the low down

Cycling Makes A Positive Difference To Mental Well Being

Everyone knows that cycling is good for your physical health. It’s obvious really! People who exercise regularly are fitter, healthier and have greatly reduced risks of a number of major diseases including coronary heart disease and other serious health conditions.

A New Cycling Strategy for Bristol

July saw the launch of Bristol City Council’s much awaited Cycling Strategy, which outlines how far cycling in the city has come in the past few years, as well as setting out the Council’s vision for cycling in in the future.

Mass Cycling for the next Generation

Cycling is on the increase in Bristol, and based on the age range of people who have cycle training, I’d hazard a guess that growth is greatest amongst 30 - 40 year olds. This is of course fantastic, but if we’re really going to transition towards Dutch levels of mass cycling, it’s the next generation that needs the greatest boost. Whilst around 2,000 children aged 10 – 11 receive cycle training in Bristol each year, the numbers who actually go on to cycle regularly are much lower.

Getting Lorry drivers out on their bikes

Fear of traffic is one of the main reasons people tell us they don’t cycle; and particularly fear of larger vehicles such as buses, vans and lorries.

Does having a bike really help get someone back into employment?

Being a keen advocate of cycling, as you might imagine, I am always surprised to hear that other people aren’t quite so convinced about the benefits of bike ownership and use. Life Cycle is working closely with Derby City Council on their Connected programme, which aims to promote sustainable transport and economic development; one of the ways it is doing this is to offer suitable job-seekers a refurbished bike to help them access jobs, training and interviews.

Taking a Stand on Cycle Parking

When I first moved to Bristol in the mid-90’s there was nowhere to lock your bike. Railings, lamp posts or gates seemed all that was available to the cyclist. I am sure many of you reading this remember the frustrating search for somewhere secure to lock a bike - which could often be quite a distance from the desired destination.

Promoting cycling in a changing climate

I remember years ago when I first started working for Life Cycle, some clever person worked out that if you commuted to work 5 days a week throughout the year, statistically you would only get wet 8 times. Well this year, that statistic is clearly not going to be true...

Retrofitting for a Sustainable Future

It may be stating the obvious, but an easily overlooked reason why many people don’t cycle, is that they have nowhere to lock their bike at home. Most of Bristol’s housing stock was not designed with cycle parking in mind, and even new builds which are supposed to cater for cyclists, often do so in a limited way.

Pratical support makes a difference

Last year was a really positive year for cycling with more and more people taking to the road by bike. But sadly it ended with a series of terrible accidents, mainly in London, but a couple in Bristol that resulted in the tragic death of cyclists. Inevitably, these incidents lead to questions being raised about the safety of all cyclists; and the challenge for Life Cycle and everyone who is passionate about cycle promotion, is how to persuade the public that cycling isn’t dangerous?