Cycling moving up the national agenda

Posted By: Wera Hobhouse
Date Posted: 15/02/2009

I went to the opening of the new CTC cycling centre in Holingworth Lake activity centre yesterday. It was a great day with many people coming to the event all through the day although the weather wasn't perfect. Many different cycling organisations showed up from local clubs like the Rochdale Cycling Club to national organisations like Sustrans and representatives from the CTC The National Cycling Organisation.

While Sustrans is more about the physical delivery of routes, CTC engages with the people to get them cycling again and remove barriers like safety concerns and perceptions as well as the simple fact that we have fallen out of the habit. 

There is apparently a 'lost generation' of cyclists in this country. While some thirty years ago cycling was a regular activity practiced by many people of all ages very few people now consider jumping on their bikes to get from A to B or taking a leisurely stroll around the park or looking at it as a serious sport.

But the tide may be about to turn. Following the recent Olympic successes Cycling is now supported by Sport England as one of the major national sports along with Football, Cricket and Rugby.

Cycling is also recognised as one of the real alternatives to car use and more and more effort and resources are being put towards creating proper cycling networks and routes to schools that will enable kids to be independent from the daily school run in their parents cars. 

Cycling is also one of the easiest and cheapest forms of becoming more active and fight the flab. As we are looking to close the huge health inequalities in our area, that makes people live on average 10 years less long than in other parts of the country, getting people on their bikes is one great opportunity.

As someone who loves cycling but has 'fallen out of the habit' along with everybody else I hugely welcome this shift to cycling and I am committed to encourage cycling at every level either as a serious sport, or as an enjoyable form of leisure or as a form of transport.