Seeing as everyday cycling is suddenly big news, a mini-thread of (fairly obvious but worth repeating) things to bear in mind:

1. It’s not compulsory. Your 80yo granny doesn’t have to cycle. But more bikes = more space on roads and public transport for all. Everyone benefits.

2. Getting lots of people cycling is neither rocket science, nor magic, or about hills/weather/culture etc. It’s about infrastructure. If we look across the North Sea to what Netherlands/Denmark do and copy that, it will work, over time. No need to reinvent anything.

3. It takes central investment (maybe £20 per person per year) over a long period. I once asked the head of the Dutch cycling union how the UK could get to the same cycling levels as they have. “Start in 1975,” she told me. It needs consistency over governments.

4. E-bikes solve a lot of problems for some people, and for cargo. E-cars partly solve one problem (pollution). They are not the answer.

Mini-sermon ends.

Hang on, one more point:

5. Covid-19 is not the only public health crisis around. Inactive living kills about 100,000 people/yr in UK, pollution maybe 20,000. More cycling hugely helps both.