The University of Birmingham (UoB) has come ninth in a ranking of the best 25 universities for cycling in the UK, News Editor Cerys Gardner reports
The University of Birmingham (UoB) has come ninth in a ranking of the best 25 universities for cycling in the UK.
Universities were ranked on issues including ‘campus bike storage, pro-cycling and bike campaigns, university cycling societies, accessibility of local bike shops and quality of resources for would-be cyclists; points were deducted for bike theft and air pollution levels.’
The top three universities are Edinburgh, Bristol and Glasgow. They were chosen, respectively, for the ‘Doctor Bike’ events run on campus, the strong cycling community within the university and the city, and the bike rental scheme operated for students.
UoB ranked higher than Oxford, Exeter, and Sheffield. Cambridge came sixth, narrowly missing out on a top five place because it had ‘the highest rates of bicycle theft of any university.’
The article also gives advice on how to stay safe while cycling at university; by investing in a D-lock and registering your bike with BikeRegister.
Rachel Fisher, an Industrial Fellow at Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education, told Redbrick: ‘[I] Honestly don’t know how we are ninth. There’s never anywhere to park them, always very concerned they’ll get nicked […] Selly Oak is rat run too and I really think it should be a low traffic neighbourhood to encourage student cycling. But we also need routes on campus to make it safe for people to get around.’
She also mentioned the Birmingham City Council Active Travel Map, where people can provide suggestions on how to make travelling safer for cyclists.
Kirsty Brown, women’s captain of the UoB cycling club, told Redbrick that ‘although Birmingham hasn’t got a great reputation for cycling in it because of busy roads […] we are a super friendly and inclusive club, and have lots of members of all abilities! And if you cycle far enough out of Birmingham it’s beautiful.’ although Birmingham hasn’t got a great reputation for cycling in it because of busy roads […] we are a super friendly and inclusive club, and have lots of members of all abilities
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