To celebrate National Cycle to Work Day (August 5th), housebuilder Barratt Homes has teamed up with the Cambridge Cycling Club to provide residents at its Trumpington Meadows development with some top tips on how they can commute by bicycle.
The development is less than four miles from the centre of Cambridge and lies on the edge of the 148-acre Trumpington Meadow Country Park. Therefore, residents in the community have an excellent opportunity to travel to work in a sustainable and enjoyable manner with fantastic surroundings to take in along the way.
Research from Cycle Republic found that Cambridge is the only city in the UK where the proportion of people regularly cycling outweighs those who don’t – 54% versus 46%.
To encourage residents to commute on two wheels instead of four, the Cambridge Cycling Club have put together some top tips to help residents travel by bike.
The club’s top tips are:
Start with the basics
If you have a bike already, make sure it’s roadworthy. A local bike shop can do that for you if you’re not confident doing it yourself.
For commuting purposes, mudguards and a front mudflap are essential. On a bike, just as much rain travels upwards as it does downwards due to the speed of the wheels. Even if you have showers and changing facilities at work, you don’t really want to be putting soggy kit on to ride home.
Get a decent helmet – ideally one equipped with the latest MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection System) which is designed to significantly reduce the likelihood of concussion should the worst-case scenario occur. It’s much better to be prepared for all possibilities and have the safety measures in place as a precaution.
Dress for the part
It’s worth investing in some cycling-specific technical clothing. Cyclists wear lycra for good reason – it’s comfortable, breathable, efficient, and it will save you wearing friction holes in your business trousers.
Most dedicated kit also has reflective detailing and you might be astonished how effective
this can be. In winter, the more visible to motorists you are, the better.
Be aware of your surroundings
You’ll find that other road users in Cambridge are pretty cycle-aware as they’re outnumbered by cyclists. Nevertheless, you can help yourself on those parts of your journey when you have to share the carriageway with motorised traffic by not grovelling along in the gutter where you have nowhere to go but into the kerb.
Take possession of the lane you’re in where you’re visible and where you have every right to be so drivers have to make a deliberate manoeuvre to overtake you, rather than assuming they can squeeze past without deviating from their line. Look over your shoulder before moving off your own line and give hand signals assertively, rather than apologetically, but don’t jump lights.
Your new-found travel method for your commute to work will make you fitter, improve your mood and sleep pattern – not to mention you’ll be saving money and the planet.
Annette Hurst, Sales Director at Barratt Homes Eastern Counties, said: “These tips from the Cambridge Cycling Club are a great way for our residents to get pedalling on National Cycle to Work Day and beyond.
“Trumpington is a fantastic place to cycle due to the rural surroundings and Cambridge located nearby. Our Trumpington Meadows development is ideally positioned to make the most of the road links and cycle paths nearby for a smooth ride.”
