It has been said that the average UK worker spends 41 minute commuting every day with one in ten people taking the train, but only one in 40 cycling. Don’t you think these figures seem high when our cycle storage has grown so much in recent years? Of course, riding a bike is not always a feasible transportation alternative. If you work 50 miles from home, or your city has no bike lanes, a bike is probably not an ideal option. But more often than not, biking to work or even to do the weekly shop is a realistic option.
Looking at the benefits to our planet, it is clear why we should all cycle:
1. Getting closer to nature- There is a hypothesis called biophilia which suggests that there is an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems, such as the outdoors, why not get on your bike and smell the roses?
2. Leave more green- We all find it frustrating when there are road works due to motorways being built or widened, this could be decreased if we all commuted by bicycle to work. If enough people were to trade in daily car use for daily bicycling, they’d make a substantial dent in the UK’s carbon footprint.
3. Keep the doctor away- Not wanting to put a downer on everyone’s day but with heart disease, stroke, obesity and diabetes hitting record highs around the world, we all need to become more active. Working adults don’t have time to fit in their recommended daily exercise, turning exercise into a crucial, unavoidable part of the daily routine — like getting to work or taking the kids out for the day — is an ideal way to increase activity level.