Cyclists Can Do Anything
My favourite achievement this week has been to get a walker to Christchurch Hospital using a bicycle. When you are helping an elderly person in hospital it is all about the small wins.
Parking around Christchurch Hospital is close to impossible. The scale of parking required was debated when the hospital was rebuilt – I do understand why we need to prioritise beds rather than car parks, as inconvenient as the lack of parking seems. I also have to consider my own logic – I prioritise biking over driving.
Furthermore, when your focus is someone in hospital, while you might think that driving there should be a priority, maybe that's not the best option. Life shrinks to a small number of activities and the top priorities must be sleeping well, eating well and exercising. It’s the first aid principle – keep yourself well and safe because if you aren’t well and safe you can’t help anyone else. Exercising needs to be built into what you do, there's no time for add-ons.
Exercising has always been a top priority for me and cycle commuting has been my lifelong choice as an easy way to get exercise 'by accident' (while avoiding accidents!). When I was employed, I chose where I lived based on the commuting time to my work. Cycling makes me happy no matter what curveballs life is chucking into the mix. So, when Mum said she wanted her walking frame, I was determined to transport it without use of a car.
Transporting the walker turned out to be surprisingly easy. I armed myself with a plethora of locks – Christchurch is a notoriously thievy place for bikes. I hooked my cycle trailer – an aluminium frame topped with a plastic box – and my panniers. I enthusiastically cycled off to Diana Isaac Retirement Village. The walker fitted on the box without issue – two bungy straps tied it down and we were off, with panniers full of Mum’s clothes.
As I cycled, I looked at the cars and felt sorry for the people occupying them. Why is that their preference? What about those peoples' lives ties them into a vehicle interior where they neither get to move their bodies nor experience the outdoor world? While everyone knows that exercise and the outdoors are good for mental and physical health, the majority of the developed world apparently do their darndest to avoid both things on a regular basis.
Of course, there are many reasons why people don’t cycle. That’s why attrition over time has resulted in my knowing only a tiny handful of people who continue to prefer to cycle commute as their lives change. Interestingly on of those few is my birth father, who is in his eighties – could preferring cycling be genetic? It certainly isn't upbringing – my parents never commuted on a bike during my growing up. Over time, people lose the practice of cycling, their confidence in vehicular traffic, their tolerance of cold and wet, their preparedness to prepare rather than do the physically easiest thing. And, once people have lost a practice, they are unlikely to return to it, even when the opportunity is put in front of them.
When I reached the hospital, I happily told the nurse and physio I had brought Mum’s walker on my bike trailer. "That sounds hard," the nurse said. “Good job,” the physio said, “I’m a cyclist too.”
I know I’m lucky – I have a bike, I have a bike trailer, I can ride a bike, I have time to ride a bike. When I look at the traffic queues, I wish my luck on everyone else.
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