How can cycling benefit you? University of Stirling Active Travel Officer Kamern Brown shares his experience – and it goes way beyond cheap travel.

In 2019, Sustrans found that 61% of news media focused on cycling and active travel framed it in a negative light. This may well contribute to why cyclists often feel like public enemy number one when it comes to using the roads.

I’ve spent five years cycling in and around Glasgow, commuting to university and work – as well as for the pure joy of it – and my experience does not align with the tone of the clickbait nonsense you find online whenever a council plans a new cycle path.

The reality of cycling is that it’s one of the most affordable, sustainable, healthy, and enjoyable ways to get around. And, as with most things in life, the people you meet in the real world are nicer than the internet would suggest, drivers included.

Cheap and reliable travel

I bought my first bike on Facebook marketplace for about £100. It was a little too big for me and only had one gear, but I loved it. That bike got me to and from work and uni every day, to the shops and back, and riding around town to meet friends at a time when I couldn’t have dreamt of affording a car.

For me, that was the key attraction to cycling – it was an incredibly cheap and easy way to get around. Getting a bike cut my travel time down from an hour’s walk, or half an hour on the bus, to a 15-minute cycle.

That’s another great thing about cycling, it’s reliable. No need to hope and pray that your bus or train will turn up, simply jump on your bike and away you go. A trip to the local bike shop once a year for a quick service is usually all it takes to keep most commuter bikes in working order.

Improved health

There are a host of other benefits to cycling as well. Improved health is something that creeps up on you if you’re using a bike regularly just to get around. After a few weeks you’ll notice you can get up to your third floor flat without being puffed out or that you’re sleeping better. Cycling is a low-impact form of exercise that can help you improve your cardiovascular fitness, reduce your risk of heart disease and type-2 diabetes.

Better for the environment

Cycling is also one of the greenest ways to travel, even more so than walking! As odd as that sounds, cycling requires less energy (so less food) than walking to travel the same distance. By swapping your daily commute to travel by bike, you could make massive savings on your carbon footprint.

Cycle-friendly campus

Here at the University of Stirling, we’ve been working hard to make it as easy as possible for you to use your bike. We were recently awarded renewal of our Cycling Friendly Campus status in recognition of the work we’ve done to make cycling easier.

We host Dr Bike sessions every Monday where you can bring your bike along for a free health check. We also work closely with Stirling Council to promote new cycle paths and with Police Scotland to prevent bike theft and keep you safe on the road.

During your time at Stirling, take advantage of the great cycling services we have. Hire a Nextbike and get out there, explore your local area and get to know the joy of cycling first-hand.

Active Travel Week takes place from Monday, 30 September to Friday, 4 October. Join us for the Active Travel launch fayre from 11am to 3pm on Monday, 30 September to find out more about everything active travel here at Stirling.