Cycle to work day

At the end of the citizens’ assemblies for sustainability, some subgroups were formed. They dealt with specific topics, such as energy, housing, transport, food growing, et cetera. And I ended up in the transport group. And one of our ideas had been a ‘cycle to work day’, when some of us in the transport group would cycle in at a particular time, and hope to inspire lots of people who normally take the car to join us. 

Reality was a bit stubborn. No new commuters showed interest. In the end it was Pete and me, who were the ringleaders, and an additional couple who bike everywhere anyway as well. I know the bloke as he works in the School of Natural Sciences, and his partner I know from Welsh class. They are lovely! But they also are the converted.

We decided we could just use it as a publicity event. Chris, our facilitator, showed up to take pictures, and the idea was that, upon arrival in Bangor, we would get interviewed on camera. They could use the footage to try to spread the word! If we do it again, maybe people will have seen the footage, and might be more inclined to give it a go.

Pete and me gathering in Bethesda. Pic by Chris

The full team. Pic by Chris

In the worst case, we just had a nice social ride to Bangor! Pete and me just politely followed the route. The others either peeled off because they needed to get to a different part of town, or took a detour as they thought that otherwise they wouldn't get enough exercise. As I said; they bike everywhere anyway!

It was Pete and I doing the interviews in Bangor. I was doing them in Welsh, and Pete was doing them in English. He was a bit more fluent! But I hope they got some useful footage out of us. 

It would be nice if we could inspire a few more people to give it a try. It is actually really nice to commute by bike. It's not just an environmental issue. The route is very beautiful. And it keeps me fitter than ever before. And I never have to worry about parking! Surely, all of that together could convince a few more people…