Why cycle?
Regular cyclists are as fit as an average person 10 years younger. live two years longer than non-cyclists and breathe in less pollution from traffic than car drivers.
Cycling is the fastest way to get around town and if you arrive by bike, yellow lines and clampers needn't concern you. More often than not, you can park right outside your destination. Unlike a car, to use the roads a cyclist does not need to pay motor tax, NCT or breakdown cover and, above all, there aren't any fuel bills.
Cycling is also the least polluting way of travelling after walking. Ten bikes can be parked in the space of one car and 2kg of carbon are saved for every short journey that is made using a bike instead of a car.
Particularly in congested urban areas, using your bike to commute can bring you all sorts of benefits:
Independence
Saying goodbye to restricted parking zones, irregular public transport, the last bus home and grid-ocked traffic. On a bike you can be flexible and spontaneous, make an unplanned visit to a shop, a park, meet a friend, etc.
Health and fitness
Twenty minutes of gentle cycling burns up to 100 calories. Regular cycling makes you fitter, as fit as an average person ten years younger. Cycling also raises your metabolic rate, helping you to maintain a healthy weight. Riding a bike firms the thighs and bottom, while working those tricky lower abdominals, taking you that bit closer to the elusive toned tummy.
Saving time
No waiting in queues for the bus or the car park. It is amazing how much faster than motorised traffic one can be cycling at an average of just ten miles an hour - cutting through the congestion. You will arrive on time and often before those in a car.
Reliability
Once you have researched and tried out your route, you will find that your journey time is predictable - bringing peace of mind rather than driving and arriving at work stressed out.
Lower travel costs
If you are currently spending as little as €1.20 a day on fares or petrol, changing to cycling could save over €200 a year - money which can be spent on other things. If the commute costs more the savings are even bigger!
For more information, check out the very useful leaflets produced (in PDF format) by the UK's sustainable transport charity Sustrans:
