Should I Swap My Car For a Bicycle?

Resources
Blog
Should I Swap My Car For a Bicycle?

On my way to work this morning (whilst concentrating of course) I was thinking about what form of travel is faster in certain circumstances. For instance if you live say a 15 minute drive from your destination and you leave during rush hour, it could take you nearly half an hour due to traffic, it may well be quicker to cycle to work as there are short cuts you can take such as alley ways and cycling routes and of course you will avoid the congestion on the roads.

So this got me thinking… in very busy cities such as London and Cambridge it must be almost a 100% certainty that if you live up to say a half hour drive from work or school this would easily be a 10 minute cycle ride. Not only does this enable you to get to your destination quicker, you will be saving money on petrol and possibly tax and insurance if you decide to give your car a break completely. You will also help the environment by reducing CO2 emissions and of course your health and fitness will benefit too.

I think this causes me to ask you the important question for this blog post – What would you prefer? Driving to work and being constantly frustrated by sitting in traffic, or simply cycling to work and breezing through the traffic whilst taking your time and enjoying the fresh air? Please leave your answers below and why not describe how you travel on a daily basis and let us know if you would prefer to change your daily travel routine and why? I’d love to hear your opinions.

The statistics!
I felt a little research was needed in order to back up my estimates so here it is – the car manufacturer Citroen conducted a study in 2006 and found that the average speed of a car in London is 7mph, yet the average cyclist can travel at 12-15 mph! That’s around double the speed of a car! Just think that was 6 years ago! Within those 6 years, there would have been more cars on the road and therefore the average speed may well have dipped slightly making cycling even more efficient today.

Here are some more facts about cycling to get you thinking:

On a bicycle you can travel up to 648miles on the energy equivalent to a single litre of petrol
Twenty bicycles can be parked in a space that would usually park just one car

Click here for more cycling facts and a link that will help you to work out how much you could save by trading your car in for a bike today!

After this research and a little consideration I think it’s definitely time to get back on our bicycles like the good old days – save ourselves some money – help save the environment – get to places quicker and give our health and fitness a boost! What do you think? Leave your comments below.

These Double Sided Witton Cycle Shelters were designed and manufactured by Able Canopies Ltd and installed at Thames Valley, Harrods in Berkshire. They can hold up to 20 bicycles each.

Click here to view our Cycle Shelters and Compounds and discover how a cycle shelter can improve your school or workplace just like at Nottingham Trent University in Nottinghamshire.

Able Canopies Ltd. design, manufacture and install commercial grade canopies, shade sails,
awnings and shelters across the UK. We specialise in servicing the education, leisure,
healthcare and retail sectors and have extensive experience working with
schools, councils, architects and contracting firms.
For more information on our products and services please contact us

Follow us on our social media accounts for the latest funding advice, new products & latest news:
Twitter | Facebook | Google + | Linked In

Back to Blog

Should I Swap My Car For a Bicycle?

See also