Our local town is trying to get us all cycling, because “Cycling is healthy for your body and good for the environment”. If only they’d noticed a few years ago: I can think of at least three major road rebuilding projects in the last few years that could have included provision for cyclists with very little money and some thought, but there we go. There’s still all kinds of things that the town could do, like making a couple of parking spaces in the town hall car park into cycling bays, or putting bike lockers by the tram stations for commuters. Or even covered cycle parking. Or any cycle parking at all by bus stops. Or even enforcing speed limits so roads become safer to cycle on. You know, simple, low-cost things that would encourage cycling. With this new found enthusiasm for our health and environment, what are our elected representatives doing?

They’re running a cycling competition.

Actually, they’re joining a cycling competition, or more accurately, encouraging us to join a cycling competition. Individuals can make teams and compete to ride the most. The most committed can aim to become a ‘cycling star’: someone who (you may want to write this down) actually leaves their car at home for the whole 21 days of the competition and uses a bike instead. If you manage this for three weeks you get a bike bag and a cycle computer. Cycling instead of drving: why didn’t I think of that earlier?

That’s Climate Change sorted then. And in July we can all go back to normal.