Why Cycle to Work Day Isn’t for Everyone

With all the talk recently of getting disabled people to work, I thought this week we would chat about why cycle to work day Isn’t for everyone. While many are gearing up with helmets and wheels for Cycle to Work Day, I’m left wondering — where do disabled people fit in this narrative?

What is Cycle to Work Day?

Cycle to work day, is run by Cyclescheme as a way to get people to stop relying on their cars and to get on their bikes. If more people did this not only, would they feel the health benefits, but they would save money, and it would improve the environment. It has been running for 25 years and is a brilliant scheme, but does it go far enough to take disability into consideration.

Disabled people make up 16.1 million people in the UK, which is 1 in 4, so making life more accessible should be done by everyone. However, many ideas like this can actually be excluding to disabled people because we are not included in the process of making them happen.

Many well-meaning schemes and initiatives fall short of full accessibility and a reason for that, I believe is that we are rarely working for them. What I mean by this is that often it is able bodied people who are working to make companies and websites etc more accessible.

Governments often talk about wanting us in work, but why are we not represented in the workplace in roles that could help them be more accessible? I couldn’t even find information on the Cycle to Work Day website about making this more accessible. The only information was about how their websites follow the laws, which wasn’t very personal or inspiring at all.

What if there were bikes to hire that were tricycles or electric as well? What if people use mobility aids? What about people who live in small towns or villages away from their workplace? Have they considered how chronic pain, or fatigue could make cycling unsafe? Is there a way to make adaptive cycles cheaper or more financially accessible to people with disabilities?

I didn’t feel like any of these questions were answered on the website which makes me wonder if anyone has thought about it. This is maybe why cycle to work day isn’t for everyone. But could it be set up differently so that it could be?

Public Transport: The Supposed “Alternative”

If the point of this awareness day is to get more people to ditch their car, why isn’t public transport included? Maybe it is because that is rarely accessible either?

I have personally tried using public transport as an able-bodied person before getting sick and as someone who is disabled. Having to pre-book any trip and needing to travel to a manned train station so I can be put on the train is not exactly accessible or easy.

Over the many trips I used to make to London to see friends, I often would find myself trapped on the train because they would forget to get me off it. My husband had to drive to pick me up from a different station miles away because they didn’t come to get me off the train… and yes, I had booked that I needed assistance.

Often disabled people feel overwhelmed and can experience sensory overload, there is rarely a step-free access. Inaccessible buses, broken lifts, overcrowded trains, and unsupportive staff are just a few of the reasons why I stopped taking public transport and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better.

So, how should someone who cannot drive, due to a myriad of reasons, get to work without spending a lot of money? Is society changing alongside this want to get more people off benefits and into work? And is Cycle to Word Day an option?

“Green” Solutions That Leave Disabled People Behind

I want to be clear, I love the idea of this awareness day, I want to be more environmentally conscious when going about my life. Unfortunately, society is not set up in a way that makes that easy and a lot of the time the things that would allow us to be so, are out of reach financially.

Often, we are othered by green initiatives because the ways we are forced to live because of our illnesses create a lot of waste and cause us to have no choice but to use a car. We are left feeling frustrated and full of guilt with no real help or inclusion into changing things.

If one in four people are disabled, and if we accept that disability can happen out of nowhere thanks to illness, or accident… then we must accept that things have to change.

Real climate solutions must come with inclusion of disabled people alongside us being included at every stage. Otherwise, a large portion of the population is left with no choice but to not participate.

Overall, I really wish society would stop vilifying us and instead include us, we need change so that yes more disabled people could work or live more sustainably. We need more inclusive transport planning, accessible funding schemes, before launching national campaigns consult with disabled people, and include us in making the world more sustainable.

Cycle to Work Day may not be made for people like me — but our journeys, challenges, and contributions deserve to be seen and respected too. We need to be included and thought about when these national campaigns are set up, not just because of the law, but because we are human beings!

Thank you xx

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