Earlier this year Ryedale District Council invited Keith Gilks, a freelance cycling journalist to visit the area and explore the offer for road cycling and mountain biking. The article has been published on Cadence, a popular national cycling magazine.
ryedale
European Cycling Federation : Useful Statistics
Some recent stats from the European Cyclists Federation website.
Economy & Job Creation.
Cycling is good for the rural economy. A visiting cyclist spends an average of £25/day on locally provided food and services, compared to car-borne visitor’s £7.30. Car users bring what they’ll need with them, whereas cyclists can’t. Because of the exercise: cyclists feel hungrier when they stop and that they’ve earned the right to pamper themselves.
According to a 2014 European Cycling Federation Report, Europe’s cycling industry now employs some 655,000 people – more than mining and quarrying and almost twice as many as the steel industry. This includes bicycle manufacture , tourism, retail, infrastructure and services
In Scotland, cycle tourism generates over £200m pa – more than the Whisky industry
Health.
The health benefits of cycling outweigh the safety risks by a factor of 20 to one.
Cyclists on average live two years longer than non-cyclists and take 15% fewer days off work through illness
An adult who cycles regularly will typically have a level of fitness equivalent to being 10 years younger.
Countries with the highest levels of cycling and walking generally have the lowest obesity rates.
Cycling has a positive effect on emotional health – improving levels of well-being, self-confidence and tolerance to stress while reducing tiredness, difficulties with sleep and a range of medical symptoms.
People cycling to work ‘mortality rate is 28% below the average population.
Walking and cycling have benefits at the population level. As has been the case for decades, the biggest impact at the public health level would come from increasing the levels of walking and cycling by those population groups who do the least walking and cycling.
Carbon Emissions.
When the complete life cycle of the following modes are taken into account, the carbon emissions are approximately:
- Bicycle: 21 g CO2/passenger/km travelled
- Electric-assist bicycle: 22 g CO2/passenger/km travelled
- Passenger car: 271 g CO2/passenger/km travelled
- Bus: 101 CO2/passenger/km travelled
A bicycle commuter who rides 8 Km to work, four days a week, avoids 3220 Km of driving a year, the equivalent of 380 L of fuel saved and 750Kg of CO2 emissions avoided.
Kirkbymoorside Environment Group working with Ryedale Cycle Forum
The Tour de Yorkshire 2016 passes through Kirkbymoorside on Sunday. Pictured are Eden Blyth, Helen Gundry and Nelly Trevelyan with the cycle giant from Ryedale Cycle Forum working with Kirkbymoorside Environmental Group. Picture David Harrison – Gazette and Herald
Helen Gundry from Kirkbymoorside Environment Group updates us on the town cycle project.
Our first cycle track project is to widen the footpaths alongside the A170 West and East of the town so they can become cycle-footpaths. They will also be signed “Cyclists give way to pedestrians”. These paths will encourage junior and nervous cyclists to get out of town onto the quiet lanes of Ryedale.
NYCC Highways cannot fund these projects because spending cuts mean road repairs must come first. However our fundraising is making good progress, and every donation helps.You can donate today by bank transfer to the Kirkbymoorside Environment Group account:- 60 16 30 81074077 , using ref “Cycle tracks”. Or via Paypal account Ryedaletownandcountrytrails@outlook.com.
Cycling (and mountain biking) is fun, healthy and a low cost, environmentally friendly means of transport. It’s becoming an increasingly popular activity, and Ryedale has the potential to see more of it.
Kirkbymoorside Environment Group are working with others from Ryedale Cycle Forum to develop a network of safe and attractive cycle routes (both on and off-road), which links communities with local facilities and services, outdoor places and places of interest. We want to encourage more businesses to be welcoming to cyclists, and to provide and promote cycle rides, events and activities that will attract both local residents and new visitors to Ryedale.
The Environment Group helped to install the cycle stands in our town centre, and also helped to pay for the cycle shelter at Kirkbymoorside Primary School.
By developing and promoting cycling we believe that people’s physical and mental health will be improved, the local and visitor economies will be boosted, and Ryedale will become a ‘greener’ place to live, work and visit.
If you are a cyclist, have some local cycling knowledge, some ideas about how to get more people cycling more often, would like to volunteer to help look after a local section of cycle route, and / or are a business, service provider or local group that would like to be involved, Ryedale Cycle Forum and Kirkbymoorside Environment Group would be pleased to hear from you.
For more information please phone Helen Gundry on 01751 432447 or email her at helenspost@msn.com
