Chapter 14 of Bike Easy is about how you can put something back into cycling. It’s a noble cause. Cycling in the UK peaked in the early post-war years when Britain’s bike users collectively rode close on 25 billion kilometres. Since then, notwithstanding the odd maverick upward blip, the trend has been relentlessly downwards. By the tail-end of the 20th century it looked as though cycling was heading for extinction. An energy crisis, an obesity epidemic, escalating traffic congestion and even recurring warnings of catastrophic climate change failed to wake up the nation’s planners and policy makers to the potential of cycling as transport and as so much more.
It was cyclists themselves who changed things, plugging away, sometimes for years, patiently explaining that cycling reduces congestion, cuts harmful emissions, improves public health and, by bringing people out onto the street and in touch with one another, makes communities friendlier and safer. On top of that, in a world where major transport projects regularly cost billions, these benefits could be delivered for the transport equivalent of petty cash.
The endeavours of lobby groups and campaigners, plus a million-and-one small scale actions by ordinary people have pulled cycling back from the brink. London, along with several other UK cities is showing a spectacular growth in cycle use. Government departments and local authorities publicly endorse it and say that they want to see more of it. Cycling is fashionable again. High profile figures such as Boris Johnson, Davoid Cameron and Madonna all ride bikes.
Is this just another blip, or are we at the start of a genuine cycling renaissance? To a large extent that’s up to us. All of us who use bicycles to get around… We need to hold the decision makers to account, we need to make our views known, we need to speak up for the bike. And each of us needs to do his or her bit to make the world a little more cycle-friendly. Here’s how to do it More>>>
