The NHS would save £250m a year if one in 10 journeys were made by bicycle, according to a study commissioned for a campaign for government to treat cycling more seriously.
Cambridge University researchers concluded that if cycling made up 10% of all trips, as against the current figure of about 2%, the nation would also gain the combined equivalent of more than 1m years of healthy living over a decade due to lower rates of inactivity-related illnesses.
The study, by the university’s centre for diet and activity research, was undertaken for British Cycling, launching a 10-point manifesto to boost cycling levels.
British Cycling is primarily the governing body for cycling sport in the UK, and has delivered the nation many dozens of Olympic and world titles over the past decade or so. However, it has recently begun to campaign on everyday cycling, a move led by its policy adviser, former Olympic champion Chris Boardman.
Boardman, who will give evidence to the Commons transport select committee today, said Britain had a distinct choice over what path it took in terms of transport options and the result on the nation’s health.
He said: “Britain is now one of the most successful cycling nations in the world. How can we be getting it so right in terms of elite success but still be failing to truly embed cycling as an everyday part of British culture? This research demonstrates that the impact of more cycling would have positive effects for everyone.
“In the 1970s, the Netherlands made a conscious choice to put people first and make cycling and walking their preferred means of transport. It is no coincidence that they are also one of the healthiest and happiest nations in the world. Local and national government needs to wake up and realise that cycling is the solution to so many of the major problems Britain is now facing.”
The Cambridge research indicates even relatively minor behaviour changes would bring enormous health dividends. It concluded that if just five minutes of the average 36 minutes a day people spend in cars was used for cycling the NHS would see a 5% fall in inactivity-related illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and strokes.
The manifesto, Time to Choose Cycling, notes that while cycling remains objectively extremely safe many Britons are put off by poor cycle infrastructure and having to share the road with fast-moving traffic, especially lorries.
Chief among the 10 recommendations is that cycle safety is designed into all roads and junctions, paid for by guaranteed long-term spending of at least £10 per person per year. This is much higher than the current figure of £2, the report notes, but still nothing like the £75 committed to roads. Other recommendations include consistent political leadership and a string of measures to improve safety, such as improvements to lorries, which are involved in a disproportionate number of cyclist deaths, and a sizeable element of cyclist safety in the driving test.
British Cycling are also calling for the Highway Code to be revised to remove recommendations that riders always wear helmet and high visibility clothing, arguing that this is “unhelpful because it is detrimental to our aims to normalise cycling in everyday culture”.
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