Majority of people want to see more wheels on the road

A survey has revealed that almost two-thirds of the UK (64%) are supportive of encouraging others to cycle more, with only 9% stating they did not agree that people should be encouraged to cycle more. Staggeringly, 70% of respondents also wanted to see more cycle-friendly routes across the country.

The survey of over 4,000 people, commissioned by Cycling UK, the UK's leading cycling charity, has found that there is wide public support for cycling and better infrastructure in the UK. However, despite this support, data revealed that while the majority of the UK (92%) can ride a bike, surprisingly less than half do.

Looking at the survey data surrounding cycling and gender, it showed that women were almost twice as likely as men to not know how to ride a bike (11% compared to 6%), with lack of confidence also being twice that of male respondents (41% compared to 19%).

Cycling UK highlights that countless surveys and reports have been produced over past years, which unanimously emphasise the seismic positive impact cycling can have. In February 2024, the IPPR found that if we properly invested in active travel, we'd save the NHS £17 billion over 20 years. But going back to 2018, a survey by Cycleplan identified three-quarters of respondents noticed an improvement in their mental health after cycling.

Digging deeper into the reasons why so many of the UK support more cycle routes and better infrastructure, the public collectively recognise the benefits it has to mental and physical health. When asked, 'which do you think are the three most important benefits of cycling', respondents to Cycling UK's survey most often selected:

• improves physical health (60%)
• boosts fitness (50%)
• and enhances mental health (38%).

Source: Cycling UK