See http://www.transportxtra.com/getbritaincycling
Please let me know what you think by email – gbc@landor.co.uk
]]>The University of Manchester is the biggest single site University in the UK in terms of studentnumbers, and shares the “Oxford road corridor” with Manchester Metropolitan (the second largest after UoM) as well as other colleges.
The main halls are some three miles from town, with the universities spread out in between. It’s really flat, and cycling would perhaps seem to be the obvious choice for students on a budget. There are a few but Oxford blows Manchester out of the water in terms of cyclist numbers.
Why? The main reason is dangerous roads full of buses and other traffic, where the reality is quite bad but the perception is even worse.
Also, there is a real issue with crime. Bikes go missing quickly if not securely locked and even those that are sometimes get vandalised. I was gobsmacked to see bikes in Oxford just locked to themselves, and not to any street furniture. They wouldn’t last two minutes in Manchester.
Mind you, cycling is still far and away the quickest easiest cheapest healthiest way to get around Manchester.
]]>The main uphill battle is getting people to realise that some light physical exercise isn’t going to kill them.
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