With the cost of transport in London increasing year on year, could this problem as well as the Olympic factor – the success of Sir Bradley Wiggins for example – see more students in the future deciding to cycle to university? Artefact sport sub-editor Kitty Trice went to Evans Cycles at Waterloo to find out more.
With most transport fares in London rising by three per cent in the last year, and Tube season tickets rising even higher at four per cent, surely cycling is a cheaper and healthier alternative to the bus and Underground? Many apparently agree. According to the 2011 census, the number of London residents cycling to work has doubled in the ten previous years.
Terry Penn from Evans Cycles believes that more students will take up cycling instead of traditional London services such as the Tube and buses: “Tube tickets are expensive particularly for students and if you spend, for example, £5 a day on a ticket then the cost will accumulate throughout the year. There are also physical and mental benefits associated with cycling.”
Indeed, these benefits have been recognised by Transport for London (TfL) and include reducing stress, (which could be considered one of the emotions that go hand in hand with being a student!), it can easily fit into your daily routine and it’s easier on your joints compared to activities such as running.
Considering the limit of university students’ budgets, the cost of a bicycle would be at the top of most students’ lists. According to Penn: “You can get a brand new bike [depending on the brand] for £300.”
Whilst £300 is a significant amount of money for a student, if you compare it to the costs of the Tube every day for 44 weeks, the average university term time, then the cost of a bicycle is cheaper.
The majority of students in London, however, continue to take the Tube or the bus.
Careful
Penn believes cycling will continue to get more popular with students. “It’s simple – you get on your bike and off you go, whereas with the bus you may have to change stops for example.”
“However, you do have to be careful when cycling in London – road accidents happen when either the driver or cyclist is unaware of their surroundings. That is possibly one reason why some students prefer to travel on the Tube or bus.”
The statistics highlight this issue for cyclists in London. According to the Collisions and Casualties on London Roads 2012 Annual Report, the number of people killed or seriously injured while cycling in London rose by 18 per cent from 571 in 2011 to 671.
Despite the risks, it’s interesting to note that the introduction of the congestion zone in 2003 and the rising cost of fuel has triggered further participation in cycling as a method of transport. One of the aims of TfL for cycling is to encourage more people to cycle, and they’re predicting that the number of cyclists will double by 2020.