Risks versus benefits of cycling sparks call for safety measures

More must be done to protect cycling commuters, researchers have said, after a new study examined the risks and benefits of travelling to work by bike.

Cycling commuters have a lower risk of heart disease, cancer and premature death.

But their risk of injury was found to be significantly higher than those who commute by car or bus.

Researchers examined data on 230,390 commuters taking part in the UK Biobank study.

The team from the University of Glasgow found that 2.5 per cent (5,704 people) cycled to work.

After an average follow-up period of almost nine years they found that 4.4 per cent of all the study participants had at least one hospital admission for an injury or had died as a result of injury.

Injuries were experienced by 7 per cent of those who cycled compared to 4.3 per cent of people who used a “nonactive” mode of transport.

Commuters who cycled to work were estimated to have a 45 per cent increased risk of injury compared with “nonactive” commuters.

The risk was also found to be higher with a longer commute.

But commuters who cycled to work had a lower risk of heart disease, cancer, and death compared to non-active commuters.

Those who rode a bike to work were found to have a 21 per cent reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, were 11 per cent less likely to have had a first cancer diagnosis and were estimated to have a 12 per cent reduced risk of premature death, compared to those who opted for a car or bus.

“Compared with non-active commuting to work, commuting by cycling was associated with a higher risk of hospital admission for a first injury and higher risk of transport related incidents specifically,” the authors wrote.

“These risks should be viewed in context of the health benefits of active commuting and underscore the need for a safer infrastructure for cycling in the UK.”

Senior author of the study, Dr Paul Welsh, from the University of Glasgow, said: “Now, as a result of this research, we can to some extent quantify the risk associated with this form of commuting.

“If 1,000 people incorporate cycling into their commute for 10 years we would expect 26 more injuries, but 15 fewer cancers, four fewer heart disease events, and three fewer deaths.

“So, the benefits offset the risks, and this should be encouraging, but more needs to done to make commuter cycling safe.”