There is plenty of evidence confirming that cycling is an excellent form of regular exercise.  For most people it can be easily fitted into the daily routine and:  

• It’s easy, low impact and fun – you do not have to be fit to start gaining the benefits.
• It is non-competitive and doesn’t require you to join anything – people who are uncomfortable about “sport” can simply take cycling at their own pace.
• It’s a cheap, efficient and flexible means of transport – it is one of the very few ways to get exercise whilst simply travelling from A to B. Going to the gym costs a lot more!
• It improves health, fitness and overall life-expectancy.
• It contributes to fat loss, burning around 5 calories a minute.

Cycling also has a highly important role to play in reducing stress and tension, the likelihood of heart disease and in tackling osteoporosis. It also helps reduce the wider public health risks from vehicle pollution as journeys by cars are replaced by cycle trips.

The Department of Health (DH) & Cycling                               The DH's current plan for 'getting the nation moving' is 'Be Active, Be Healthy' (2009).   This fully recognises the health, environmental and economic benefits of cycling, be it for transport, sport or recreation.  The strategy commits to working with partners to ‘…develop a range of new initiatives under the Bike4Life brand that will boost participation in all forms of cycling.’  

Change4Life is a major new initiative, launched to prevent people from becoming overweight. Adverts are already appearing on television and billboards, encouraging people to eat better and take more physical activity. This opens up plenty of new opportunities to promote cycling, so CTC is signing up to become a Change4Life partner.

Also as part of the Change4Life programme, nine towns have been awarded £30m between them to encourage residents to become more physically active and make healthier food choices. The Healthy Towns are Dudley, Halifax (Calderdale), Sheffield, Tower Hamlets, Thetford, Middlesbrough, Manchester, Tewkesbury and Portsmouth. One of Thetford’s plans is a 'Cycle Recycle' project to help people cycle more and maintain their bikes; while Portsmouth will introduce new signage so that walkers, runners or cyclists can time themselves when exercising. 

Children and Young People

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published new guidance on promoting physical activity for all children and young people in family, pre-school, school and community settings. It contains some very useful pro-cycling recommendations. 

Active Travel Consortium

The Active Travel Consortium (ATC), a partnership of health, walking and cycling organisations, including CTC and benefiting from £20m from the Big Lottery Fund’s Wellbeing Fund, focuses upon sedentary and traditionally hard-to-reach audiences who have the greatest potential for change and the biggest health gains.

CTC’s contribution to the Consortium’s work is the Cycle Champions project, which has seen the appointment of 13 cycling development officers who are bringing cycling to people of all abilities in various locations in England.

Obesity

The latest predictions are that by 2050, 60% of the UK's population will be obese.  It's a serious problem for adults and children:

• Almost one in four Reception aged school children (4-5 years old), weighed as part of the National Child Measurement Programme in 2007/08, were either overweight or obese. In Year 6 (10-11 year olds), this rate was nearly one in three.
• The Department of Health’s recently published Health Profile of England 2008 highlights continuing concerns about “increasing levels of obesity in adults and children”. www.dh.gov.uk  

Obesity levels have risen largely because modern diets are high in fat, sugar and salt and levels of physical activity have fallen dramatically. Three in every four people in the UK population aren't active enough to protect themselves against illness such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers.

Cycling can play help people be more active. A regular cyclist enjoys a level of fitness of someone ten years' younger, and has a life expectancy of two years above the average.

The House of Commons Select Committee on Health's Third Report on Obesity found that cycling was the ‘best buy’ for tackling obesity:

• "If the Government were to achieve its target of trebling cycling in the period 2000-2010 … that might achieve more in the fight against obesity than any individual measure we recommend within this report.”

CTC Policy

Cycling for leisure or utility is healthy and promotes an active lifestyle. Cycling must be promoted as part of any package of preventative health.

• Cycling should be promoted for its rehabilitative and preventative benefits.

• The Government should implement the findings of the Select Committee's Report, giving the Department for Health strategic input into transport policy.

• Government departments should enact cycle-friendly policies to increase cycling rates, particularly in areas with high levels of obesity or inactivity related illness.

The NHS

The NHS has an important role in changing the travel culture of its staff, patients and the wider population alike. 

• NHS trusts and hospitals must draw up and maintain active travel plans for staff and visitors.

• Hospitals and trusts should employ full-time cycling or active travel officers to encourage staff to walk or cycle to work.

• NHS Trusts and Primary Care Trusts should be involved in the Local Transport Plans consultation process to ensure good linkages with transport policy decisions.

• PCTs should work with highway authorities to ensure that the provision of cycle training schemes for people of all ages is an integral part of Local Transport Plans and cycling strategies.

• PCTs should work with local authorities and/or independent cycle training providers to make cycling on prescription available as part of all exercise on prescription schemes.

CTC has prepared a briefing for NHS Trusts on how to encourage and promote cycling to staff, patients and the wider population.