Leisure Cycling: Why you should give it a try

Health - cycling can improve health by lowering the risk of heart disease, shedding excess weight, and increasing fitness. Tests have shown that after 4 to 5 months of regular cycling, aerobic fitness improves by an average of 13 % and body fat falls by an average of two to three kg. Regular exercise reduces stress and contributes to mental well being.

Scotland has the highest Heart and obesity rates in Europe!

Environment – increasing cycling benefits the environment by cutting CO2 emissions and reducing noise.

You may find the information on Air Quality of interest for the Council's area.

Congestion – promoting cycling can have benefits in reducing traffic congestion.

There are always peak period queues and it seems they are happening at more and more locations through out the Council area. Traffic Congestion is a problem on the increase and the council is keen to start reducing the impacts this will have in future years by encouraging change now!

Education – the establishment of safer routes to schools, cycle training and School Travel Plans should increase awareness of road safety issues and improve road safety.

Our children at our most important assets. Protecting them today and for the future is every parents wish. North Lanarkshire Council has a School Travel Plan Co-ordinator, who will visit every school in North Lanarkshire and discuss the school setting up it's own Travel Plan. This will assist in educating children of the importance of cycling as part of this work.

Social Inclusion – safer cycle routes and more people using them can help build stronger communities.

North Lanarkshire Council is committed to increasing and improving our cycle route network. The Council is developing the Walking & Cycling Strategy, which will detail routes to be targeted through out the Council area over the next several years. The Council's also has several other Policy & Strategy documents which relate to Social Inclusion that you might find of interest.

Access to Employment - by making it easier for people to get to work by bicycle employers can increase the potential labour force available to them.

This ties in with the Social Inclusion element. If access to work is restricted due to travel distances, vehicle expenses, fuel costs, lack of public transport facilities, one answer might be to cycle to and from work. Generally this would be acceptable to most people for a distance of up to 5 miles for their home.

Sustainable Tourism – The development of more widespread cycle routes will enhance access to the countryside and open up new opportunities for tourism. Rural economies will benefit from the increase in passing trade.

The Council has produced a SMARTways Map, which details existing recommended walking and cycling links within North Lanarkshire and beyond. This map is available free of charge and is also available to download on your computer. It is intended that this map will be updated yearly to include new routes as they are installed as detailed in the Walking & Cycling Strategy document.