Britain’s Burgeoning Bicycling Boom
by Warren McLaren, Sydney 
on 03.14.08
As Lloyd pointed out, it’s Pi Day (at least in those countries that record the month before the day). So to enter the spirit of the occasion I tender this post on one our favourite things that Go Round: bicycles. According to Bike Europe they are spinning furiously, especially in the United Kingdom.
Apparently since 2001 there’s been a 40% increase in Brits who regularly cycle. “Today, 3.2 million British adults cycle regularly compared to 2001 when the figure was 2.3 million. In fact, more people are now cycling regularly than participating regularly in football, golf, jogging or athletics. For 1.2 million people cycling represents their only sporting activity, 30% more than in 2001.” The report goes on to say “Of the 3.2 million regular cyclists, 1.5 million also use their bicycles as a method of transport, almost 20% more than in 2001.”
The pic shows British soap actress Gemma Atkinson, whom together with Olympic cycling gold medallists Chris Hoy and Jason Queally, gave Londoners 500 free mountain bikes and helmets for Tour de France sponsor Orange, when the tour cruised through London last year. According to Transport for London, the Tour de France's legacy to London was a 10.5% per cent increase in the number of people cycling on the UK capital's major roads in the six months April-September 2007, compared to the same period for 2006. That created an estimated 48,000 more cycle journeys everyday.
James Smythe, head of BMRB Sport, said: "It seems adults are getting the message about cycling's health and transport benefits outweighing the risks."
“Cycle use rose throughout 2007 but not because of any shiny new infrastructure, not because of any huge financial commitment from central Government and not because of any sudden advertising campaign telling people to get on their bikes, and most definitely not because of fair weather, usually said to be the key factor for cycle use in the UK. Cycle use is up because the time is right.”
Amen to that.
Via ::Bike Europe, via a web search.
see also one or two other posts on bike growth.
And how could we forget this one: No Bicycles left in London.
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Can anyone recommend a good place to get a bike (second hand) in London?
For comparison with the previous article ("Dude, Get a Bike!"), a litre of petrol is averaging £1.06 in the UK. That's $8.23 a gallon! I don't mind, I don't have a car.
I suspect it would be even more advanced if the government didn't charge 14% import duty on bikes, followed by 17.5% VAT.
Get your used bikes at decent smaller bike-shops in your area. If you have an idea what a good bike looks like, check gumtree.com for second hand offers.
And get yourself a nice mask with it - because that's the major problem: pollution
Remember to hold your breath at every taxi, bus and especially delivery/handyman trucks! If you want to do something to promote cycling, enforce a hardcore version of the Low Emission Zone - at least for the congestion charge area. No more old diesel, please...