CycleWight staged a commuter transport challenge from outside County Hall in Newport to Cowes earlier this week, demonstrating how cycling can be a faster and more sustainable travel option during peak traffic times.
On Tuesday, members of the Isle of Wight cycling advocacy group left County Hall on bicycles, heading towards the Red Jet terminal in Cowes. At the same time, a motorist in a car set off to complete the same journey, following the official diversion route via Forest Road.
As predicted, the cyclists reached their destination in just 24 minutes, while the motorist arrived 10 minutes later after 34 minutes on the road. Heavy traffic queues on Forest Road slowed the car’s progress, while the group of cyclists enjoyed a smooth ride along the cycle path.
Before the challenge began, one cyclist commented:
“The one thing we can guarantee is we know how long it will take us to get there. The car driver does not.”
Tim Thorne of CycleWight has said:
“With the advent of electric bikes and puncture-resistant tyres, riding a bike is even more of a great way to get about. The health and wealth benefits of using a cycle are well documented.”
Participants in the event used a variety of bicycles, including standard commuter bikes, e-bikes, and road bikes. While some riders dressed for the occasion, others wore their usual work clothes, ready to begin their day immediately after the challenge.
Pete Dyer, CycleWight committee member, has said:
“Local and national government must give more emphasis to support Active Travel as it would save the nation billions by people being healthier – physically and mentally. Cycle paths are a lot cheaper to provide and maintain than roads.”
CycleWight also used the event to highlight that many employers offer salary sacrifice schemes to help staff purchase bikes. For around £1,500, people can invest in an electric bike that can provide reliable transport for years.
Am I missing something here? exactly what is this supposed to demontrate? Surely no comparison unless they took the same route or is this just a bit of free publicity for the cycle business????
That’s great if you’re a keen cyclist,but how do you get suitcases to the red-jet on a bike, and if you have to go several times a day, a bike isn’t really the answer. Well done though, Bod
If like most cyclists they cycle side by side
holding each other hands so vehicles cannot
pass, of course they would beat motorists.
So to make it more even tie a concrete block to the bike…..sure it’s fine to say bike but it’s not sustainable is many different ways it’s not even worth giving the credit to the people that did it
It is only newsworthy if it is a scientific experiment, not a PR exercise for bicycles,bicycles cause chaos on the roads, let them pay insurance like every other road user, see how popular they are then.