City cycling prevents death

Healthier option: The weather and traffic may seem a deterrent, but it’s not impossible to cycle to work in Malaysia, as shown by a businessman in this file photo.

Using bicycles on a near-systematic basis in cities could have an incredible impact on people’s health, both in terms of exposure to pollution and road accidents.

Research suggests that as many as 205,000 premature deaths could be avoided each year worldwide if policies encouraging people to use a bicycle instead of a car were put in place.