Monday 30 April 2012
Source: British Cycling
Download full survey results as a (70kb).
Of 1,471 people surveyed, 52% named cycle lanes as priority issue.
Almost two thirds named careless or inconsiderate drivers as capital’s top hazard.
Just 2% of respondents said roll out of Barclays bike scheme should be top of the mayor’s to-do list.
Over half of London’s cyclists think that more dedicated space for cycling should be the top road safety priority for whoever is elected as mayor on 3 May, according to the results of a survey published today by British Cycling.
Of 1,471 cyclists surveyed, 52% said that more dedicated space for cyclists on the roads is key to transforming London into a cycling city. The redesign of the capital’s worst junctions came second with a quarter (26%) of respondents naming it as the issue that should be top of the new mayor’s road safety to-do list.
Despite the success of the Barclays bike hire initiative, just 2% of respondents agreed that rolling out the scheme to cover more areas should be the top issue that mayoral candidates take forward.
Respondents were also asked to name the main hazard they encounter when cycling in London. Almost two thirds (61%) named careless or inconsiderate driving by cars, buses and HGVs as the top hazard. Potholes or other poor road conditions came second with 18% of cyclists naming it as their main gripe. The survey also showed that cyclist-to-cyclist relations on the road are healthy with only 2% of respondents naming other cyclists as their top hazard.
Martin Gibbs, British Cycling’s Director of Policy and Legal Affairs, said:
“Our survey has put beyond doubt what London’s mayor should be focusing on to transform cycling in the capital. The key issue that over half of respondents have put at the top of the mayor’s to-do list is that they want more dedicated space on the roads.
“Over two thirds of respondents said careless and inconsiderate driving is their main concern. The new mayor needs to urgently address this with policies to create a better climate of mutual respect on London's roads. We'll be attending the hustings today and are keen to work with whoever is elected to make London a better city to ride a bike in.”
Olympic champion road cyclist Nicole Cooke said:
“If London is going to be transformed into a fantastic cycling city then whoever is elected as mayor needs to take the findings of this survey seriously. We know that perceived risk to safety puts people off cycling and the mayor should place focus on this. By creating more dedicated space for cyclists and fostering a culture of mutual respect, London could create a cycling experience that could one day rival great cities like Copenhagen or Amsterdam.”
British Cycling’s survey also asked people to choose one question that they’d like mayoral candidates to address at today’s cycling hustings event, organised by The Times and Sustrans. The question that received the most votes (35%) was ‘what single initiative do you promise to implement to transform London into a cycling city?’
The survey of 1,471 people was conducted using Survey Monkey between 12 and 26 April. Full results are available here as a pdf download (70kb).
