What do you think are the main reasons for people not cycling.



Z

Ziggy

Guest
Presuambly, most people here love to cycle - are 'diagnosed cyclists' as someone
put it today.

What do you think are the major reasons why people don't cycle?

1) They think it's dangerous.
2) They don't like hills and headwinds.
3) They can't carry as much as they'd like.
4) They find it inconvenient/unreliable - dressing up or finding other means of
transport when it rains.
5) Concerns about the bike being stolen when left unattended.
6) They are not confident of their abilities

Any others?

I was pondering this after reading Eric Sandblom's article "get rich quick,
repair bikes" and noticing the increased popularity of electricly assisted bikes
nowadays.

They may help with 2 and 4 above, and if they can be easily immobilised, may
help with 5.

I think most people here are agreed that life is generally easier for cyclists
the more cyclists there are on the roads.

It would be nice to think that electric cycle technology could play its part in
making cycling more popular, especially for those who, because of physical
impairment might not be capable of cycling at the moment.
 
Den 2007-03-24 17:55:36 skrev Ziggy <[email protected]>:
>
> It would be nice to think that electric cycle technology could play its
> part in
> making cycling more popular, especially for those who, because of
> physical
> impairment might not be capable of cycling at the moment.



Electric bikes can be a good advertisement to get people cycling. So can
folders and trikes. Between trikes, hand-driven trikes and bikes,
extremely few people can't cycle.

Erik Sandblom

--
Oil is for sissies
 
Ziggy <[email protected]> wrote:
> Presuambly, most people here love to cycle - are 'diagnosed cyclists'
> as someone put it today.
>

Die hards :)

> What do you think are the major reasons why people don't cycle?
>
> 1) They think it's dangerous.
> 2) They don't like hills and headwinds.
> 3) They can't carry as much as they'd like.
> 4) They find it inconvenient/unreliable - dressing up or finding
> other means of transport when it rains.
> 5) Concerns about the bike being stolen when left unattended.
> 6) They are not confident of their abilities
>
> Any others?


Mostly because other people don't do it and then any or all of the above as
an excuse.

--

Geoff
 
"Ziggy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Presuambly, most people here love to cycle - are 'diagnosed cyclists' as
> someone
> put it today.
>
> What do you think are the major reasons why people don't cycle?
>
> 1) They think it's dangerous.
> 2) They don't like hills and headwinds.
> 3) They can't carry as much as they'd like.
> 4) They find it inconvenient/unreliable - dressing up or finding other
> means of
> transport when it rains.
> 5) Concerns about the bike being stolen when left unattended.
> 6) They are not confident of their abilities
>
> Any others?
>

Not having a bike?
 
"Ziggy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Presuambly, most people here love to cycle - are 'diagnosed cyclists' as
> someone
> put it today.
>
> What do you think are the major reasons why people don't cycle?
>



1) It's MUCH easier to simply get into a car than faff around with clothes,
locks etc.
2) It's too cold, windy, wet, hot, icy etc etc.
3) Might get a puncture.
4) No kudos, unlike a big posh car.

--
Simon Mason
http://www.simonmason.karoo.net
 
Ziggy <[email protected]> wrote:
> Presuambly, most people here love to cycle - are 'diagnosed cyclists' as someone
> put it today.


> What do you think are the major reasons why people don't cycle?


> 1) They think it's dangerous.
> 2) They don't like hills and headwinds.
> 3) They can't carry as much as they'd like.
> 4) They find it inconvenient/unreliable - dressing up or finding other means of
> transport when it rains.
> 5) Concerns about the bike being stolen when left unattended.
> 6) They are not confident of their abilities


> Any others?


They want people to think maybe they don't have a car.

--
Chris Malcolm [email protected] DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]
 
Ziggy wrote:
> Presuambly, most people here love to cycle - are 'diagnosed cyclists' as someone
> put it today.
>
> What do you think are the major reasons why people don't cycle?
>
> 1) They think it's dangerous.
> 2) They don't like hills and headwinds.
> 3) They can't carry as much as they'd like.
> 4) They find it inconvenient/unreliable - dressing up or finding other means of
> transport when it rains.
> 5) Concerns about the bike being stolen when left unattended.
> 6) They are not confident of their abilities
>
> Any others?


Speaking to people round here, I'd say one reason is that cycling is
perceived as being much too slow - they need to get wherever they're
going as soon as possible, rather than just allowing enough time to get
there.

