‘BetterPoints has helped me get back to cycling regularly’

Rosemin, who lives in South London, had stopped cycling after an accident. BetterPoints provided the perfect motivation to her get back on the bike and encourage others to cycle too.

The BetterPoints Greenwich residents programme ran from August 2017 to December 2018. The aim of the programme was to encourage people to switch from cars to walking and cycling to help improve the air quality in the Greenwich Low Emission Neighbourhood, in partnership with the Royal Borough of Greenwich. 

The Low Emission Neighbourhood(LEN) is an area of the Greenwich West and Peninsula Wards where air quality needs to improve. The project uses a mixture of ‘smart technology’ and tried-and-tested techniques to reduce transport emissions and make the area a more people-friendly neighbourhood. One of the initiatives was a BetterPoints programme. 

Rosemin used to cycle regularly but had fallen out of the habit. ‘When I was a young girl I cycled regularly. But a few years ago I got hit by a bus and my bike was off the road for a while. But as the saying goes once you get back on a bike you never forget! The BetterPoints app has helped me get back to cycling regularly’.

Throughout the programme almost 60,000 activities were recorded by the participants. They walked, ran or cycled almost tens of thousands of miles in the local area, mitigating almost 25,000 kg of CO2 emissions and burning close to five million calories. Many of these journeys replaced car journeys, contributing to the outcomes of the LEN.

Rosemin told us what she likes about cycling, ‘I love the freedom it gives me and helps me commute to places where there is no public transport. It also helps to keep me feeling young and healthy.  I feel much healthier and younger than other 50-year olds I know.’

Cycling has proven benefits for physical and mental health, with studies showing that the benefits outweigh any risks owing to injury or air pollution. 

Cycling and walking for individual and population health benefits, a report published recently by Public Health England shows that cycling and walking have a wide range of benefits, including:

• Improved metabolic health and a reduced risk of premature mortality
• Reduction in the risk factors for many Long Term Conditions (e.g. cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, some cancers, type II diabetes)
• Positive effects on mental health and general wellbeing
• Reduction in pollution & road congestion (owing to reduced car use)

Across the UK and beyond BetterPoints programmes successfully motivate people to leave their cars at home and use active and sustainable modes of travel, benefiting individual and population health and wellbeing. Our award-winning platform can be configured to reward any positive behaviours our partners want to encourage.

As for Rosemin, although the BetterPoints Greenwich programme has come to and end she will continue to cycle for transport and leisure. We asked her how she planned to use her BetterPoints rewards. ‘I will use them for shopping and buying treats for my kids. I encourage my whole family to use the BetterPoints app.’