101 reasons to love cycling in London #4 - avoid the congestion charge!

If you're one of those people who make up the two fifths of car journeys which are under 3 miles in the UK and are coming to London, here's a big tip: don't drive, ride!  The congestion charge costs £8 a day for the benefit of driving a private motor car in central London, and added up over the working year (227 days a year) that's a massive £1816 a year - and this, of course, on top of car value depreciation, vehicle emmisions tax, MOTs and servicing and the price of fuel.  So let's recap - by cycling around central London instead of driving you're getting to your destination faster, you're getting fit, you're reducing carbon emissions in the city with the WORST air pollution levels in Europe and, perhaps most importantly to your Average Joe, you're SAVING nearly two thousands pounds a year.  Sounds good to me.

101 reasons to love cycling in London #1 - savings!

The first of hopefully many of my reasons to love cycling in London - saving money!  It's not the primary reason why I love to get on my bike every morning but hey, we live in tight times and it's good to be economically conscious.  By my calculations my return tube fair (Bethnal Green to Mayfair & back) comes to £4.40 a day with an Oyster card (more without one, and more if I go anywhere after work on the public transport system.)  As such, if I cycle for all work days at 227 days a year (5 days a week, plus 25 days paid holiday) instead of taking my usual route on the tube I'm making a massive saving of NINE HUNDRED & NINETY EIGHT POUNDS a year.  That's cash in the bank, cold stuff, readies, dough, moolah, cash.  Need I say more?