Himesh, who lives in a flat in London, uses rental bikes to get around the city. He wants a cycle of his own, but cost and storage issues are barriers he faces when it comes to accessing a cycle. As a case study for our Cycling Opportunity report, Himesh talks about the freedom and opportunities that would come with owning his own cycle while looking for work.
Watch Himesh's story.
The barriers to owning a cycle
Himesh, who lives in a first floor flat in Islington, says cycling is a "passion" of his.
He uses rental cycles to get around the capital to get to social events but currently he doesn't have his own bike.
He wants a cycle of his own but cost and the question of where he’d store it are barriers he faces when it comes to accessing a cycle.
Himesh, who is seeking work at the moment, used to go on long leisure cycles when he lived in Canada a couple of years ago and misses the physical and mental benefits that come with cycling. He said:
“Cycling was a way to escape whatever stresses I had at home in Canada.
“When you’re going fast on a bike you have to be mindful – focused on the road and diligent. That keeps you in the present moment and not thinking about other things.
“Sometimes when I’m on a bit of a longer ride, I’ll catch myself with a really big grin on my face.
"Cycling feels like the alignment of mind, body and soul - working together to get that inner peace.
“90% of the cycles I went on in Canada were leisure cycles. Now, when I’m using the rental bikes in London, I’m super conscious of the time and making sure I take the optimum route to make the most of my money so only use them to get from A to B. The price per minute has gone up too.
“Since I moved to London cycling as a hobby has disappeared from life."
Himesh wants a cycle of his own but cost and the question of where he’d store it are barriers he faces when it comes to accessing a cycle. Credit: Rachel Sutherland/Sustrans
The freedom of owning your own cycle
The hire bikes Himesh uses add "tension" to his journeys - as he's being charged for each minute that goes by.
With that in mind, he says he's less likely to stop and take breaks or look at something of interest along the way.
"Having my own cycle in contrast to the rental bikes would completely shift the way I approach cycling – to get away from the daily stresses to find a form of exercise that’s very therapeutic in getting me to clear my mind, getting that fresh air, getting the exercise in and just being able to ride freely without having to consider anything else.
"If I had my own cycle I would be able to spend a lot of time going on joy rides, being able to discover new parts of London.
"I could then also use it for going to job interviews if I needed to go in person, or even to commute to jobs if it was within commutable distance.
"Cycling would then blend more into the lifestyle that I want – being able to cycle when I want, wherever I want and even meet other cyclists who are in my neighbourhood and being able to form that kind of sense of community with other cycle owners.
"Any scheme that could loosen the financial burden would really help me in getting my own bike.”
Credit: Rachel Sutherland/Sustrans
Our Cycling Opportunity report proves that a voucher scheme to help people on a low income or not in employment buy a cycle would have significant benefits for public health, wellbeing and access to education and employment.