A cycling doctor who performs home visits by bike says people would reduce their risk of poor health and an early death if they got out of their car and climbed into the saddle instead.
Doctor Jonathan Leach OBE, a former army colonel, says he wanted to 'redress the balance' after cyclists came under fire from Worcester city councillor, Alan Amos.
Cllr Amos criticised cyclists who rode through pedestrianised Worcester High Street in contravention of restrictions and said he would resist any plans to relax the rules after a review was announced.
At the moment, cyclists cannot ride through the High Street between 10am and 6pm although Cllr Marc Bayliss, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, has been asked to look again at the Traffic Regulation Order.
Dr Leach, who is also an advanced motorist, stressed he was 'no apologist' for cyclists who broke the rules and in no way was he 'anti car' but described some comments about cyclists as 'disappointing and short-sighted'.
The 64-year-old said more needed to be done to develop active travel including cycle lanes in Worcester and dedicated routes to help them navigate the city more effectively.
"What we need to do is to improve our fitness and reduce our waistlines. The effects of obesity and immobility are clear. The evidence is clear - we need to increase and improve the number of people who are walking and cycling or travelling partly by bus rather than just by car.
"If more people did that, it would also reduce the amount of traffic on the streets," he said.
Dr Leach, of Fernhill Heath, near Worcester, said 'too many people are living with obesity and all the effects of osteoarthritis in the knees and back and are dying as a consequence'.
He says people with type 2 diabetes were at a greater risk of strokes and heart attacks and that regular exercise, such as cycling, would help significantly.
"If I could prescribe it, exercise would be one of the most effective drugs. It's one of the reasons I cycle myself. It keeps me fit, physically and mentally. It reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. We spend far too long in a car doing short journeys," he said.
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Dr Leach travels to home visits on a folding bike (which has insurance, including third party insurance) from his base at Davenal House Surgery in Bromsgrove which he said was often quicker than making the same journey by car.
Dr Leach, who was a colonel in the Royal Army Medical Corps, serving for 25 years, added: "It's also about setting an example. I don't want to just talk the talk but walk the walk."
But he added: "There are far too many journeys by car but when I shifted my mother-in-law's washing machine to the tip I used the car. Of course I did."
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