Pollution - Motorists v Cyclists

OldSkoolKona

I'm in the process of challenging the perception of a manager at work that cycling is dangerous and unhealthy (due to pollution).

I found a good article on perception of cycling safety:
(http://www.cyclinginstructor.com/cyclin ... $Category1)/E0A4E09F5D74812F80257177004D9A87/$FILE/c2014.pdf)
(sorry URL function won't work with a link like this)

I've heard it mentioned several times that there has been a study (or studies) that have shown that motorists are exposed to more pollution than cyclists.

Does anyone have a link to any good articles on this? (have tried googling but most the articles I've found haven't been very good :? )

Cheers

Kieran_Burns

http://www.dft.gov.uk/rmd/project.asp?i ... ctID=10416
http://www.gaftech.com/carcabin/
http://www.pennmax.com/article.aspx?art ... bf22fb3cef


http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/6.7.html
http://www.bv.com.au/bikes-and-riding/11015/


May all help

always_tyred

Does smoking become less damaging as your lung capacity reduces? If not, I can't follow his reasoning because the only difference is how deeply you enhale.

Also, air quality, even in a city, is better outside. Unless you work in a sealed building with a constant positive pressure that is fed by an air supply that has been passed through an activated carbon filter.... hypothetically.

OldSkoolKona

Thanks Kieran

I also found a couple of other interesting sites:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/archive ... ing_en.pdf
Has some great stats, including
- In '95, in the UK, bicycle use was 81 km/inhabitant/year :shock: . In Dutchland it was 1019 and in Ireland 228
- Motorists breathe in nearly 3 times as much carbon monoxide as cyclists :!:
- The likelihood of cyclists considering themselves 'happy' or 'very happy' is four times as likely as the control

http://hasiruusiru.org/joomla/images/st ... nsport.pdf

Best though are some of the quotes from one of your links
"Exercise will extend your life by about the amount of time you spend
doing it. So if you spend an hour on your bike, you've added an hour to
your life."

jonginge

OldSkoolKona wrote:

Thanks Kieran

I also found a couple of other interesting sites:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/archive ... ing_en.pdf
Has some great stats, including
- In '95, in the UK, bicycle use was 81 km/inhabitant/year :shock: . In Dutchland it was 1019 and in Ireland 228
- Motorists breathe in nearly 3 times as much carbon monoxide as cyclists :!:
- The likelihood of cyclists considering themselves 'happy' or 'very happy' is four times as likely as the control

http://hasiruusiru.org/joomla/images/st ... nsport.pdf

Best though are some of the quotes from one of your links
"Exercise will extend your life by about the amount of time you spend
doing it. So if you spend an hour on your bike, you've added an hour to
your life."

Anyone else read 'The healthy dead' by Steven Erikson?

prj45

OldSkoolKona wrote:

I'm in the process of challenging the perception of a manager at work that cycling is dangerous and unhealthy (due to pollution).

On the unhealthy bit, if anybody who drives a car to work tells you this point out to them that in their car they're exposed to quite a lot more pollution that somebody on a push bike (factors of 100s IIRC).

The air sits in their lungs too.

chuckcork

I'd query what air does he think he's breathing when he's in a car?

Unless the car is hermetically sealed and supplied by tanks filled where the air is cleanier, grass is greenier etc, he is going to breathing the same stuff any cyclist is, except it will be pickup up lower down, at the level where the car in front cam pump exhaust straight into the intakes.

At the same time his lard-butt is growing bigger, his risk of diabetes is growing and his health generally getting worse. Aren't we actually about to see the first generation whose health is actually, through or despite (you pick) the wonders of modern technology, worse than their parents?

girv73

I like this post on the safety aspects of cycling:
http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/blog/cycling/h ... s-cycling/

simon_e

OldSkoolKona wrote:

I'm in the process of challenging the perception of a manager at work

Good luck, I suspect you will get nowhere.

Most people (car drivers) who shake their heads at or deride regular cyclists are too stupid and ignorant to listen to you. Trying to communicate this almost inexplicable enjoyment of what seems to them to be physical hardship is pointless.

I had a lovely ride in this morning, my colleague said she was singing out loud on the way in despite being on the main road, simply because she was so pleased to be out in the sun and the fresh air with the sights and smells of spring all around. I have been known to actually laugh repeatedly while commuting in the rain (though not when it's absolutely p*ssing down).

Those frustrated drivers cannot comprehend the mental health benefits of cycling.... though it may be that doing battle on city streets doesn't have the same benefit as the country lanes that make up a fair proportion of my favourite route.

OldSkoolKona

Simon E wrote:

I have been known to actually laugh repeatedly while commuting in the rain (though not when it's absolutely p*ssing down)

You do that too, I thought that was only me

Thanks for all the articles guys, they have now been shared with the management team on our project, of whom 3 cycle to work (out of 7). We're now looking at doing a session with Cycle Training UK for the project management team (our company provides it free of charge), including for the car drivers, to raise awareness.

Stuey01

OldSkoolKona wrote:

Simon E wrote:

I have been known to actually laugh repeatedly while commuting in the rain (though not when it's absolutely p*ssing down)

You do that too, I thought that was only me

Thanks for all the articles guys, they have now been shared with the management team on our project, of whom 3 cycle to work (out of 7). We're now looking at doing a session with Cycle Training UK for the project management team (our company provides it free of charge), including for the car drivers, to raise awareness.

Sounds very progressive. Nice one.

simon_e

OldSkoolKona wrote:

Thanks for all the articles guys, they have now been shared with the management team on our project, of whom 3 cycle to work (out of 7). We're now looking at doing a session with Cycle Training UK for the project management team (our company provides it free of charge), including for the car drivers, to raise awareness.

That's great! If only other organisations were as open-minded...

cee

OldSkoolKona wrote:

Simon E wrote:

I have been known to actually laugh repeatedly while commuting in the rain (though not when it's absolutely p*ssing down)

You do that too, I thought that was only me

nope....another manic laughoutlouder here......

I got caught in a short hail shower not long ago and burst out in a big smile and laughter!

girv73

Good work OldSkoolKona, the more people do things like this to raise awareness the better it will be for the rest of us.

Hands up for the manic laughing and singing out loud posse
/puts hands up
/falls off bike as hasnt mastered cycling handsies-freesies yet

OldSkoolKona

Ironically, said manager drove past me this morning and was very respectful in holding back and not squeezing past in residential area I have to ride through just before I get to work. I nearly fell of my bike in shock 8)

Right, looking outside, the clouds are suggesting there may be some manic laughing coming on in a few minutes on the ride home. Not nice though when I get the 'sweat washed into eyes' downpour effect if its a heavy down pour :shock:

ps - Snooks, your copy of Cyclecraft is doing the rounds with my project team and I'm going to get them to sign a comments sheet inside it so we can see how many people read it. Hope you don't mind

OldSkoolKona

Found a good document from the CTC, related to their current campaign for increasing the number of cyclists to increase their safety. It also lists where the least (York) and most (Bradford) serious injuries to cycle commuters occur. Interesting (and great) to hear that cycling in London has increased 91% since 2000.
CTC - Safety in Numbers Report

Also, if you want some numbers to challenge the perceptions, here is a report from the DfT on Cycle casualties in 2007.
Pedal cyclist casualties in road accidents: 2007

An interesting fact from this is that 4 pedestrians were killed in collisions with cyclists compared to 636 killed in collisions with motorised vehicles. (The equivalent report is also available for all road accidents)

EDIT - added DfT links