one of the scheme’s 8,000 bikes from a docking station by following the simple on-screen instructions, ride your chosen bike to your destination, then return in to the nearest docking station, 570 of which are found around the city. Your only upfront cost is a £2 bike access charge, or £10 for 7 days. Journeys under 30 minutes are free, with journey lengths longer than this accruing charges starting from £1 [7]. If your workplace is within the 30 minute free zone, then the 7 day bike access charge could be significantly less than driving daily, or even taking public transport.
Energy Saving Warehouse has a great range of energy efficient cycling products that help you stay safe and seen whilst on the road.
References
[1] Sustrans. Health benefits of changing your travel. 2013. http://www.sustrans.org.uk/change-your-travel/reducing-your-car-use/health-benefits-changing-your-travel
[2] Cycling Plus. 2011. ‘Five reasons to cycle to work.’ Bike Radar, April 25. http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/five-reasons-to-cycle-to-work-29878/#null
[3] Sustrans. Change your travel for the environment. 2013. http://www.sustrans.org.uk/change-your-travel/reducing-your-car-use/change-your-travel-environment
[4] Dee, J., 2010. Small Business, Big Opportunity: Sustainable Growth. 1st ed. Melbourne: Sensis.
[5] Transport for London. Barclays Cycle Hire/Key Facts. 2013. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/20389.aspx
[6] Barclays Cycle Hire Twitter Account. 13 August 2012. https://twitter.com/BarclaysCycle/status/234952827921903616. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
[7] Transport for London. Barclays Cycle Hire/What you pay. 2013. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/14811.aspx
