As an allied health practitioner and high-performance coach health, hygiene and transport have always been a key focus. Illnesses move through communities and follow population density and transport routes. Contagions travel with people and how people travel impacts the risks and spread of them.
Social isolation is a sensible global management step to reduce the COVID-19 risks and spread with thousands of employees being sent to work from home and many students likely to follow. The short term social isolation is managed easily with the reduction in both large groups of people and in transport. COVID-19 will bring to everyone's attention to the importance of better health and hygiene standards in the longer term.
Cycling - A safer return to work
Eventually, we will return to work and we will want to do so safely and with a focus on better health.
Cycling is perhaps the best form of socially isolated transport. You are not proximal to people, confined to closed airconditioned spaces and you are not contacting surfaces that hundreds of people have been in contact with.
I can attest that over the last 10 years, my incidence of catching the cold or similar ailment is greatly reduced when I am riding everyday - my preference is even to ride in the rain as getting wet and getting changed is less of an inconvenience as catching a cold and feeling ill is.
Ask anyone who cycles to work and they will most likely tell you the same thing - they have an increase in general health and fitness and a reduction in general colds across the year compared to when catching public transport.
Organisations now have a great chance to implement better strategies for employee transport, health, safety and fitness aby embracing and encouraging eBikes. With so many corporate leaders riding bikes for work and fitness relatved reasons, their passion can be carried forward to the workplace and implemented across their entire organisation.
Overcoming the barriers with an eBike
The common barriers for many to cycling to work are that they are not fit, its too hilly, too sweaty, takes longer and costs too much.
We have heard this for years and the good news is that technology and listening has seen these barriers overcome, now its time for the non-rider to realise they no longer have barriers. Their problems have been solved.
eBike Advantages
1. You don't have to be fit, although riding one will help improve fitness
2. You don't have to wear tight-fitting clothes - commute in your work gear or casual clothing
3. You don't get as sweaty as you think
4. They help people ride for longer and overcome physical shortcomings or injuries.
Benefits of an eBike over public transport
1. Socially responsible and isolated transport - reduce your exposure to bacteria, viruses and other contagions
2. Improve your general health - fresh air, exercise at your own level of comfort
3. Run to your own timetable - you never need to rush for the bus, suffer when its running late or you miss it
4. Save money - the costs of renting or buying an e-bike (or any bike) are generally lower than the weekly spend on transport costs
5. Save time - ride your bike directly to and from work to your home, stop by the shops
Come and test ride an e-bike with Jet
We have some great options on quality eBikes, with rental programs available.
Buy a bike or get a long term rental and save on your public transport costs.
