As a keen and accomplished age-group triathlete, our managing director and founder – Mark Jones – is very keen on cycling. So, you can imagine his pride when our compliance manager, Shannan Pool-Gorman, announced she’d bought a very stylish new bike (complete with a basket!) and would be commuting to work on two wheels in a bid to do her bit for the environment.
As she gets to grips with her new steed, we thought we’d take a look at a few reasons why we should all consider following Shannan’s lead:
- If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, cycling is the perfect way to do it. when When you take into account manufacture, maintenance and fuel, cycling is the most eco-friendly mode of transport available to us.
- It’s cheap! Once you’ve invested in a bike – and you don’t have to spend hundreds fo pounds – you’re set up for several years. According the Cycle Scheme the cost of cycling to work is £396 per year compared to £3727 with a private car. And just think what you could do with that money you’re saving – for example, you could invest it in your portfolio!
- It’s estimated that every hour you spend cycling can add an hour to your life; so says David Spiegelhalter, the Winton Professor of Risk at Cambridge University https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/recreational-cycling/10740306/Why-cycling-to-work-saves-lives.html That’s more time to go cycling!
- Cyclists, on average, take fewer days off sick than people who don’t cycle. Great news for employers and employees alike since none of us likes being ill right?
- And, finally, you’ll help the NHS save billions of pounds every year. If each of us cycled (or walked) just 30 minutes a day we’d all be fitter and healthier and therefore ease the burden on hospitals and A&E departments across the UK significantly.