There and Bike Again – Why more Scots should cycle to work.

As prices soar across the land, and people begin to wince at petrol prices and wrap up warm instead of putting the heating on, it really is no surprise that cycling has become a more and more popular form of transport.

If you’re cycling instead of driving frequently then you could save around £60 a week on fuel, which is especially nice considering the average Scot spends £57.60 on groceries.

 A bike could be a great investment, worth the £100 – £200 it would cost. If you’re willing to search a little more you can easily find a second hand bike for around £85 and save even more.

For those people that don’t cycle very often, but still need the ease and fresh air that cycling brings, it may be easier to pay for a cycling rental service such as Next Bike, which allows you to rent a bike for the day for £5. These services are available in many of Scotland’s cities.

If cycling is something that you’re looking to integrate into your everyday life however, this may not be the most cost effective as it would cost you almost the same amount as running a car in the long run.

An Edinburgh University Student studying medicine cycles to his work placement. “I cycle to commute as it’s the most economical and quickest way to get to my placement. Due to the location there is no direct bus so it would take me well over an hour on public transport. It takes a third of that to cycle. It also helps keep me active when I don’t have time to go to the gym.”

There are many benefits to cycling other than the monetary cost. Cycling to work has been shown to increase productivity, help against creative blocks and generally raise spirits!

There are also many health benefits to getting a short cycle in every day, using time that would have been spent sitting in a car, train, or bus for exercise.

Taking a bike to work or class can also help ease the environmental strain of car emissions, as well as reducing traffic and road works due to fewer cars on the roads.

Other environmentally friendly options include buses and trains. These aren’t the most cost-efficient modes of transport with prices ranging from 7p to £5 per mile on bus services across Scotland.

This all comes together to show how much of a difference that cycling to work, to the shops and to class can make.

These other options aren’t always the most realistic though.

Some people can’t afford to spend a large amount on a bike all at once and, comparatively, buses are much more accessible. There’s also the issue of those people who happen to live at the bottom of a hill. Arriving at the office drenched in sweat isn’t how most people want their mornings to start.

 As more and more people decide to move towards cycling as a form of transport, it is important that the government take action to make it safer for cyclists on the roads.

In 2019 only a third of Scots owned bikes, but this number grew to 45% in 2020, showing the growing interest that people have for cycling.