In episode 59 of the road.cc Podcast, George, Jack, Ryan, and Simon gathered around the table to discuss the week’s big news story – the much-debated extension of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone, which after months of often toxic political and online discourse, finally came into force on Tuesday in outer London.
While the extended ULEZ only affects a relatively small number of drivers, some bike companies have sensed an opportunity in recent weeks to convince the capital’s residents to swap their non-compliant vehicles for a bike.
But will ULEZ convince some motorists to give up their car for a bike? And will the policy, along with other measures seemingly designed to entice people out of their private motor vehicles (such as Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and cycling infrastructure), help make London safer for people on bikes?
Or does the recent plethora of bike offers, as some on social media have suggested, only add further fuel to the (conspiracy-stoked) fire that ULEZ is simply another way to curtail the God-given right of British citizens to drive? Needless to say, it was a lively chat.
Meanwhile, in part two, Jack caught up with Bryan McCullough, a physio and bike fitter who specialises in injury recovery for cyclists as part of his company ‘The Bike The Body’.
In a really interesting discussion, Bryan chats with Jack about how cycling can be a perfect route to recovery following major surgery, thanks to its low impact nature and range of motion, and why the all-important bike fit can prove even more essential as you aim to regain your confidence and strength on the bike.