fitness

Health and cycling

By Cherry Allan on 27 September 2012

Cycling is good exercise and it's easy to fit into the daily routiine. If more people took it up, it could help ward off the health crises facing the NHS...

Headline Messages:

Cycling is excellent exercise. More cycling will help more people meet the recommended physical activity guidelines, improve their physical and mental health and well-being, while reducing their risk of premature death and ill-health.
Cycling is far more likely to benefit an individual’s health than damage it; and the more cyclists there are, the safer cycling becomes – the ‘safety in numbers’ effect.
Cycling fits into daily routines better than many other forms of exercise, because it doubles up as transport to work, school or the shops etc. It’s easier than finding extra time to visit the gym and far less costly.
Lack of exercise can make people ill. It can lead to obesity, coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, cancers, type 2 diabetes and other life-threatening conditions.
Obesity in particular is a growing, costly burden to the health service. Without action, 60% of men, 50% of women and 25% of children will be obese by 2050 in the UK.
CHD is the UK’s biggest killer – well over 90,000 people die of it each year with over 33% of these attributable to lack of physical activity.
Unlike driving, cycling causes negligible harm to others, either through road injuries or pollution, so it’s a healthy option not just for cyclists, but for everyone else too.

CTC View (formal statement of CTC's policy):

Policy makers should recognise cycling as a healthy and convenient means of transport and recreation that could be incorporated into the ordinary day-to-day activity of millions of adults and children and so improve health and quality of life.
There is good evidence that cycling’s health benefits far outweigh the risks involved and that the more people who cycle, the safer it becomes – the ‘safety in numbers’ effect.
Cycling is also a benign mode of transport, causing negligible harm to others. Hence a switch from motorised travel to cycling would improve road safety for all by reducing road danger.
Public health and transport/planning policies, strategies and guidance, locally and nationally, should be mutually supportive in promoting and facilitating cycling as active travel; and they should clearly steer professionals towards cross-sector working. This will help tackle the serious, costly and growing crisis of physical inactivity and the health problems associated with it (e.g. obesity, heart disease etc).
Directors of Public Health (England) should take advantage of their planned return to local authorities to engage transport, town and spatial planning and other council departments (e.g. leisure and tourism) more closely in promoting cycling as active travel and recreation.
The NHS and its providers should actively promote cycling both to their own employees, to the people in their care, and to the general public; and they should invest in measures to support it (e.g. patient referral schemes, cycling facilities at sites as part of Travel Plans etc).
Transport and planning decisions should undergo a ‘health check’ to maximise the potential for positive impacts on active travel and minimise negative impacts. Tackling hostile road conditions is a priority because they put existing cyclists at risk and deter many others including children and young people.
Placing the onus solely on cyclists to protect themselves from injury does not tackle the risks they face at source. Health professionals should therefore remain cautious about cycle safety campaigns that focus on personal protective equipment.

Download full campaigns briefing:

Health and cycling

Publication Date:

September 2012

Rained off? Southwold en Bici Bike Club turn to turbo trainers

By Frances Chaloner on 20 May 2012

What can an after school Bike Club do if the weather is really bad? A primary school in Hackney has the perfect solution to keep the group meeting and their Bike Club's wheels turning.

Southwold en Bici Bike Club member, Bose, turbo training.

As I cycled up the canal towpath network from Canary Wharf to Hackney, to see Southwold en Bici Bike Club in action, the heavens opened giving me a good and proper soaking.

The path got very slippery, I applied my brakes with caution and greatly reduced my speed. I expected that the session would be cancelled due to the exceptionally bad weather.

However, the after-school Bike Club at Southwold School did not let the torrential downpours dampen their spirits, they all wanted to ride.

fitness

Health and cycling

Rained off? Southwold en Bici Bike Club turn to turbo trainers

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