Our latest Walking and Cycling Index has revealed that 61% of disabled people feel welcome and comfortable walking, wheeling[1] or spending time on the streets of their neighbourhood. For Joanne, who has cerebral palsy, getting out on her e-trike and socialising on traffic-free routes near her home gives her huge amounts of joy. Having access to fresh air and making connections has brought her out of a dark place to one where she is fully immersed in her local community.
Getting out on her e-trike and socialising on traffic-free routes near her home gives Joanne huge amounts of joy. Credit: Rachael Ludlow-Williams
Joanne, who lives in Belfast, was recommended cycling as a form of therapy to strengthen her back muscles after undergoing spinal fusion surgery.
She hadn鈥檛 cycled since she was a child, and it took some getting used to.
After her surgery she was given anti-depressants for pain relief which she took for nine years.
Within two months of investing in her own trike she felt she no longer needed to take her medication and hasn鈥檛 taken it since.
Joanne鈥檚 condition means she can often trip up when walking, but when she鈥檚 on her trike, it鈥檚 like 鈥渢he cerebral palsy just disappears.鈥 She said:
鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel as self-conscious on the trike as I do when walking.鈥 She added:
鈥淟ooking back, I was very, very unhappy - life can really knock you down. I鈥檓 lucky to be out the other side.
鈥淪ince having my trike, I know I鈥檝e always got something to fall back on when I鈥檓 in a low place.
鈥淲hen I feel overwhelmed or anxious all I can think is 鈥業 need to get out on the trike.鈥
鈥淚 never used to think like that - the trike has done that for me. I鈥檝e called it 鈥楯oy鈥, because that鈥檚 what it gives me.
鈥淚 can go out on my own and I feel safe. I get out into the fresh air, exercise, socialise and just take a minute to think about life 鈥 it helps clear my head.
鈥淚 come back home feeling happier and more content.
鈥淭he joy it brings me is second to none.
鈥淢y trike is my lifeline.鈥
A couple of years ago, Joanne, who has done cycle training with GTV视频, had the option of using either a trike or a mobility scooter to get around.
鈥淎lthough I chose a trike, a mobility scooter is accepted as a mobility aid, whereas a trike is not.
鈥淲hen I go to hospital appointments, I鈥檓 unable to take my trike inside, the way I could with a mobility scooter.
鈥淚t means I have to get a taxi to appointments.
鈥淚 think trikes should be considered mobility aids and there should be allowances.鈥
Choosing a trike has strengthened Joanne's muscles, allowed her to get into nature, and has done wonders for her social life.
When out on her local traffic-free routes, her trike is often a big talking point.
鈥淢y favourite thing about getting out on the trike is meeting people and chatting to them.
鈥淓veryone knows me around here now as the lady on the trike.
鈥淲hen I鈥檓 out on the trike no one sees my disability. It鈥檚 nice to not have people鈥檚 first impressions of me being the fact that I have a visible disability.
鈥淚鈥檝e met other people out and about who have cerebral palsy who are also interested in getting a trike - I let them have a trial of mine before they go ahead and buy one.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 ride the trike when I first got it and I thought 鈥榳hat have I done?鈥, so being able to give other people the opportunity to try one out is great.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 able to get out onto the Lagan Towpath without my e-trike 鈥 I wouldn鈥檛 have met half the people I鈥檝e met. It鈥檚 allowed me to reconnect with nature as well.
鈥淪ince getting out on my trike I鈥檝e formed a new friendship too.
鈥淔reda stopped me one day when I was out and about and asked me about my trike.
鈥淪he now has one of her own and we鈥檝e become cycling buddies.
鈥淚 was really in need of a friend at the time, I was in a dark place.
鈥淓verything has worked out, things are meant to be.
鈥淚t really has been lifechanging for me.鈥
When it comes to wheeling in the road or on a wide footpath, Joanne will always choose the footpath as she feels like it鈥檚 the safer option. Credit: Rachael Ludlow-Williams
But it鈥檚 not always a walk in the park for Joanne.
Kissing gates are a real obstacle for her, and when it comes to wheeling in the road or on a wide footpath, she鈥檒l always choose the footpath as she feels like it鈥檚 the safer option.
鈥淪ome of the roads around here could really do with the cycle lanes widening.
鈥淎t the moment you can only fit a standard bike in them.
鈥淭he lanes are about 12 inches wide 鈥 which makes it hard for people on trikes and mobility scooters to get around using the roads.
"I find the roads intimidating and avoid them if I can.鈥
Joanne is not alone in wanting more investment for wheeling and cycling in her area.
Our latest Walking and Cycling Index (2023) has found that more than half of people (56%) of people support shifting investment from road building to funding options for walking and wheeling, cycling and public transport.
鈥淏elfast鈥檚 cycling infrastructure is improving all the time. It's come a long way recently which is great to see.
鈥淚 hope through sharing my story I can give someone else the courage to do something like this.鈥
The Walking and Cycling Index 2023 is the clearest picture of what people really think about walking, wheeling and cycling across the UK and Ireland.
It includes an independent and representative survey by NatCen of 18 cities and city regions, consisting of 21,000 residents.听
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Find out more as we mark 10 years of the Walking and Cycling Index.
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[1] We recognise that some people who use wheeled mobility aids, for example a wheelchair or a mobility scooter, may not identify with the term walking and may prefer to use the term wheeling. We use the terms walking and wheeling together to ensure we are as inclusive as possible.
