You want to be safe when you ride your bike. The increased popularity of cycling now means that bike riders are a major part of the traffic stream since more people ride bikes as a form of transportation. So how do you stay safe when riding your bike? Here are some ideas: Wear a cycle safety helmet. There are many styles and makes of bike safety helmets but not all of them provide the safety you will need when riding your bicycle. The cycle helmet you choose will depend on your personal circumstances but bear in mind that the price will reflect on the quality, not only in the protection but also the fitting. In the event of an impact, your helmet should not move so correct fitting and the ability to alter straps is important factors when buying a cycle helmet. Of course there are those detractors who say that a bike helmet will not protect you if you were to be hit by a car at, say, 40 mph. Everything has its limitations so to have some head protection is better than having none at all. Wear visible clothing. When you are out on your bicycle you need to be seen and one of the best ways to be noticed by vehicle drivers is to wear some kind of fluorescent clothing. It could be a full reflective jacket, reflective belt and arm bands or a reflective tabard. Whichever you choose, it will ensure that you are seen while you are out on your bike. Consider wearing cycle gloves. Cycle gloves not only protect your hands while cycling but they will also offer your hands protection should you fall off and your hands hit the ground. There are different types of cycle gloves but consider ones that have gel-padded palms which offer extra protection and they will ease the pressure on the palms of your hands against the handle grips of your bike. Inspect your bike each time before you ride it. When you take your bike out of the garage or wherever you have it stored, take a careful look at your bike. Check that the brake pads are making contact with the wheel rim. Check that the chain doesn't slip and the gears are operating correctly. Sudden mechanical malfunctions when riding your bicycle can cause you to lose concentration and balance. Bikes don't last forever so check for any severe rusting of the bike frame, in particular check the bike forks for damage as they are the most likely to become damaged through wear and tear. Be Seen In the dark With Your Lights On. It's a fact that some bike riders do not bother to a invest in lights. They instead prefer to ride on roads and pavements in the dark dressed in black and expect everyone else to see them, with no consideration to others. Having a proper light set on your bike will ensure your safety when you ride your bike in the dark. Attach reflectors to your bike. Although you should already have lights on your bike, this is an additional safety precaution. Place them on the front and back wheels attached to the spokes and on the front and back of the frame. At least they will reflect in vehicle headlights giving you some amount of added protection from being knocked off your bike. Cycle Bell. Let others know you are behind them. You can either shout for them to get out of the way or use a cycle bell. Shouting is a little anti social and may be taken the wrong way, so consider having a bell on your bike and using it to pass pedestrians when you are on a designated dual cycling/pedestrian route. Cycling can be fun and healthy pastime provided you ride your bike sensibly. Remember that when you are using the road with other road users, that traffic laws apply. So stay safe and be seen and enjoy your bike.

Before we begin explaining the ways in which we can encourage cycling, we first need to discuss why we would want more people to cycle. There are many reasons why cycling trumps over other forms of transport and these include:

    Exercise: People are more unfit now than they ever have been in the past. This is largely due to an increase in sedentary lifestyles, coupled with the availability of easy to produce and in expensive fatty foods. Cycling, as part of a daily routine, can help to maintain overall health. This has many benefits, including a lowered incidence of depression and lower cholesterol.

    Pollution: clearly, we have too many cars on the roads at present, and this is causing increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, which is contributing to global warming. Furthermore, we cannot continue with the use of fossil fuels, which are quickly depleting. We need either to find alternative energy sources, or use an alternative means of transport.

These two issues are the main reasons people give for encouraging greater use of cycling as a means of transportation. The problem now is how to encourage people to cycle more.

Increase the Number of Facilities Available for Cyclists

Cyclists need to feel safe on the roads, and unfortunately, the lack of cycle routes in our city centres is putting many people off. We need to encourage cycling by increasing the number of cycle routes, and having these routes strategically placed as far away from traffic as possible.

Another problem that many cyclists face is theft. Bikes can be very expensive. The cheapest bikes that you can buy cost around £100, but the average bike is more akin to £500. Clearly, if people are cycling regularly they will spend a little more on their bikes, to ensure they buy a clean, comfortable, and easy rider. This means that bikes can be extremely valuable, and therefore, people will want to ensure that their bikes are safe and secure.

Cycle shelters afford cyclists safe areas to store their bikes. If businesses, schools, supermarkets, shopping centres, and various other establishments, were to provide a greater number of cycle shelters, more people would choose their bikes as their primary source of transportation for short trips. Modern cycle shelters can be fitted with locking doors (so on a business premises, for example, only the employees that ride their bikes to work can have access to the shelter), can be fitted with CCTV, and have a number of other anti-theft and anti-vandal features.

Cycling Proficiency Testing

Many people who would potentially cycle as part of their commute do not do so because they do not have the skills. Cycling Proficiency tests can help to bring these people up to speed, and help them to understand how traffic works in the UK. This can help them to build the confidence they need to be able to cycle comfortably on the country's roads.