Britons fails to get on bikes

[billadie]

The Guardian reports the depressing findings of research into why Britons do not cycle more.

"Years of government efforts to promote cycling have had almost no impact on a sceptical population who largely view bikes as either children's toys or the preserve of Lycra-clad hobbyists, a university study has found."

Britons unmoved by pro-cycling campaigns | Life and style | The Guardian

A second study, discussed in the same article, concludes that only huge investment in segregated cycle lanes will increase numbers. Most people are too frightened of traffic to take up cycling.

Would greater use of Pedelecs help promote cycling?

Bill

 

[JuicyBike]

I think so Bill!

 

[flecc]

I think e-bikes will only make a very marginal difference. That report conclusion is right, the fear of traffic is the most important factor in the unpopularity of cycling, as witness the way the majority of parents now don't allow their children to have bikes. That has been the case for many years now and much of the maturing population have never ridden a two wheeler. That means they are lost to cycling for ever, for those who've never ridden don't usually attempt it in adulthood.

 

[RoadieRoger]

If you have been Cycling or Motorcycling into Middle Age , you are used to traffic being in close proximity , non - cycling families used to driving would find two wheels scary ..Where I live in the Vale of Glamorgan the provision for cyclists is pathetic and the traffic pretty heavy on some of my favourite routes , that`s apart from the steep hills in the town . I looked at the video of the ride from Kingston to New Malden with envy .I cycled in Raynes Park on occasions in the 90`s and early 2000`s and the cycling provision then was excellent . To get more on cycles is an uphill task , but plenty of dedicated lanes would help .

 

[funkylyn]

That is so true Flecc.....the only way to get brits on their bikes is to construct more traffic free routes.....the traffic these days is just too terrifying for all but the most entrepid cyclists.
Talking of traffic free routes, I am sure the other geordies on this forum will back me up when I say that the north east is amazing with their many many miles of traffic free routes.....truly impressive......I have cycled from South Shields over on the ferry and up the northumberland coast, and indeed in all directions...south.....inland....consett.......along the south tyne one way over the millenium bridge over the tyne back along the north side thru the pedestrian tunnel....I could go on.....I absolutely LOVE it.....but as my brother, who still lives in shields, keeps telling me....I've been away too long and have obviously forgotten the bad weather....but luckily the sun always seems to shine when I am visiting

Lynda

 

[HarryB]

I am not surprised by any of the findings. I have been off my bike for 3 months due to a slipped disc and thought I might be better enough to cycle next week. I went out today for a test ride to check the bike out and found that I have lost my nerve while riding on the road - not sure why or what to do with it. Spent most of my time looking behind me worrying about being flattened - seems odd but there you go. Been much less stressed not cycling in too but it is taking 20-40 minute extra a day.

A friends son was run off a country road last week. There wasn't enough room for a bike and a car and the bike lost the battle. He was out with his dad but I suspect another family has been lost to the cycling world.

 

[EdBike]

Its chicken and egg, but if Pedelecs doubled cycling use, there might be a bigger case for separate cycling lanes which would only accelerate adoption of cycling. More cyclists, more people lobbying and caring about cycling... could happen.

 

[Jon]

Its not just the traffic that puts people off especially younger ones, its the image of cycling and the patronising, condescending views from older generation too.

 

[JuicyBike]

We need more 20 zones.

 

[Jon]

We need more 20 zones.

Now that is a campaign i would push for, I live on a residential estate where cars fly past at some speed and nearly every other estate in the area has speed restrictions except ours. When i proposed this to the authority, councillor and MP's they basically said not enough people have died. There is a school on this smallish estate and theres no calming measures its stupid.

I feel that the motorway limit is too low and speed limits on housing estates and built up areas is too high. Estates should be 20mph and school areas should be 15mph.

 

[flecc]

I fully agree Jon. Fortunately we do have a couple of 20 mph zones with calming humps by the two schools on our large estate, but some drivers do stupidly high speeds elsewhere in the housing areas.

Oddly enough many of them I know to be parents, their speeding something I find difficult to understand.

 

[Jon]

I fully agree Jon. Fortunately we do have a couple of 20 mph zones with calming humps by the two schools on our large estate, but some drivers do stupidly high speeds elsewhere in the housing areas.

