Research shows saving money a key driver for people to start cycling
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
New research published by Cycling Scotland has shown that saving money is a key motivator for people taking up cycling. The study, which tracks changes in attitudes towards cycling in Scotland since 2017, found 29% saying low cost was a reason to cycle, compared to 17% who said the same in 2021.
More than two thirds (69%) of participants in the survey said that saving money is one of their main motivations for cycling more often, up from 58% last year.
Safety concerns remain a major barrier to cycling, the research shows, with two-thirds (69%) saying they would be more likely to consider cycling if there was less traffic on the roads.
The cycling gender gap also remains, with women more likely to consider cycling if there was less traffic on the roads (77% vs. 63% of men) and if they were more confident cycling (49% vs. 30% of men).
There has also been a move towards higher levels of agreement around cycling’s benefits for the environment over time, with four in five people (80%) saying that it would be better for the environment if more people cycled (up from 72% in 2017).
Scotland’s appetite for cycling continues to grow, with the number of people saying that they are “extremely likely” to cycle more journeys in future doubling since last year (6% vs 3% in 2021 and the highest rate since the research began in 2017).
Denise Hamilton, head of communications at Cycling Scotland said: “In the current cost-of-living crisis, more people are realising that cycling offers an affordable way of connecting us to jobs, interviews, education and essential services. It’s also really positive to see the majority of people recognise how cycling ultimately saves you time – you can get where you need to go and do your daily exercise all in one!
“To help more people gain from the money saving and health benefits of cycling, we need to make it more accessible to all, by making sure we have fair access to bikes, and to bike storage, and making our roads safer.
“To improve safety, which will encourage more people to cycle, we need a network of dedicated cycling lanes, separated from traffic as the highest priority.”