Comments on: A Study Finds Cyclists to Be Six Times Healthier than Other Commuters

By: Richard Burton

Richard Burton — Sun, 05 Mar 2017 23:23:33 +0000

This isn’t exactly news “Cycling towards Health and Safety” (Mayer Hillman, 1992) found that the benefits of cycling outweighed the risks by 20:1 and regular cyclists lived two years longer than average and suffered less from all forms of illness. Welcome nonetheless, and if the message that cycling is safe and healthy eventually reaches the media, especially the BBC, they might even report it. But since the BBC have just had a series of items about pollution from motor vehicles without once mentioning Active Travel, cycling and walking, I’m fairly safe in predicting that they will start ignoring this report immediately, just like the many other reports about cycling they’ve ignored over the years.

By: Brian Wood

Brian Wood — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 22:32:30 +0000

In reply to Amanda. True Amanda, the study cites "30% reduction in all-cause mortality [and] 20–40% in many long-term conditions." Also, the study generally concluded a 4x benefit with regard to meeting targets, with the 6x figure only applying to one group. So regular bicycle commuting probably gives us 4x better odds of being 30% less likely to die early. These articles do require a careful reading, but I am very grateful that Hilary brought it to our attention!

By: portia

portia — Thu, 24 Mar 2016 10:35:44 +0000

Para 5: abstain from, not abstain for.

By: Rob N.

Rob N. — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 18:07:24 +0000

And if riding one of the bikes shown is uncomfortable for you, check out the world of recumbents!

By: Amanda

Amanda — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 19:51:48 +0000

Hilary, six times more likely to meet recommended activity guidelines does not mean six times healthier. Thanks for writing this article but please check your facts.