Have you enjoyed cycling again recently? Many of us have been dusting off our bikes and taking to the quieter roads during lockdown, as it seems a safe form of exercise with a very low chance of either spreading or catching coronavirus.

It has been really enjoyable too, seeing up close the wildflowers in the hedgerows and appreciating countryside views at a slower pace. But will you continue this as you go back to work?

More free time has led many people to work on improving fitness and losing a few excess pounds – therefore a ride to work now will result in being less tired or hot on arrival than before. It is hoped we will all want to keep this new fitness – cycling to work, a friend’s house or the shops enables us to fit in a fitness routine that takes very little extra time out of our day but will greatly improve our long-term health, ease congestion during the rush hour and help the air become clearer as we create a new normal.

If you don’t feel fit enough, or the journey is a little too far, an electric bike is a much cheaper way of helping the environment and slowing climate change than an electric car.

It is aimed to improve safety for cyclists and a new interactive map has been launched to find out where people would like temporary social distancing measures for pedestrians and cyclists – visit https://somersetcovidactivetravel.commonplace.is/

A second way to input ideas, including where people would like more cycle lanes, is with Cycling UK’s Widen My Path campaign – where individuals can input ideas or vote on other people’s ideas on an interactive map at https://www.cyclinguk.org/covid-19-safe-space-social-distancing?

The Taunton Area Cycle Campaign group is providing free one-to-one cycle confidence sessions, open to all adults, and working with On Your Bike to provide Dr Bike sessions in July for key workers – 15-minute time slots to service bikes free of charge. To book, email [email protected].

I hope this will encourage you to cycle rather than take the car and if you don’t have sufficient safe bicycle parking facilities at your workplace, or would like the bathroom to include better washing facilities to freshen up, take the opportunity to ask your employer for them now. If lots of us ask the question, it is likely we can improve facilities for all of us in the future.

HELEN GILLINGHAM

Transition Town Wellington