Until the 20th century, health was described in terms of vigour and stamina. Now the health of 80 per cent of the population could be improved by exercise, yet one of the commonest reasons given for not exercising is being 'too tired'. If we don't spend some time visualising the future we want, we have no chance of getting it.
Cycling advocacy is most effective where it is incorporated in mainstream thinking.
If cycling is seen only as a sport or a developmental toy for children we can't expect funds to be allocated to cycling. If cycling for transport can be incorporated in government policy then we can expect significant, sustained funding for cycling. We have seen this in parts of europe and, from Australia, Holland appears to be a good example of this. The challenge in most countries is to have cycling given higher priority. A few years ago the Schering Foundation brought experts on the future and senior executives together to try to identify how 'health' would develop in the next century.