How Zubair got fitter due to rekindling a love of cycling and using the Pop-Up lanes
During the summer of 2020 we were giving away 25,000 BetterPoints per month to our Pop-Up stars.
Here is what July winner Zubair said about taking part in the BetterPoints challenge:
‘The Pop-Up lanes have meant that I have started riding a bike again after 15 years since I last rode one. It's made me change my lifestyle, and become more active and healthier.
As a boy I loved my bike, I would ride it everywhere and be off on long rides for the whole day having real adventures. This continued as I left school and started to cycle to work. But once I learned to drive, I became more and more reliant on four wheels and got stuck in a rut of jumping in the car for convenience.
During the Covid-19 lockdown I’ve been inspired to get my bike out again to get to work, and with less cars on the roads my confidence was soon regained. Along with the BetterPoints rewards it’s been my wife who has really encouraged me to rekindle my love for cycling. We started to go on longer bike rides and for picnics in the local parks. Over the summer I’ve got much fitter as I’ve cycled more and more to earn the rewards. I use the cycle pop-up lanes regularly, especially London Road and Evington Lane ones. These roads are usually quite problematic - as traffic is high and cars go very fast. The Pop-Ups have made cycling much safer for all.
I’m so pleased that after a 15-year gap in cycling I’m fitter, and I’ve developed a real sense of wellbeing and my all-round confidence has grown. The knock-on effect is that I’ve become much more energetic and proactive at home, fixing things and doing DIY too.’ – Zubair J
Use the 'Pop-Up' pedestrian and bike areas to earn 10 BetterTickets into the weekly prize draw.
The more people use the pop-up infrastructure, the more likely it is to become permanent and to grow. Now is the time to ditch the car, avoid slipping back into old habits, get healthier, happier and back to better!
The council are keen to hear your ideas too. Where are cycleways and wider pavements for distancing needed? Visit the Widen My Path website to register your ideas.
To find out more about the pop-up routes visit the Choose How You Move website.