--
Brian G
www.wetwo.co.uk
 
Ziggy wrote:

> Presuambly, most people here love to cycle - are 'diagnosed cyclists' as
> someone put it today.
>
> What do you think are the major reasons why people don't cycle?
>
> 1) They think it's dangerous.
> 2) They don't like hills and headwinds.
> 3) They can't carry as much as they'd like.
> 4) They find it inconvenient/unreliable - dressing up or finding other
> means of transport when it rains.
> 5) Concerns about the bike being stolen when left unattended.
> 6) They are not confident of their abilities
>
> Any others?


The first point that seems to raised whenever I get into such a discussion
is "punctures".

--
***My real address is m/ike at u/nmusic d/ot co dot u/k (removing /s)
http://www.unmusic.co.uk - about me, music, geek sitcom etc.
http://www.unmusic.co.uk/amhs/ - alt.music.home-studio
 
Amongst those I have talked to "Roads too unpleasant/dangerous"
features quite strongly among the older branch and domestic schedules
for others. Two of the people I was in a meeting with (not bike
related) would cycle in if a) the institute had showers where you had
some degree of privacy (one shower as part of a bathroom) and b) if
they didn't have to drop kids off to school, wife to work etc.

On the latter, if I can show a reasonable alternative for getting the
kids to school, both wife and husband may well cycle. About a 5-6 mile
commute (Inchture to SCRI/Ninewells). The reason the husband has to
take the wife is that he cna park for free wheras she most certainly
can't. In this case, increasing car parking charges led to less people
cycling though it is more the exception than the rule.

For the former, he would commute by bike if the institute had
sufficient infrastructure to make it readily practical. Decent bike
sheds and showers as most people there commute quite a distance, but a
distance that is emminently cycleable (up to ten miles flat - ie
Newport->Invergowrie along NCN1/74 which is actually very good for
that stretch.I think they have to cross about half a dozen roads, take
one lift and there are no other obstacles in the journey, it is almost
all traffic free and flat.

...d
 
Ziggy wrote:
> Presuambly, most people here love to cycle - are 'diagnosed cyclists' as someone
> put it today.
>
> What do you think are the major reasons why people don't cycle?
>
> 1) They think it's dangerous.
> 2) They don't like hills and headwinds.
> 3) They can't carry as much as they'd like.
> 4) They find it inconvenient/unreliable - dressing up or finding other means of
> transport when it rains.
> 5) Concerns about the bike being stolen when left unattended.
> 6) They are not confident of their abilities
>
> Any others?
>
> I was pondering this after reading Eric Sandblom's article "get rich quick,
> repair bikes" and noticing the increased popularity of electricly assisted bikes
> nowadays.
>
> They may help with 2 and 4 above, and if they can be easily immobilised, may
> help with 5.
>
> I think most people here are agreed that life is generally easier for cyclists
> the more cyclists there are on the roads.
>
> It would be nice to think that electric cycle technology could play its part in
> making cycling more popular, especially for those who, because of physical
> impairment might not be capable of cycling at the moment.
>
>

Being "lazy".
Always amazed at work to see the number of fit looking people who will
wait for the lift to go up or down one or two floors when it would be so
much quicker to use the stairs. Some people just don't like to exert
themselves when there is an alternative.

JonMcD
 
Ziggy wrote:
> Presuambly, most people here love to cycle - are 'diagnosed cyclists' as someone
> put it today.
>
> What do you think are the major reasons why people don't cycle?
>
> 1) They think it's dangerous.
> 2) They don't like hills and headwinds.
> 3) They can't carry as much as they'd like.
> 4) They find it inconvenient/unreliable - dressing up or finding other means of
> transport when it rains.
> 5) Concerns about the bike being stolen when left unattended.
> 6) They are not confident of their abilities
>
> Any others?


Time I live in a very rural area and it is perceived to take too long to
get anywhere, also main road twisty and narrow, back road very uphill
and down dale. Been marked as route 8.

ttfn
Jane
 
Simon Mason wrote:
> 4) No kudos, unlike a big posh car.


I think you're right, yet strangely I seem to get enormous kudos, no
matter who I am in conversation with, if the conversation turns to
transport and it comes out that I cycle the almost unbelievable distance
of 11 miles a day simply travelling to and from work.

--
Danny Colyer <URL:http://www.colyer.plus.com/danny/>
Reply address is valid, but that on my website is checked more often
"Daddy, put that down. Daddy, put that down. Daddy, put that down.
Daddy, why did you put that down?" - Charlie Colyer, age 2
 
in message <[email protected]>, Ziggy
('[email protected]') wrote:

> Presuambly, most people here love to cycle - are 'diagnosed cyclists' as
> someone put it today.
>
> What do you think are the major reasons why people don't cycle?
>
> 1) They think it's dangerous.
> 2) They don't like hills and headwinds.
> 3) They can't carry as much as they'd like.
> 4) They find it inconvenient/unreliable - dressing up or finding other
> means of transport when it rains.
> 5) Concerns about the bike being stolen when left unattended.
> 6) They are not confident of their abilities
>
> Any others?


