I stood in the middle of a crossroads on the main route between York and Teesside, and listened. Skylarks drifted high overhead; lambs called. After a few minutes, some traffic could be heard coming – a young family out on their bikes. If there’s been any silver lining in these stormy Covid-19 days, perhaps it’s been the chance for people to rediscover the lost freedom of bicycles. I greeted the family as they passed, their laughter filling the normally thundering crossroads. I waited; still no vehicles hurtled by.