A plumber from Cardiff has decided to ditch his van and start using a pushbike for his jobs around Cardiff and the Vale.
David Campbell, 44, has been a plumber for 15 years and has driven a van for 12 but decided to downsize to a bike for two months.
David, known as 'the plumber on a pushbike', doesn't regret his new transport choice at all, even riding from his home in Fairwater to places as far afield as Barry daily for his work.
Read all of our top Cardiff stories here
David said: "I originally downsized from a van to a car just to make things more simple. Then I was looking at replacing the car and trying to decide whether to go diesel or electric. I couldn't decide on either so I went for a electric bike.
"I was a very keen cyclist anyway and you would find me out on my bike most days so it made sense."
David said a key factor for his switch was the huge benefits that cycling has to the environment compared to his old van and car.
He said: "I'm very environmentally aware. I hope seeing me, a plumber, on a push bike will open up other people's imaginations to seeing what they can do to help the environment as well. Leading by example is the idea.
"There's more to it than the environmental point of view. I think everyone should do it just because it's so much fun. But also we need to start thinking about the environment in Cardiff and about changes that have to happen. I just want to put that idea in people's heads."
Cycling to jobs allows Dave to work more "sensibly and calmly". He said: "Having a cargo bike makes going anywhere so much easier. I don't have to worry about parking or the idea of being stuck in traffic for half an hour.
"I considered marketing myself as the fastest plumber in town because I can actually get around the city really quickly.
"Have you ever tried driving from Whitchurch to Grangetown? It takes about an hour. With this bike it takes 20 minutes.
"So it's a great incentive and a no-brainer, especially for people in businesses and parents doing school runs."
When visiting clients and even cycling down the road David receives a lot of positive comments about his choice of transport.
He said: "People love it – I guess because it's a novel idea and because it's nice seeing someone do something for the environment. I've contributed to cleaner air by taking my van off the road."
For anyone tempted to switch to a bike, David says the cost is significantly cheaper.
He said: "The bike is pretty expensive to buy at first but compared to running a car it's so much better financially.
"To just have a car sitting on your drive you still have to pay at least a thousand a year with road tax, insurance, and MOT. Then you've got fuel and repair bills and all that extra cost of new tyres and those sort of things. It can easily cost up to two thousand a month just to own the car.
"I bought this bike for £6,000 but, from a business point of view, two years and it will have paid for itself."
David says he hasn't found any difficulties or problems switching to the bike. He said: "The storage box on my bike is huge and big enough to fit all my tools in.
"It doesn't bother me when it's raining. Maybe when it starts snowing it could be a pain but the positives of holding a bike far outweigh the negatives. Sometimes it's raining but I have decent waterproof trousers and a jacket so I stay dry.
"There will be issues and compromises compared to owning a van but when you're doing a job like mine and driving around all these places like Canton, Pontcanna, Roath, there are major downsides when it comes to parking. Everything about cycling is just more positive."
Sign up to the CardiffOnline newsletter to get all the latest updates by clicking here.
