A London Ambulance Service paramedic has been named one of the capital’s most inspirational cyclists, and will now have her name on the city’s Santander-sponsored rental bikes in recognition of her dedication, writes Romilly Schulte…
Carol Summers, a paramedic in the Ambulance Service’s Cycle Response Unit, has had a Santander rental bike named after her as part of a Transport for London initiative in celebration of International Women’s Day, in which ten bikes were named after ten inspirational women.
Carol has worked with the London Ambulance Service for over two decades, and joined the cycle team ten years ago, which is made up of 40 paramedics who work in crowded urban areas – they can often reach patients faster than an ambulance, despite carrying around 75kg of life-saving kit.
She said: “I’m passionate about cycling and feel so lucky to be able to ride a bike every day for my job.
“Not everybody has access to a bicycle, so schemes like Santander cycles mean people can get on a bike if they don’t have one at home. Infrastructure is really important too – making more cycle routes and safer cycle routes helps more people feel confident to ride.”
On top of cycling a minimum of 200 miles a week for work, she also works instructing new paramedics who join the cycle unit, helping to train them and build their road confidence.
The TfL bike-naming initiative made up part of plans to tackle perceived barriers in cycling for women and girls, and over 150 individuals were nominated as a female cycling hero before whittled down to ten winners chosen by City Hall, TfL and Santander.
The honorary bicycles were predominantly named after women that work with bikes, such as ‘ultracyclist’ Emily Chappell, and campaigners for improved cycling infrastructure and education.
Another of the famous red bikes has been named in honor of early bicycle pioneer Tessie Reynolds, who broke the record cycling from Brighton to London and back in 1893, at a time when Victorian norms opposed to women riders – she was aged just 16.
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