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Four in 10 people unaware of government efforts to boost cycling including Fix Your Bike scheme, survey finds

Meanwhile 3 in 10 say protected bike lanes would encourage them to cycle

The insurance company LV= says that more than four in 10 people – 42 per cent – are unaware of government efforts to promote cycling including urging councils to provide safe infrastructure, and the Fix Your Bike voucher scheme.

A survey commissioned by the insurer also found that protected cycle lanes would encourage three in 10 people – equivalent to more than 15 million adults in the UK – to take up cycling or to get on their bike more.

In line with similar survey findings in the past, the fear of road traffic collisions was identified as the greatest barrier to cycling, cited by 55 per cent of respondents – and 16 per cent had sustained an injury in the past due to a collision while riding their bike.

Concerns about being involved in a crash were highest in rural areas, at 63 per cent, and 18 per cent of people living in the countryside also said that there was no cycling infrastructure near them.

Across the country as a whole, suffering a puncture, at 28 per cent, and having their bike stolen, at 27 per cent, were also among the major concerns highlighted by participants in the survey.

Despite the Government recently announcing several initiatives to encourage more cycling and promote safety, such as new protected bike lanes, vouchers for repairs and free training, over two-fifths (42%) of Brits are unaware of these schemes.

The survey also highlighted a lack of understanding about the role household insurance can play for cyclists. More than a third of respondents, 37 per cent, did not know that their cover could protect them against third party liability for injury or property damage while cycling up to £2 million, and 24 per cent were unaware that their policy could cover them for damage outside the home.

Heather Smith, managing director at LV= General Insurance, commented: “The COVID-19 lockdown has undoubtedly spurred a velo-revolution, with many people keen to avoid public transport with greener methods of travel.

“However, there are very real concerns from cyclists and prospective cyclists around collisions and injuries.

“Anyone looking to take up or get back into cycling should take full advantage of the government schemes while they’re available.

“However, it is clear the government needs to take more action to speed up the implementation of cycle lanes,” she added.

The research was conducted by Opinium from 18-24 August among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults, plus a boost to reach 1,040 bike owners.

The Fix Your Bike scheme was launched amid much fanfare by Grant Shapps in May, wit the transport secretary promising 500,000 vouchers worth £50 each to households in England to help get unused and neglected bikes back on the road.

To date, however, only 50,000 vouchers have been released to the public, and the bike repair trade has highlighted problems both in recouping money from the government for work carried out under the scheme, as well as causing people to delay having their bikes fixed while waiting for the next wave of vouchers to be made available.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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5 comments

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jova54 | 3 years ago
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"............ and 18 per cent of people living in the countryside also said that there was no cycling infrastructure near them."

Um. I think the cycling infrastructure is called 'The Roads'

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Simon E replied to jova54 | 3 years ago
5 likes

jova54 wrote:

"............ and 18 per cent of people living in the countryside also said that there was no cycling infrastructure near them."

Um. I think the cycling infrastructure is called 'The Roads'

It's not cycling-specific infrastructure (i.e. car-free).

And the other 82% of people living in the countryside don't GAF about cyclists, which is why it's a problem.

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Sriracha | 3 years ago
2 likes

Of those who have heard of the scheme, 99 out of 100 have not been able to get a Fix your Bike voucher. This is due to, er, the success of the scheme.

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eburtthebike | 3 years ago
5 likes

Four in ten haven't heard of the government's cycling schemes, and the ones who have heard don't trust the government anyway.

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holtyboy | 3 years ago
0 likes

Simon could you provide a link to this research, I can't find it anywhere - thanks

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