How can we convince the uncommitted?  

(from Newsletter no. 37, June 2000)

So what is it about cycling that I find so compulsive?  Looking back,
although I have been a regular cyclist since the age of 8, I realise it is
only since moving to Norfolk 25 years ago that I have become addicted.
Before that I was a mere utility cyclist, living and working in the London
area.  Maybe that explains it - Norfolk is just made for cycling!

I did learn to drive, 20 years ago.  I even passed my driving test at the
first attempt - it's a known fact that cyclists make the best drivers, one
reason why all aspiring drivers should learn to use the roads as cyclists
first.  But, for me, driving did not really appeal.  Being enclosed in a
metal and glass box I found claustropobic.  I felt cut off from the world
around me, could not see sufficiently well to be part of it.  With time I
would probably have adapted but I felt far more in control on my bike.

Why do I find cycling so enjoyable?  I have always loved the countryside and
loved travelling about it in and to me cycling is the perfect means of doing
so.  Walking is good too, especially in areas where there are plenty of
footpaths.  Some, like the Lakes, Peaks and Dales, are better for walking
than cycling for this reason.  But for travelling any distance, and for
carrying baggage without injuring one's back, cycling is far more
comfortable and convenient.  It is the means I've used for many wonderful
touring holidays, in this country and abroad.

Some people have charged me with being anti-car.  No, I think
anti-inappropriate use of the car would be a better description.  In fact, I
can't help pitying people who've never tried to find out how enjoyable
cycling really is.  They think of cycling as being hard work, because
they've only used cheap old clapped-out machines that even the fittest
cyclists would find difficult to get on with.  They consider cycling to be
an inferior form of transport, not worth spending any money on, so they
never experience the joy and pleasure that a good but expensive bike can
offer.

Research has shown that, although people won't admit it - making all sorts
of excuses for not cycling, like the weather or amount of traffic - there is
still a strong attitude problem.  Ownership of a car apparently confers
status and the more expensive the car the higher the self-esteem (and
perceived male sexual prowess) of the driver.  Cyclists are considered poor
down and outs, unable to afford anything better, one reason why third world
peoples are so keen to become car owners.  The constant media attention to
the wonders of the car does nothing to alter this perception.

How can we attempt to change this state of affairs?  Surprisingly, there are
people out there who would like to cycle but just don't know how to go about
getting started.  The continued growth of the National Cycle Network will
hopefully act as encouragement to 'come and try it'.  Several places have
started up adult cycle training courses.  Those run by Kingston-on-Thames
Borough Council and St Albans Town Council have been going several years and
been most successful.  Some cycling campaign groups have 'bike buddy'
schemes in which an experienced cyclist accompanies a novice until they feel
confident in cycling alone.  As a 14-year-old respondent to my 'Women and
Cycling' questionnaire replied to the question 'What would encourage you to
cycle?' , 'Seeing more people doing it'.  Let all of us who are committed
cyclists encourage those around us to give it a try.

Phyll Hardie