SENSE WITH CENTS
I Want To Ride My Bicycle
The impact on wealth, health and the planet
Learning to drive
In the village where I grew up, it was an honourable rite of passage when your provisional driving license slid through the letterbox and plopped onto the doormat. It meant you were ready to book your first driving lesson.
It also meant that you could escape the confines of your local area and take a ‘quick trip’ to a friend’s house, instead of labouring over a two mile walk or a hilly cycle ride. Friendships required real commitment in those days!
Those lucky enough to have a parent, older friend or sibling, to teach them drive might have already had some informal lessons — hopefully a lot calmer that the two I had with my quick-tempered father.
It would be fair to say that I wasn’t a natural driver, and I never really enjoyed being behind the wheel. I was quite content continuing to peddle around on two wheels, enjoying the breeze on my face and keeping connected with the natural environment.
Going my own way
The sad thing is, cycling after seventeen was considered a negative thing. Back in the ’80s, acquiring a car was viewed a significant step up on the imaginary ladder of life…
