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terrorism & bicycles
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Ralph Fertig
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Jul 12, 2005 16:56 PDT
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It's faster, cheaper & healthier than the tube or bus. We knew that.
Now Londoners are turning to bicycling after the bus & Underground
attacks last week, more than tripling bike sales at shops. When
conditions change, many people make wise choices. The following article
appeared in yesterday's Mail & Guardian.
~~ Ralph Fertig, President
~~ Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition
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Londoners flock to bicycle shops
11 July 2005
Deborah Haynes | London, United Kingdom
More and more people will cycle into London this week as the fear of
being caught in a terrorist attack on public transport overrides concerns
of being knocked off their bike by a car, experts say.
Sales of bikes -- from fold-away models to multi-gear machines -- have
rocketed at cycle shops across the capital since last Thursday.
Millions of stranded commuters were forced to use overground stations,
boats or simply their legs to get home. Many, in their desperation,
poured into bike shops to purchase their own set of wheels to speed the
journey up.
"It was just one person after another coming in out of desperation," said
Grant Young, the owner of Condor Bikes in west London, the oldest bike
shop in the city, which sold about 50 bikes on that day compared to the
normal 15.
"People have said to me, great business, but it's not really. It is nice
to be able to sell bikes, but for another purpose," he said.
As the dust settles on Britain's worst terrorist atrocity, however, a lot
of Londoners remain fearful of the risk involved in catching an
underground train or hopping on a bus, and some have dusted down old
bikes from the garden shed or invested in new ones to sample a different
kind of commuting.
"I think the attacks will probably make a few people think they are a bit
frightened to go on the transport system at the moment," said Young,
while adding that he doubted the fad for bikes would last for everyone.
"Things will go back to normal, so if there are 500 new cyclists now and
200 of them stick to it that's great," he said.
Evans Cycles, the biggest independent bike chain in Britain, sold
four-times as many bikes as usual at its nine outlets in central London
last Thursday -- about 400 bikes -- and had another good day Friday, said
director Mark Evans.
He noted that in the past people have said they feel unsafe riding a bike
in the city because of the heavy traffic.
"Now they don't feel safe on public transport so I expect over the next
few weeks more people will be trying out bikes," said Evans, adding that
a bike also saves commuters money on rail and bus tickets and keeps you
fit.
Swarms of people -- some examining helmets and reflective gear, others
trying out bike models and more still purchasing specialist cycling shoes
-- crowded the Onyourbike store, another independent outlet by London
Bridge.
Toufique Ali (25) a researcher at the BBC, is among some of the
prospective buyers, after Thursday's bomb blasts prompted him to replace
his old bike, which broke about a month ago.
"I don't like public transport whatsoever and I like to be on my bike
more often because you are self-reliant," said Ali.
"I was always going to get a bike, but the attacks did spur me into going
to the bike shop this particular weekend," he said.
The terror factor aside, however, industry experts note that bikes have
been growing in popularity for the past few years, with the market in
Britain expanding at a rate of about 20% to 25% annually.
In London, a congestion charge to drive cars plus the uncomfortable heat
of the underground in summer has helped to push people onto their bikes.
In addition, "most people who try it for the first time realise they can
cycle to work faster than if they were going on a bus or a Tube," said
Young.
"The ones who have stuck it out can't believe how fit they have got and
how well they are feeling and, if they are overweight, then the weight
has literally just fallen off," he said.
On the down side is the obvious risk of using the roads, but cycle groups
have drawn up maps indicating the safest routes.
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