IAM cycling motorists - 2009

Key findings from cycling motorists:

• More than 14 million motorists own a bike; five million of them cycle regularly, and seven million ride occasionally; almost half a million non-cycling motorists who own a bike might take up cycling again
• A fifth of cycling motorists travel to work by bike; a quarter of those do so daily or on most days
• Exercise, fun, the environment and ‘saving money’ top the list of motivations for motorists to ride rather than drive
• Bad weather, time pressures and darkness are significant factors in deciding not to ride; inconsiderate drivers, busy roads, lorries and the poor state of some roads top the list of concerns of cycling motorists. More cycle lanes, better weather, safer roads and less traffic top the wish list of cycling motorists;
• Both cycling and non-cycling motorists agree that experience of cycling makes drivers more careful
• Most regular cycling motorists say their employers encourage them to cycle to work, and most perceive no ill-feeling or ridicule from colleagues because they do so
• Non-cycling motorists cite being too old, preferring to drive, ‘too dangerous’ and lack of fitness as reasons for not cycling. Exercise, loss of the car and more cycle lanes would be most likely to motivate them to start cycling.
• More than three-quarters of non-cycling motorists say they do not anticipate riding again
• Non-cycling motorists in social groups C1 and C2 are more likely to take up cycling again, as are drivers under 25 and those in the South-east; drivers in Scotland are the least likely to switch to two wheels
• Among cycling motorists, twice as many men as women ride regularly but, of the non-cycling motorists, women are twice as likely to take to two wheels again