Will The Nation Get Back on Their Bikes for Cycle to Work Day?
Cycle to Work Day this year is tomorrow, Thursday 5th August, but will commuters be limbering up and adjusting their saddles? Government data has shown that fewer and fewer people have been hopping on the bike to get to work. In fact, 2019 saw the lowest number of cyclists biking to work in six years, with only 4% of workers in England opting for pedal power over the car or bus.
However, a recent survey has claimed that we could be about to see an uphill climb in the number of cyclists taking the bike to work. According to a poll undertaken by Shand Cycles, as many as 5 million commuters could soon be swapping four wheels for two, encouraged by lingering concerns about the infection risks of public transport.
So, if the government is pushing for more and more of us to take the bike to work, just why has the amount of commuter cyclists hit the skids? The answer could lie in how cyclists feel when they’re on the road.
Government figures suggest that the number of cyclists who felt that cycling on the UK’s roads was too dangerous has risen sharply in the last few years. In fact, more than half of bike users – 57% - felt that it was too dangerous to hop onto the bike.
The push to incorporate a more European attitude to commuting by bike could pave the way for cyclists to feel much safer in the saddle. In May last year, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced a £2 billion investment into the UK’s cycling infrastructure, including wider pavements, safer junctions and new cycle-only networks in order to keep the country cycling.
As one of the UK’s leading bike insurance specialists, cycleGuard have been protecting cyclists up and down the country for over 20 years. Head of Marketing at cycleGuard, Alex Bennett said: “Cycle to Work Day is a great initiative. Anything that promotes cycling is worth getting behind. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been out of the saddle for a little while or you’re a regular cyclist, we can all find a way to enjoy the many benefits that getting out on the bike brings.”
cycleGuard has come up with a five-point checklist to encourage reluctant commuters to reconsider the benefits of cycling to work to help the day run more smoothly, from improving fitness to boosting your immune system.
You can find all of cycleGuard’s tips for Cycle to Work Day here:
https://www.cycleguard.co.uk/cycle-work-day
ENDS