Oddly enough many of them I know to be parents, their speeding something I find difficult to understand.

And so do i flecc. Our school hasnt even got a speed restriction zone in place and i struggle to understand why the estate im on has been and will be missed off speed restrictions. Childrens safety is paramount and the quality of some drivers is absolutely shocking as many people on here will be witness to during cycling on a road.

 

[Scimitar]

Oddly enough many of them I know to be parents, their speeding something I find difficult to understand.

The worst drivers around here - by 'worst' I mean speeding along recklessly - are the school-run mums. Ironic, eh?

 

[Jon]

The worst drivers around here - by 'worst' I mean speeding along recklessly - are the school-run mums. Ironic, eh?

I cant really say ive noticed who the offenders are for reckless speeding but i do know there is an issue with slower drivers on the faster roads and these tend to be the elderly that should not really be driving. Considering we have one of the most stringent driving tests in the world our quality of driving is awful as a nation.

 

[Oiseaux]

.............. Considering we have one of the most stringent driving tests in the world our quality of driving is awful as a nation.

Let me assure you that here in France the quality of driving is far worse than what I remember of UK. The favourite habit which seems for impossible for any government effort to break is zooming up from behind in a 70 km zone and following at just a few meters distance. However, as I'm sure many will know, cycling is a joy due to the lack of cars / lorries in the back lanes.

Oiseaux

 

[funkylyn]

LOL.....have you driven in Spain .....or even worse.....Portugal lately ???

When I first came back to the UK it was the generally good driving and politeness on the roads that impressed me most.........no, really, thats true !

Lynda

 

[lemmy]

To emphasise a few things said here - My sister went to live in Lubeck, Germany and for the first time since she was a teenager bought a bike. Why? There was a segregated bike track running past her place into the town centre a couple of miles away. The bike became her normal transport into town for coffee, shopping and so on. Even though they get fierce winters, she'd dress up warm and cycle except in the worst snow. She used the car only for the weekly big shop in an out of town supermarket.

Now, on returning to the UK, she has sold the bike. She is in her 50s and no faint heart but she is simply not prepared to brave the 'bicycles get in my way' mentality of UK drivers and the lack of proper facilities for bikes.

The French, I lived there for several and yes, I hated the way they'd tailgate with no thought at all for the consequences. I liked, though, the way they'd automatically alternate entry at road works and awkward traffic junctions without all the jockeying and mouthing curses we get here. In fact I witnessed little of the filthy language car drivers here shout at one another and cyclists (and vice versa). There's no question that a cyclist's lot is better on the continent than here.

However, the worst experience seems to be in Los Angeles where a friend has suffered (and tells me it's not uncommon) from being pushed over or nudged off the road by morons who think it is funny. Maybe he's just been unlucky, of course.

 

[HarryB]

Looking through the comments I did find this and hey it mentions electric bikes!!! I understand the bit about the antisocial behaviour but how very British that it would make a comment about another person's lifestyle - why would it care?

"Never mind getting more people on bicycles what about the poor pedestrian. Nowhere is safe now. There are, apparantly, no rules or laws governing the riding of bicycles and they ride along pavements and through pedestrian precincts with total immunity. It seems that the police have absolutely no control over the cycling population. If I were to rob a bank a bicycle would be my getaway vehicle of choice as the police would never think of a cyclist as being guilty of anything.
Then we have the 'Hells Cyclists' at the weekend who cruise the paths and byways in gangs wearing their skin-tight, multi-coloured gang uniforms (the equivalent of 'go-faster' stripes on cars) and helmets like some strange, alien invasion force. And none of them look happy. They all wear this look of grim determination as though they are on a mission of national importance and no one is allowed to get in their way least of all some peasant of a pedestrian.
As if all this wasn't enough there are now those electric bicycles ( the point of these please?) and don't get me started on little invalid carts. The safest place for a pedestrian to walk now is in the road, or is there a law against that?"

 

[flecc]

That's brilliant Harry, I love that bit about the lycra brigade, how true it is about the look they wear when earnestly cycling!

Ok, it's anti-cycling, but the observations are acute.

 

[Alex728]

there used to by types like that at one of my old employers in SE England and TBH they actually put me off cycling (even though in hindsight it would have made more sense than trusting the buses). They treated each day as a competitive race, and were equally arrogant and competitive at work.