Is it quickerbybike?

Can you be persuaded that riding is a good idea?

Is it quickerbybike? With quick meaning clever, as well as fast.

Is it fasterbybike?

Typical journey times for 4 miles in central London look like this: bike 22 minutes, tube 30 minutes, car 40 minutes, bus 62 minutes, foot 90 minutes.

If you drive to work in central London, you'll spend neary half your journey at a standstill and you'll average about 7mph. Tedious.

The average cycle commuter does 12-15mph. Pretty much anyone can cycle at 10 miles an hour without breaking sweat. Fast enough to make other transport look a bit silly.

Quickness is worth having because it makes good use of precious time. Life is short, after all.

For a cyclist in the uk, that short life will be typically two years longer than that of a non-cyclist. How else can you make that kind of time during your journey to work?

Riding uses precious time well by using it a few ways. Commute time becomes alive time, rather than the dead time that other modes tend to be. It's a bit of life in itself, rather than a waiting room between two other bits of life. Commuting by bike is exercise time; proper, regular, interesting exercise that will actually work.

Is it greenerbybike?

The bicycle is the best we've ever done, as a species, for efficient transport.

Because making a bike needs a tiny fraction of the materials and energy needed to make a car and because bikes don’t need fuel, 2kg of carbon are saved for every short journey made by bike instead of by car. Two kilograms, twice a day.

Riding a bike is quiet and cool. Picture a city artery during rush hour. Now picture the same with everybody on a bike; all you'd hear would be chatter.

I’ve never squashed a fox, badger, squirrel, rabbit, hedgehog or bird while riding my bike.


Is it betterbybike?

When I pass other cyclists, I smile and wave. I’m friends with the regulars commuting the other way. I don't talk to them but we always wave or shout or point to our new bike or gesticulate at the headwind / tailwind / sun / rain.

Cycling makes you fit (did you spot that? you don't have to start fit, cycling will do it for you). Regular cyclists tend to have a the fitness of a non-rider ten years younger.

It’s cheap as chips to cycle. I run my bike for about £100 a year. I pay no fares, no road tax, no MOT, no insurance, no breakdown recovery, and I do not buy fuel.

How many hours do you work to pay for your means of travel to and from work? Is it possible that you could cycle and simply not work those hours?

Within reason, I park my bike where I like.

Is it cool?

Clever is always cool. Quick is cool. If you're not convinced you can be cool on a bike (although you surely are, no matter what you look like) have a look at the bike chic links over on the right.