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Cycling perspectives ( 6 of 9) an employer or business
Kaya Burgess wrote in May 2013
If you are not a regular cyclist, you may ask why you should support proposals to boost investment in safe cycle routes. More than three quarters of a million people commute to work by bicycle in Britain every day, but you may not be one of them. So why should you care? Building safer cycle routes would not only benefit those who cycle. It would also encourage hundreds of thousands more people to use their bikes to make short journeys instead of going by car or by train or bus. This would have benefits for motorists, pedestrians, parents, businesses and taxpayers. It would lead to less congested streets, less overcrowding on public transport, fewer deaths on the road, less NHS money wasted on obesity, a boost for the high street, less pollution, and a more affordable form of transport for those priced out by rising petrol prices and rail fares. This will only happen if a greater proportion of the existing transport budget is spent on cycling, however. Around 2 per cent of journeys in Britain are currently made by bike, leaping to more than 50 per cent in parts of Central London at rush hour and more than 10 per cent in towns like Bristol, York, Oxford and Cambridge. Yet less than 1 per cent of the transport budget is spent on cycle provision. A recent pledge from David Cameron to spend £94 million on cycling over the next three years amounts to just 0.2 per cent of the Department for Transport’s budget over the same period. The 18 recommendations made in the Get Britain Cycling report - outlined here - can transform Britain’s streets and towns for everyone, regardless of whether or not they ride a bike. Here are some arguments for why non-cyclists would benefit from these recommendations: 6.) An Employer or business Sir Richard Branson, Lord Sugar, Barclays Bank, Sainsbury’s, Dragon’s Den dragon Piers Linney, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Business Secretary Vince Cable, and the Confederation of British Industry are all backing the Get Britain Cycling report. As Edmund King, president of the AA, said: “Implementation of the Get Britain Cycling recommendations would bring tangible business and economic benefits by reducing congestion, absenteeism, NHS costs and by producing a more creative and active workforce.” Providing cycle racks, lockers and showers for employees encourages physical activity and can lead to a fitter and more alert workforce. Sponsoring local cycle schemes - in the same way that Barclays have sponsored hire bikes in London and Citigroup is doing the same in New York City – gives large companies a stake in the infrastructure that keeps a town moving and keeps its citizens healthy. Signing up to tax-break cycle-to-work schemes will allow employees to buy bicycles and reap the benefits of cycling as a healthy way to travel. But the recommendations in the Get Britain Cycling report need to be implemented in order to make the roads safe and inviting enough for your employees to be happy to cycle to work. Research in New York showed that cycle lanes in Manhattan led to a 35 per cent decrease in injuries on 8th Avenue, a 58 per cent decrease in injuries on 9th Avenue and a 49 per cent increase in retail sales on 9th Avenue. tomorrow 7.) A pedestrian |
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