With spring knocking at your door, you start fantasising about the whole new world of opportunities that opens up: your spare time activities will, from now on, involve much more sun and fresh air. But why limit it to spare time? Get the most out of the warm season and consider riding your bike to work.
In Doubt?
It’s easy to come up with excuses: the office is too far, it is a dangerous ride, there’s no secure place to park it and so on. Agreed, infrastructure is vital and it only takes looking at countries such as The Netherlands or Denmark to get an idea of how bicycles are smoothly integrated in the scenery. But UK has potential too. Or, in any case, it has good intentions. The Cycle to Work Scheme is supported by the Finance Act, which was introduced in 1999 to allow employers to loan cycles and cyclists’ safety equipment to employees as a tax-free benefit. So you even have a legal basis to cycle to work. It’s only up to you to make it happen.
Ready, Set, Ride!
Wondering about the benefits of the whole ‘ride your bike to work’ experience? Here are a few hints:
- Traffic can be a pain in many cities; equipped with a bike may work wonders in terms of saving time and nerves
- Consuming your own energy instead of gas for your car can only mean one thing for your bank account: fewer expenses
- Leaving your car at home and grabbing the handlebars of the bicycle tells a lot about your care for the environment
- In case you are out of shape, cycling will help you tone your muscles; if they are already fit, there’s no better way to maintain it
If that doesn’t convince you, then maybe you should know that, as an executive on the bicycle, you have a major advantage: your business attire commands more respect from drivers. So don’t put your suit in the bag – wear it! You can always learn from dressed up bicycle commuters in Amsterdam about how to ride with style. And yes, you guessed right: Amsterdam is listed as the No. 1 city in Europe in terms of bike friendliness, and it is closely followed by Barcelona, Berlin and Copenhagen.
Will you help push your city up that list?
