Why Cycle?
Good for You...
Cycling is an efficient aerobic activity, and can be carried out at a 'moderate' level - as recommended by the Chief Medical Officer
Regular cyclists enjoy a fitness level equal to that of a person ten years younger (Source: National Forum for Coronary Heart Disease Foundation, Sharp)
Even quite leisurely cycling (around 10 miles/hour) burns calories at the same rate as very brisk walking (faster than 4mph)
Cycling can easily be incorporated into everyday routines without having to find time for the gym or for deliberate exercise.
Cycling at least twenty miles a week reduces the risk of heart disease to less than half that for non-cyclists who take no other exercise (Source: British Heart Foundation, Morris)
Everyday cycling usually means periods of active work, alternating with rest periods (when coasting or at traffic lights). This makes it easy to recover and keep going for longer
Cycling is low impact activity and easier on the joints than activities such as jogging.
If one third of all short car journeys were made by bike, national heart disease rates would fall by between 5 and 10 percent (Bikes not Fumes, CTC, 1992) Info from BikeBiz, with thanks
During rush-hour, a bicycle is about twice as fast as a car - good if you hate traffic jams!
The actual risk of cycling is small - one cyclist death per 33 million kilometres of cycling. This distance would take the average cyclist 21,000 years to cycle.
A sedentary lifestyle poses clear risks to our health: in 2003 there were 57,000 cardiovascular disease deaths and over 10,000 cancer deaths that could be attributed to physical inactivity. In the same year 113 cyclists were killed on the road.
Bicycles require no vehicle excise tax, no MOT, no insurance, no licensing, no breakdown recovery services, and above all no fuel bills
A good bicycle needs less than £100-worth of maintenance a year - less if you do a bit yourself. How much does your car need?
A good bicycle will last for years, if not decades. How long did your previous car last?
A bicycle can be parked just about anywhere, so no more expensive car park bills.
Many bicycles can be parked in the same space taken up by one car.
To make a bicycle requires only a fraction of the materials and energy needed to make a car.
Bicycles produce absolutely no pollution - they are a lot quieter too.
Cars kill and maim thousands of people every year - bicycles dont.