World Car Free Day: The beauty of cycling
It is World Car Free Day on Thursday, 22 September. The annual event is aimed at putting people first on the streets of the capital by encouraging a traffic-free environment.?
In Hounslow, there are plenty of opportunities to ditch the car in favour of a healthier, more sustainable mode of transport.?
One great way of doing this is by swapping the car for a bicycle. It’s great for the environment and could save you money.?
Here, we speak to one member of the bike group Cycle Sisters to find out more about the beauty of two-wheeled transport.
Riding with Roda
Freedom, fitness and friendship…
These are the three things that Hounslow-local Roda loves most about cycling around the borough.?
The full-time mum and student nurse admits she never learnt to ride as a child but always wanted to give it a go.?
So, after picking up a leaflet advertising free cycle training with Hounslow Council in 2019, she jumped at the chance.
“I had six sessions and each time I would manage to fall,” says Roda. “I had determination and wasn’t giving up, no matter how hard the road was. Each session I was the first to arrive.”
Soon Roda was up and running and was so taken with cycling that she decided to become a ride leader with Cycle Sisters.?
“I became a ride leader so that I can support and help sisters like me and give back to my community,” said Roda, adding; “The best thing about it is meeting new people and supporting the riders so they can achieve more than they ever dreamed possible.”
Roda now uses her bike to get to and from her nursing places. It’s turned a long commute into a pleasurable 15-minute journey.?
Her favourite journey takes her outside Hounslow to Ealing’s Northala Fields.?
She said: “It’s a unique place with amazing views and a lovely cafe. It’s a park like no other made with four huge mounds made from the rubble from the demolition of the original Wembley Stadium.”
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