Road accidents and obesity together cost Northern Ireland about a £1bn per year for a population of 1.7 million

With our car obsession it’s easy to see how cycling is viewed as unaspirational and

dangerous despite the health benefits of cycling outweighing the risks 20 to 1.

In 2002 the cost of anti obesity drugs was zero and spending on cycling infrastructure approximately £1.2m.

Last year, anti-obesity drugs cost us £3.2m while spending on cycling infrastructure fell to £0.8m.

The obesity rate continues to rise and the cycling share of journeys still hovers around 1%.

Tom McClelland

NI Cycling Forum

www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk