Due to the proliferation of the Coronavirus, we have entered a new era in which our previous modes of commuting to work, among other places, are being reevaluated with the goal of keeping us healthy while still being convenient. Prior to the spread of Coronavirus, when deciding the mode in which individuals commuted to work, one ordinarily took into account the time, cost and convenience to decide the best mode of commuting to and from their destinations. Using these metrics, shared forms of transportation like busses, subways, trains, taxi cabs, car services and shared bike/scooter services usually satisfied at least two out of the three criteria listed above.
Those days are over. As talk of shelter-in-place orders being lifted appear to be growing louder, the thought of returning to work is now accompanied by the stress of figuring out how to commute to and from the office safely while practicing social distancing and avoiding interaction with surfaces where others have been. Taking into account this new reality, using one's own bicycle (or driving one's own car in the case of traveling far distances -- or a combination thereof) to commute to work or elsewhere mitigates the chances of a cyclist contracting the Coronavirus as compared to other modes of shared transit. Moreover, cycling has many other well documented health benefits that commuters or their employers should not overlook.
Even before the proliferation of the Coronavirus, bicycling as a form of commuting was proven to possess many benefits for those who chose to take up this form of commuting. The British Sports Journal of Sports Medicine published a study revealing that cycling is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association’s journal, Circulation and Journal of the American Heart Association published two additional studies, that were succinctly summarized in Medical News Today, highlighting that commuters who "regularly cycled to work or for leisure had between 11-18 percent fewer heart attacks over the course of a 20-year follow-up." These studies also highlight that for some cyclist commuters, this resistance to heart disease was achieved with as little as 30 minutes of cycling per week. Not bad for just commuting to and from work!
Regularly cycling to work can also lower a commuter's blood pressure. As stated on the Mayo Clinic's website, regular exercise like cycling to work can lower a commuter's blood pressure as effectively as some medications (but in a natural way). It also notes that if one already has a desirable blood pressure level, regular exercise (like cycling to work) can help one sustain one's healthy blood pressure level.
Lower stress levels (as compared to other forms of commuting) is another benefit of commuting to work and other destinations by bicycle. According to a report published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, commuters who cycle to work revealed a significantly lower risk of stress than non-bicycle commuters. Furthermore, as noted by the District of Columbia's Department of General Services, cyclist commuters experience reduced tiredness, less difficulty sleeping and have higher levels of well-being and self-confidence as compared to those who choose traditional methods of commuting. Incredible results, just from choosing to cycle as the method of commuting to work.
In addition to the benefits of cycling to work as stated above, employers should encourage their employees to commute via bicycle because this form of transportation can have a positive impact on an employer's bottom lines. According to the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, employees who cycle to work increase their productivity by an average of 15%, take 15% fewer days off of work due to illness and, on average, live two years longer than non-cyclists.
As set forth above, the benefits of commuting to and from work on a bicycle possess numerous health benefits for both employees and employers. And now with the proliferation of the Coronavirus and the social distancing required to mitigate the chances of acquiring it, the reasons to embrace cycling as one's primary mode of commuting is even more powerful. For those commuters who live a great distance from their offices located in a city center, consider driving your privately owned car to the outskirts of the city, park your car and then ride your bicycle the remainder of the way: all of the documented benefits of cycling without sacrificing the safety of social distancing! Taking these reasons into consideration, cycling to and from work, among other places, should be a form of commuting that is promoted and embraced by employees and employers, alike.
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