One of the conclusions of the survey was that a big barrier that prevents a lot of people from cycling is that it is viewed as being too dangerous, and given that most of the cycling accidents are caused by a collision with a car or pedestrian, I started thinking of ways for cycling to become safer:
- Reduce the damage caused by an accident. One of the responses to my survey that really stood out was "If you cycle regularly, it is a matter of time before you are involved in an accident. All you can do is minimise the risks." Therefore there need to be more products that incorporate protection for the body when the rider comes off their bike.
- Increasing visibility. If a cyclist is seen they can be given enough space. Products should make the cyclists highly visible on the road.
-Sound. One area I was thinking of was that perhaps a cyclists needs a better means of making themselves known on the road that's more effective than the standard bell - one that can be heard by cars and lorries.
A bit of searching however and I came across this product
and this rather crazy demonstration video
Whilst this product does allow for the cyclist to make their presence known it does so in an antisocial and aggressive way. Perhaps a more 'friendly' version could be designed, one that responds to how hard you push it - making less noise for pedestrians but more noise for vehicles.
In my survey, 59% of cyclists keep their bikes in their house and I'm curious as to how they are kept! Many of the respondents keep the bike in their kitchen.
This is a call for submissions of photos of bikes in the home - are they hung on the wall? Or just kept in the hallway.
here's where my bike is kept when not in use.
Please help out bu uploading a photo of your bike to the Facebook group or sending it to me in an email
Firsty, a huge thank you to all those that took part. Here are the results from the cyclist research.
Overall conclusions
Non Cyclists -Cycling is perceived as being dangerous by non-cyclists, despite 75% of cyclists surveyed feeling safe. Perception of safety is a key part of getting non cylists cycling as once they begin cycling and build confidence they feel safer.
-Fear of getting a bike stolen is a factor for both cyclists and non cyclists
-93% of non cyclists in London live within 10 miles of their commuting destination
-80% know someone who cycles, often they are told about the benefits but also that you do have to be careful
- Over half of non cyclists surveyed will consider cycling when the superhighways are introduced. Safety, bike parking and crime are still major set backs however.
-Cycling has to be perceived a being safer in order to get more people cycling.
Cyclists
-Cyclists have a love hate relationship with cycling. Many enjoy the benefits but find it frustrating
-Shockingly 61% of the cyclists surveyed had been involved in an accident (89% of them cycle everyday). The biggest cause of accidents are collisions with cars, interestingly, this was followed with collisions with pedestrians.
-The majority keep their bike in their house
-85% encourage friends to cycle
-The biggest downsides are theft, being sweaty and lack of cycle parking
-It was generally viewed that the best way to improve cycling in London is to educate and train cyclists as well as other road users
-Cycle lanes were generally critisised for having poor road surface or being poorly designed. Some even wanted cycle lanes removed altogether, believing that cyclists are better off sharing the road.
-Many suggested a change to traffic lights, with a green cycle light to allow bikes to set off a few seconds before the rest of the traffic.
A key quote that stood out:
"riding regularly its not a question of if but when you will be involved in an accident. all you can do is minimise risk as much as possible."
A quick note to say thanks for your comments so far - it's really good to get feedback, particularly when I start posting up the initial ideas.
Thanks also to those that filled out the survey.
I would still love some more responses from the non cyclist - so if you live in London, but do not cycle, please take a couple of minutes to fill it out here
This week my housemate was knocked off his bike and sustained a head injury requiring nine stitches. He wasn't wearing a helmet. There's a full account on 22GL
As my project progresses I am focusing more and more on the safety elements of cycling and how this can be improved.
