Latest studies depict a progressive public inclination toward cycling. We all can witness an increased number of cycles roving around public places. Not a mere coincidence but cycling is on the way to becoming the most used transportation facility. Several countries have already launched bicycle-sharing systems to ease public access to this environmentally friendly vehicle. This trend is led by growing environmental issues along with technological advancement and several other factors. Here is a minor attempt to dig into the question that why cycling is the future of urban transportation.
1. Safer Than Public Transit
As the world got hit by an airborne viral pandemic roughly three years ago, transportation especially public transport facilities have undergone a drastic change. Public transport facilities especially the subways became extremely dangerous. Maintaining social distance and avoiding unclean surfaces became almost impossible when traveling through public transport. In this backdrop, cycling emerged as a much safer alternative. People could easily travel on bicycles without the fear of coming in contact with any carrier. Today when the world is moving towards normalization then even people have become acquainted with this easier and safer transport facility and are not much attracted to going back to subways till the weather is fine.
2. Fare Hikes
Another pandemic-connected reason is the rise in fares of public transit. As the economies started to recover from the damages of the pandemic the cost-of-living crisis hit the world. Almost every country is facing a rise in commodities including public transit fares. In the wake of this growing inflation, cycling has gained massive popularity. People are now much interested in saving money and using a bicycle as a means of transport. On average the annual bike membership is currently much less than the annual subway pass cost.
3. Technological Advancement
Bicycles have truly undergone an evolution during the past few years. Bicycle companies are introducing extremely advanced bicycles that are drawing huge public attention. The most famous of these are the E-bikes. These are much stronger and faster than their predecessors. These electrically energized E-bikes are much less energy-consuming and easier to ride on. Mountaineers and trekkers are very much fond of using E-bikes for their adventurous encounters. If not wanting to buy an E-bike you can turn your ordinary bicycle into an advanced version using an electric bike kit. Getting an electric bike kit along with some professional advice is all you need to turn your ordinary bike into an E-bike.
4. Environment Friendly
Today, when the world is facing the consequences of environmental degradation and climate change has proven to be a reality, the need to move towards eco-friendly vehicles has grown immensely. Governments around the world are urging the masses to move towards an eco-friendly lifestyle. And opting for bicycles over public transit or private cars is the most environment-friendly way to go about it. With zero carbon emission and fuel requirements, bicycles are gaining popularity with every passing day. And this is one of the several ways to reduce air pollution.
5. Health Benefits
The health benefits conferred by cycling are its most neglected features. Where the bicycle requires no fuel, it uses human muscle power to function. In turn, the cyclist gets remarkable health benefits. The muscle power running the bicycle tends to provide interrelated health benefits to the cyclist. Cycling is extremely beneficial for cardiovascular health as it keeps the blood flow checked. In addition, your respiratory machinery functions more and provides more oxygen to the muscles endowing better health. In this way, you can stay safe from several respiratory and cardiovascular diseases along with obesity. Due to these and several other health benefits conferred by cycling, people are much more attracted to bicycles than in previous years.
Final Words
Two things that have changed the world drastically have to be the COVID-19 pandemic and technological advancement. Both these factors have led the general public to look for many safe and more efficient means of transport. And the most promising of all transport facilities has to be cycling. In the past few years, it has gained massive public attention and is estimated to increase exponentially in the year 2022. For a recap, the top five reasons behind the current boom of cycling have to be: safety, fare hikes, technological advancement, and environmental and health benefits.
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