Tiffany and Dawn work as dinner ladies at a central Oxford primary school. Until this term, they shared a car to travel to work, along with another friend, commuting in to the city from Blackbird Leys. But what they really wanted was to try cycling. Wheels for All<\/a>, the inclusive cycling charity, loaned them e-bikes for a few weeks to see if it would work for them. And so far things are going well for all three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘It\u2019s quicker by e-bike than it was to take the car, and it\u2019s more fun. I can be tired when I get to work, but I try to turn the bike down to eco mode when I go up the hill so I can feel the burn in my legs, and I do feel fitter because of all the cycling I\u2019m doing.\u2019<\/p>Tiffany<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \u2018We have a laugh cycling together \u2013 and we\u2019re becoming known on our route because we often have a bit of a sing. We don\u2019t cycle every day, if we need to bring anything heavy or if it\u2019s really raining we just take the car. I\u2019m thinking of getting an e-bike of my own, but what we really need is for them to be made more affordable.\u2019<\/p>Dawn<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Cycling to work can be good news for your health. The NHS recommends 20\u201330 minutes of moderate activity<\/a> a day. E-bikes are a real game-changer, allowing the dinner ladies to commute a 6-mile round-trip in a way that integrates exercise into their daily lives. And it\u2019s a lot cheaper to run an e-bike than drive a car, which is especially important at the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, there are still barriers to cycling in Oxford, and we need to make it easier.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n As Dawn says, we need to make cycling more affordable. You can buy a second-hand bike for \u00a350, but if your commute involves hills, you may need an e-bike to make it feasible. E-bikes are coming down in price and the \u2018cycle to work\u2019 scheme <\/a>allows you to pay for a bike at, say, \u00a320 per week. However, some people \u2013 such as the dinner ladies \u2013 are excluded from the scheme because they work in low-wage sectors. This is unfair, and it needs fixing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We need a cycling infrastructure in which people on bikes feel safe from cars, buses and lorries. The dinner ladies are lucky, because they can cycle all the way on low- or no-car routes, but not everyone can \u2013 we need more routes which join up with where people live. Most new housing being built in Oxford does not have good enough cycling connectivity, and this also needs to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some people haven\u2019t cycled since they were children, and some never learned. Increasing confidence in cycling is vital for people to be able to get places by bike. Wheels For All<\/a> runs a session at Horspath Athletics Track on a Friday morning where you can go and try out all types of bike, e-bike and trike, on a safe, soft surface. It\u2019s fun for both beginners and more experienced riders.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMake it affordable and safe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Give it a try<\/h2>\n\n\n
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