Experts - eh!

Times Newspaper today

Encouraging more people to cycle to work after the lockdown could
sharply reduce deaths from heart disease and cancer, a study suggests.

Researchers who tracked 300,000 people in England and Wales found that
those who cycled or travelled by train to work had a reduced risk of
early death, compared with those who commuted by car.

Cyclists formed the healthiest cohort. They were 20 per cent less likely
to die early, compared with those who drove, and 24 per cent less likely
to die from cardiovascular disease, which includes heart attacks and
strokes. They also had a 16 per cent reduced rate of death from cancer.

Record numbers of Britons are buying new bikes or dusting down old ones.
Cycle shops say demand is “through the roof� with some reporting
queueing from morning to night as people scramble to avoid public
transport on their return to work.

Richard Patterson from the University of Cambridge, who led the study,
said: “It is a good time for everyone to rethink their transport
choices. With severe and prolonged limits in public transport capacity
likely, switching to private car use would be disastrous for our health
and the environment. Encouraging more people to walk and cycle will help
limit the longer-term consequences of the pandemic.�


The study, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, used census data to
track 300,000 commuters between 1991 and 2016.

Rail travellers had a 10 per cent reduced rate of death during that
period, compared with drivers. They also had a 20 per cent reduced rate
of death from cardiovascular disease and a 12 per cent reduced rate of
cancer diagnosis.

The researchers believe that part of the difference can be explained by
rail commuters walking or cycling to stations. They also tend to be more
affluent, which carries known benefits for health, but the analysis
suggested that the differences could not be explained by socioeconomic
group, age, sex, ethnicity and other factors.

Those who walked to work were 7 per cent less likely to be diagnosed
with cancer than those who drove. There was not strong evidence that
they were less likely to die of cancer or heart disease, however.

The data showed that 66 per cent of people drove to work, 19 per cent
used public transport, 12 per cent walked, and 3 per cent cycled. Men
were more likely than women to drive or cycle to work, but were less
likely to use public transport or walk.

As the UK slowly eases the lockdown, the government is placing more
emphasis on supporting “active and greener� methods of travelling to
reduce pressures on public transport, which is seen as high-risk for
coronavirus transmission. Ministers announced a £250 million “emergency
active travel fund� this month for bike lanes, wider pavements and safer
junctions. It was part of a £5 billion transport package first revealed
in February.

Dr Anthony Laverty, a senior author of the study, said: “It’s great to
see the government is providing additional investment to encourage more
walking and cycling during the post-lockdown period.


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“Whilst not everyone is able to walk or cycle to work, the government
can support people to ensure that beneficial shifts in travel behaviour
are sustained in the longer term.�

Nine out of the cheapest ten men’s and women’s bikes at Halfords are now
sold out or have limited availability. The cheapest bike available on
the Halfords website costs £220, with the next cheapest at £300.

The company said demand from women was particularly strong and that it
was experiencing “significant growth� within its cycle-to-work scheme as
people seek “alternatives to public transport�. The scheme allows
employees to buy bikes out of their pre-tax earnings, meaning they can
save over 40 per cent on the normal cost.

Growing numbers of workers are also turning to electronic bikes because
they make commuting easier. Most have a range of about 40 to 50 miles.

Mike Mooney, the owner of Hub Velo, a cycling shop in east London, said
customers have been queueing outside his store from the moment it opens
at 8am until when it shuts at 7pm. “Hybrid bikes are the most popular
and we can’t get enough of them to sell,� he said. “We are not getting
another delivery of our bestselling model until August or September now.
The factory in Wisconsin just can’t make them quick enough.� It is not
just sales that are booming: repairs are also up, with Hub Velo alone
now repairing 25 punctures a day.

Mr Mooney said: “People who have had bikes in their sheds for years now
want us to get them working. We are seeing bikes coming in with spiders
on them and Virginia creepers.�

Before the lockdown 2 per cent of commuter journeys in the UK were
completed by bike while cycling accounted for 2 per cent of journeys.