Cycling to work could save commuters nearly £1,400 a year, poll claims

Green travel is not just healthy and environmentally conscious, but can also be a major saving, poll claims

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Cycling to work could save commuters nearly £1,400 a year, a poll indicates.

A survey of 2,000 employed adults found driving and commuting by public transport means the average professional spends just over £28 a week on getting to and from the office, and over the course of the average working year it amounts to £1,360.

Researchers found one in five professionals now cycle to work, with 46 per cent saying it gets them there in less time.

And more than a fifth get a sense of superiority when they overtake cars sitting in heavy traffic.

Simon Read, a personal finance expert, said it was increasingly becoming a common sense option - for economic reasons as well as the environmental and personal benefits - for commuters to replace driving with cycling.

"When it comes to saving money, cycling to work is an easy win for commuters," he said. “Once you’ve splashed out on a bike, then using it every day will help improve your wealth as well as your health.

"The cost of a bike and gear could pay for itself in just four months, which means the more you pedal after that, the more savings you make."

The poll was commissioned by Argos to launch the Oyama Commuter Light 16” Folding Bike, which was designed with an aim to make commuting simpler.

Of those who don’t cycle to their job, a quarter said they would consider it but a fifth say the lack of showering facilities at their office deters them.

It also emerged 27 per cent would consider commuting by bike if it saved them money, and a quarter would do so if they could mix cycling with public transport on their journey to work.

Nine in 10 pedal-powered commuters enjoy their cycling journey, keeping them fit and saving the environment at the same time.

The research, conducted via OnePoll, also found a third of respondents feel cycling to work is too dangerous to do regularly, and a further 38 believe the distance between home and work is too far to ride.

Those who commute by car, bus, train or other means than a bicycle estimate it costs them almost £120 a month to do so, while the average price of cycling gear was found to be £450, meaning the two-wheeled option would pay for itself after four months.

A spokesman for Argos said: “With train fares newly announced to increase again in January, many workers are really feeling the financial pinch of their daily commute.

“Our data shows that sales of adult bikes have risen almost 70 per cent in the last three years, while folding bikes are proving even more popular and have doubled in the same time.

“If you’re new to cycling then a folding bike is the perfect introduction to the world of cycle lanes and helmets as you can easily mix your ride with a stint on public transport.”

SWNS