A chance to clear the head after a stressful day; a safe and speedy means of travel in these anxious times; the opportunity to explore a longer-term lifestyle change: bicycles mean many different things to the frontline workers in Edinburgh and Perth who have taken delivery of hundreds of so-called hero bikes.
The Bike Station, a pushbike recycling charity, launched a scheme offering free bikes to NHS staff and other key workers in mid-April. It then had to temporarily freeze applications after receiving 1,600. The charity is now calling for more donations of unwanted bikes from businesses and the public as its team of six mechanics work round the clock to renovate the initial stock.
Sarah Dickinson, an in-patient nurse manager at Marie Curie hospice in Edinburgh, says: “At the hospice, we’re on the frontline providing nursing care and support for dying people with and without coronavirus. Being outside really helps to clear my head after a busy day at work. I was keen to get some exercise in the fresh air when I saw The Bike Station were doing this initiative.”
Dickinson had not been on a bike since she was a teenager, and was unsure about what type best suited her needs. “I was grateful to get all the advice,” she says. “It’s been great building up my bike confidence again.”
John Marshall, a ScotRail train presentation cleaner, usually got a lift with colleagues to the Millerhill train depot to the south-east of Edinburgh. He says: “We are not currently allowed to car share, so I put a message on Facebook looking for a bike, then one of my friends tagged me in this Bike Station scheme and I got one quick. The guys were brilliant.”
The charity has been operating for nearly 20 years, refurbishing donated bikes and reusing components with the aim of facilitating healthier, happier and more affordable journeys.
Ella Martin is a logistics coordinator for Scran Academy, a catering social enterprise that free meals for the shielded and vulnerable around Edinburgh. She says having a bike has transformed her journeys: “I love how quickly I can get around now, and not having to worry about public transport. It feels safe.”
Sarah Davidson, a physiotherapy support worker in medicine for the elderly at Western general hospital in Edinburgh, praises the “ease and freedom” of cycling in from Leith to her workplace. Before lockdown, she used buses; she now hopes cycling marks “a lifestyle change”.
Likewise, Wendy Armstrong hopes her bike will prompt more sustainable journeys. The occupational therapy assistant at the Astley Ainslie hospital, Edinburgh, says: “Last time I properly cycled was 20-odd years ago. The roads being quiet is the perfect time to build your confidence; it makes you feel a bit safer. This is the perfect opportunity to give cycling a shot and hopefully get rid of my car.”
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