She Spoke to Kerry about bikes in Birimgham

Kerry Lesley with her Raleigh Prelude

Tell me about your bike and where you got it.
My bike is a Raleigh Prelude.  Last year I decided that I was going to start cycling and I wasn't sure that I would stick at it, so I thought I should just buy a cheap bike.  I had a look on Ebay and manged to find this one for just £30, in Lincolnshire, where I used to live .

Where has your bike taken you today?
My bike has taken from my home in Stirchley to Stirchely Market, where I have took my bike to Birmingham Bike Foundry's Dr Bike stall for a free tune up

Nancy Langfeldt from Birmingham Bike Foundry giving Kerry's bike a tune-up

Why do you cycle?

A lot of my friends cycle and it makes sense because train fares at peak times are £3.60 or £3.90  by bus.  So this saves me around £20 a week or £80 a month if I cycled every day.  So for a bike that only cost me £30, I should have made my money back in just over a week and a half.

What is your main commute around Birmingham and the West Midlands?
Well I am a freelance designer, so I work from home a lot or I go to work in Birmingham City Centre , Five Ways or Whythall.  I am a bit of a nervous cyclists, but in the South of  Birmingham I have a choice of routes, along the canal or along the Rea Valley which is so beautiful.  I have not quite plucked up the courage to ride to Whythall on my own yet.

Where is your favorite place in Birmingham and the West Midlands?

I like riding in Birmingham, but on weekends its nice to go to the outskirts, as after riding for just a few miles you can be out in the country side. My friends and I like to cycle to Belbrougton and the Clent Hills, which only about 13 miles outside Birmingham.

What could Birmingham do to improve the cycling infrastructure to make it more user friendly to all cyclists?

I suppose that Birmingham could have more awareness for drivers that there are nervous cyclists out there. Also by educating young people .   If more of our youth did Bikeability training and parents were aware of this, then it may make parent drivers more sympathetic to cyclists.

Thank you Kerry