Spring/Summer 2011
News
Confirmed: Riding to work boosts our health
A
new survey has confirmed the health benefits of cycling to work, and revealed that people who use bikes as a result of the government’s Cycle to Work initiative reduce carbon emissions by over 130,000 tonnes a year – more than the total annual CO2 emissions of a city the size of Hereford. The survey, conducted for the Cycle to Work Alliance, questioned nearly 46,000 people – both employers and employees – who have used the tax-efficient Cycle to Work scheme. A massive 87% of participants said their health had improved as a result of riding to work, and 84% of users rated the scheme as an important and easy way to keep fit. Health benefits noticed included increased fitness, weight loss, and improved mental health, wellbeing and happiness. In other words, the survey confirmed that commuting by bike is good for you. Interestingly, most people who used the scheme had not cycled to work before they signed up, and 70% classed themselves as either novice or occasional cyclists. By taking advantage of the scheme, users had been able to make exercise an everyday activity rather than having to find additional time, incorporating it as part of their daily routine. 8
In terms of reducing pollution, the survey found that current users of the Cycle to Work scheme reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by 133,442 tonnes per year. To put that in perspective, it’s the same as 76 fully-laden Boeing 747s flying around the world – and that’s more than British Airways and Virgin Atlantic combined. Not surprisingly, the financial benefits provided by the Cycle to Work scheme were valued highly, with 73% of respondents saying the savings they were offered through the scheme were the most important factor in their decision to take part. Since its introduction in 1999, over 400,000 people have taken advantage of the Cycle to Work initiative as a tax-exempt benefit, involving 2,250 bike retailers and 15,000 employers. Overall, the scheme got a huge thumbsup from users, with 98% saying they’d encourage their colleagues to take part.
Pedalling facts
If all the commuters in England with a journey of under five miles went by bike rather than car or bus, they would save a collective 44,000 tonnes of CO2 – the equivalent emissions produced by heating nearly 17,000 houses… And that would just be in the first week.