7) They think it will be hard work

People these says are quite incredibly sedentary and lazy. I think that's
the main reason for the overwhelming majority of people.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Morning had broken, and I found when I looked that we had run out
of copper roove nails.
 
Simon Brooke wrote on 24/03/2007 21:27 +0100:

>
> 7) They think it will be hard work
>
> People these says are quite incredibly sedentary and lazy. I think that's
> the main reason for the overwhelming majority of people.
>


"Attitudes to cycling
People generally have a positive view of cycling although many are
deterred by safety concerns.
• The majority of adults agree that everyone should be encouraged to
cycle to help their health (87%), help the environment (79%) and to ease
congestion (73%).
• However, many adults are concerned about the safety of cycling. Almost
half (47%) strongly agree that 'the idea of cycling on busy roads
frightens me', with a further 27% tending to agree with this. Women are
more likely to express concerns about safety (85%) than men (61%)"
DfT Cycling Personal Travel Factsheet Jan 2007
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/personal/factsheets/2005/cyclefactsheet

--
Tony

"The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there
is no good evidence either way."
- Bertrand Russell
 
On Mar 25, 1:55 am, [email protected] (Ziggy) wrote:
> Presuambly, most people here love to cycle - are 'diagnosed cyclists' as someone
> put it today.
>
> What do you think are the major reasons why people don't cycle?
>
> 1) They think it's dangerous.
> 2) They don't like hills and headwinds.
> 3) They can't carry as much as they'd like.
> 4) They find it inconvenient/unreliable - dressing up or finding other means of
> transport when it rains.
> 5) Concerns about the bike being stolen when left unattended.
> 6) They are not confident of their abilities
>
> Any others?


Well you missed the obviously dominant ones - laziness and conformity.
They aren't so socially acceptable as excuses though, compared to what
you wrote.

James
 
On Mar 25, 3:44 am, "David Martin" <[email protected]>
wrote:
> Amongst those I have talked to "Roads too unpleasant/dangerous"
> features quite strongly among the older branch and domestic schedules
> for others. Two of the people I was in a meeting with (not bike
> related) would cycle in if a) the institute had showers where you had
> some degree of privacy (one shower as part of a bathroom) and b) if
> they didn't have to drop kids off to school, wife to work etc.


You mean they say that they would. In fact, if such problems were
solved they would find another excuse.

James
 
"JonMcD" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Being "lazy".
> Always amazed at work to see the number of fit looking people who will
> wait for the lift to go up or down one or two floors when it would be so
> much quicker to use the stairs. Some people just don't like to exert
> themselves when there is an alternative.
>
> JonMcD


It is human nature to default to the choice of least effort.
 
"Simon Brooke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> 7) They think it will be hard work
>


Well to be honest I do find my daily commute hard work (particularly Monday
and Friday) to the point that after three days in a row I seem to have that
"run out of energy" feeling. I did manage 4 days in a row recently but that
was the exception rather than the rule. It was particularly hard work this
week just gone with the persistent northerly headwind in combination with
the normal 200 meters of ascent, although coming back home is a lot easier.

On Thursday I cycled from Holmbury St Mary to North Holmwood via Leith hill
and whilst I found that not too difficult at the time I seemed to have
little power in the legs the next day and it took me nearly 10 minutes
longer to get to work on the Friday.

Adam
 
Did'nt Thatcher once say that after a certain age sitting on a bus was
a sign of failure....

After a certain age still being on a bus must be a sign
of..................???????????
 
Den 2007-03-25 00:14:05 skrev Adam Lea <[email protected]>:
>
> "Simon Brooke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>
>> 7) They think it will be hard work

>
> Well to be honest I do find my daily commute hard work (particularly
> Monday
> and Friday) to the point that after three days in a row I seem to have
> that
> "run out of energy" feeling.



I know what you mean, but if you actually do it several times per week,
it's a real reason, not just an excuse. I suspect lots of people don't
cycle because they think they have to do it every day, which makes it seem
difficult.

When I run out of energy, I just allow more time or take the bus. This
particularly useful if there's a bus you can catch partway. The luxury of
not having to pedal seems to make it that much easier the next time I get
tired. I just slow down a little.

Erik Sandblom

--
Oil is for sissies
 

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