Green Travel: Cycling really is the wheel deal
On Thursday (4 June), Peterborough will come to a standstill as dozens of cyclists go head-to-head on a 1.1km circuit around the city centre. Hannah Gray meets some of our own cycling heroes, and get some tips on how you can get into the saddle.
On Thursday (4 June), Peterborough will come to a standstill as dozens of cyclists go head-to-head on a 1.1km circuit around the city centre. Hannah Gray meets some of our own cycling heroes, and get some tips on how you can get into the saddle.IF you think your daily commute from the outskirts of the city is too long to tackle by bike, spare a thought for Dan Beeden.
The 29-year-old environmental consultant regularly cycles the 15 miles from his home in Oundle to his workplace, in Bretton.
Dan does the journey by bike two or three times a week, and the other days gets a lift or travels by bus.
He has been cycling to work for two years, and says that on a good day, the journey can take about an hour and 10 minutes. On a bad day, however, Dan can be battling the wind for an hour and 45 minutes.
But Dan's commitment to cycling does not just extend to his daily commute – he has not had a car since 2002, and uses his bike for everything from the food shopping to getting away and exploring. The longest he has ever cycled in one day is 80 miles, when he travelled from Ely to Norwich last summer.
Related:
June 2009: Cycling events in Peterborough.
More: Green Festival 09: features and events
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"I enjoy living a car-free lifestyle really," he said. "I use the bike for pretty much everything. If I'm going somewhere a bit further away I put the bike on the train. I don't find it's restricting, in fact I prefer it. I see having a car as a bit of a weight around your neck and it's not something I need. I'm much happier without one.
"I think when you've got a car, you start using it for journeys you otherwise wouldn't use it for.
"I also feel that going places by bike gives you more of an appreciation than if you were to just hop in the car."
Although he is an experienced cyclist, Dan does his best to avoid busy roads.
"I always try to choose the route that has the least traffic contact possible. I would definitely prefer to cycle several miles further than to go the direct route and be surrounded by cars and lorries," he said.
He does, however, have a tip for dealing with other traffic.
"I think you need to ride quite confidently and be aware of things going on around you," he said.
Dan admits to finding it hard work cycling in the freezing temperatures of winter, but remains dedicated to his chosen mode of transport.
"I do genuinely like being out on the bike," he said. "Certainly in summer time it's absolutely magnificent."Confidence is the key to safety on road
HAVING passed my Cycling Proficiency test some years ago, I've always felt I pretty much know what I'm supposed to do when I get in the saddle.
And while I'm still sure I know the rules of the road, after only the briefest of sessions with travel assistant Matt Worthington and cycle trainer Sue Flower, I realised where I'm going wrong is my cycling philosophy.
Probably largely because I'm a car driver and only an occasional cyclist, I tend to be a bit timid when I'm on the bike and avoid inconveniencing anyone who's riding on four wheels.
It's not that I came away thinking that cyclists need to be aggressive, but I learnt I probably am a bit lacking in confidence.
Matt and Sue help run the Travelchoice adult cycle training course, both for beginners and those needing to refresh themselves or work on particular elements of their cycling.
Part of what they do is encourage cyclists to realise their place as part of the traffic.
Matt said: "It's teaching them not just to be a cyclist, but a road user. My slogan for that is 'you're not holding up the traffic, you are the traffic'."
The majority of people going along for the lessons are beginners, but they don't have to be. And although Sue and Matt teach to a national standard syllabus, their lessons are not set in stone, instead they are tailored to people's needs.
"We're really just there to overcome any obstacles to people cycling," Matt said.
"It might be a guy who's a confident cyclist, but at a big roundabout he doesn't know about the lanes or where he should be. We do route planning as well. I had a lady who wasn't sure what the best route for her to go into town to work from home was."
The first cycling lesson is free, and after that they cost 10 per person for a group session, or 15 for an individual lesson. For more information, visit www.travelchoice.org.uk.Hrair is wary of dangers on the road
A GENUINE desire to be green prompted Hrair Ambarchian to boost his pedal power by cycling to work.
Hrair (55) who is a maritime engineer at Royal Haskoning in Bretton, cycles four miles to work every day from his home in Orton Longueville Village, Peterborough.
"I made a conscious decision some 20 years ago to start being environmentally friendly and cut my carbon footprint, although to my knowledge the term 'carbon footprint' wasn't in vogue," he said.
Such is his commitment to cycling to work, that Hrair gets on his bike come rain or shine. His philosophy is to try not to think about the weather, although he did admit it can be "a pain" if it is wet and windy.
Hrair believes that cycling to work brings him a range of benefits, including health and fitness, as well, of course, as boosting his green credentials.
He said: "It is good for the environment, as you do not contribute to the already high level of global warming greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
"And, after the initial investment outlay for the purchase of the bike, there are no costs in running it except for the occasional maintenance.
"Doing the simple sums if I do on average 60 miles a week I probably save about 500 a year."
But despite cycling to work every day, Hrair is not necessarily a dedicated cyclist in his own time.
"I wouldn't call myself a keen cyclist as in the main I don't cycle as a hobby, but use my bike instead of my car," he said. "At weekends if I need to pop into town for something I would use my bike, and it normally only takes about 15 minutes.
"Sometimes, at weekends, if it is good weather or not wet, I will go for a long cycle ride of say 15 to 20 miles," he said.
Hrair is fortunate in that apart from crossing two roads, the rest of his journey to work is on cycle or footpaths.Like many cyclists, he is very conscious of other road users.
"I am always aware of cars and by choice I would not want to cycle on roads," he said.
"I am not in favour of what Peterborough City Council has done along the length of Oundle Road, earmarking a cycle route along the road separating the car traffic from the cyclists by the width of the white line.
"I see school kids in the mornings cycling on this so-called cycle path and they seem so vulnerable, in particular when you see some drivers on their mobile phone paying little or no attention to what else is on the road."
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Friday 19 March 2010
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