Two Wheels Are Better Than None

When they first appeared I wasn’t keen. The bright blue insignia clashed with the traditional red of the London buses and even worse they seemed downright dangerous — the tourists riding them seemed to have little road sense and even less spatial awareness, weaving in and out of the traffic like drunken sailors on shore leave.

Launched in July 2010, the Barclays cycle hire scheme (or ‘Boris bikes’ as they have become known) made a slow start. However, although it was initially dogged by accusations of green cronyism and concerns over the danger of letting tourists loose on the busy London streets, the scheme seems to have stabilised and despite my initial skepticism, it has grown on me to the extent that I have actually signed up.

First of all there is the exercise. I’ve lived in London for years and compared to other smaller cities and towns, the opportunities to combine the daily commute with some cardio is limited. I used to spend the best part of an hour stuck inside a bus or tube with no guarantee of getting anywhere on time and only the sound of my neighbour’s iPod for company. Compare that with the eight miles of heart-pumping, muscle-straining exercise I can get by cycling to my office in central London from the outskirts of Bethnal Green each day.

Then there is the idea of taking control of your life. It is a proven scientific fact that stress is caused by a lack of control over your immediate circumstances. Cycling to work removes me from the aggravations of public transport while catering for all of my exercise needs in one hit (two if you count the journey home). In exercise terms, cycling to work is a double whammy – making fitness part of my daily routine and releasing a rush of stress-busting endorphins.

Yes, there are downsides. In the winter it is freezing and I have to wear a pair of tights. And, on a more serious note, there is the pollution and the risk of accidents (a total of ten cyclists were killed on the streets of London in 2010). However, as Boris rightly points out, many of the dangers can be avoided by good road sense and safety measures such as high visibility clothing and lights.

On balance, I would urge you to forget the fact that the whole scheme is the brainchild of a very posh man with a bad haircut. Cycling is not only one of the best forms of cardiovascular exercise out there, it is also carbon neutral and, best of all, free. And, you never know, that awful Day-Glo blue might even grow on you.