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IELTS Topic: TRANSPORT
Reading 3
Why people don’t ride bikes
Original source: The Guardian
UK’s The Guardian newspaper asked its readers what’s putting them off from cycling to work. Here’s what they said:
Bad driving
“My commute comprises roads with parked cars lining the sides, drivers passing way too close and shouting abuse when I take up the middle, and generally driving 40+ miles per hour in 30 mph zones.”
Dangerously designed roads
“I do cycle to work occasionally but what stops me doing it more often is having to cycle on a transport network designed solely for cars.”
Copenhagen is a bike-friendly city. By contrast, Londoners find cycling in their city to be “absolutely terrifying”.
Source: olgagorovenko/ Shutterstock
Sub-standard infrastructure
“I’d love it if there were more cycle paths. By providing cycle paths, it would reduce pressure on inexperienced cyclists to share the road with cars, motorcycles, buses and lorries. They’d have a safer alternative.”
Perception of danger
I’ve always found the idea of cycling to work absolutely terrifying – even before I moved to London. All I ever hear about are people who have been knocked off their bike and injured, or worse.”
Lack of facilities
How many employers offer changing and shower facilities? Who wants to arrive at work wet or sweaty and have nowhere to change or to store their cycling kit? A cycle shed at one end of the car park isn’t enough!”
Rain and hills
“It’s been so wet and miserable recently that I just can’t be bothered to use the bike. Hopefully now that Spring is here I’ll use it more. But the topography and climate of Britain are hostile to cycling and it’s hard to imagine them changing for the better.”
Few employers offer changing and shower facilities for those who arrive at work wet or sweaty.
Source: Shtoned/Shutterstock