DfT's Think Cyclist campaign: Why so little funding in comparison to motorcycle awareness campaign?

Today we reported on the Department for Transport's new Think Cyclist campaign, but it didn't excape our notice that, although it had various similarities to earlier Think Bike campaigns, aimed at motorcyclist awareness, it only claimed one-fifteenth the funding of the latter.

While Think Bike, which was relaunched in 2012, was funded to the tune of £1.2 million in 2012 alone, Think Cyclist has been allocated only £80,000.

As a result of the 2010 Think Bike campaign, it was found that 77 per cent of adult could recall a television advert that raised their awareness of motorcycle safety, according to a DfT report. Yet it was still deemed worth spending another £1.2 million on further awareness.

In comparison, it's thought that the Think Cyclist campaign will reach very few people, and in any case, promotes a mixed message about cycle safety, including advice for riders to wear a helmet. In fact, cycle campaigners were so dubious about the message that none officially got behind it.

The CTC said of the campaign: "Any benefits of the campaign are likely to be extremely limited thanks to the very small budget behind it.

"This campaign is likely to have barely any impact amongst the public at large."

What do you think of the Department for Transport's campaign? Let us know in the comments below.