Survey: Olympic cycling influencing motorists

The success of British cyclists including Bradley Wiggins and Victoria Pendleton during the 2012 London Olympics has apparently helped improve the relationship between car drivers and bike riders.

That’s according to new research by Motors.co.uk and YouGov, which surveyed over 2,000 people via the used car search website.

On Bing: see images of British Olympic cycling 2012

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Don’t go expecting that difference to be a dramatic one, however. The survey revealed that a startling 12% of drivers now claim to have a better perception of cyclists than they did prior to the Games this summer.

However, 36% of the British public has either increased their bike use, bought more cycling gear or become more involved with cycling in general. So certainly the attitude towards cycling seems to have benefited.

6% say they have been inspired to increase the amount of time they spend on their own bikes – a figure that would perhaps be higher if it wasn’t for issues of safety also brought up during the survey process.

For example, 32% of respondents – that’s nearly a third – stated they had “significant safety concerns about the suitability of British roads for cyclists.”

26% called for the Government to spend more money on cycle lanes and schemes; 26% also felt that cyclists were “a danger to themselves and other road users” – and that’s despite recent investments intended to improve conditions.

Finally, one in 10 suggested that although the Olympic success really had inspired them to go cycling more, they felt the British roads local to them were too dangerous for them to actually attempt it.

As far as Motors.co.uk is concerned, this is a clear sign that the Government should spend more on schemes that will make cycling safer and more attractive.

Commercial Director of Motors.co.uk, Phill Jones:

“The onus is on the Government to facilitate cycling for the nation, and it is clear that conditions need to vastly improve before we really see the effects of this on Britain’s roads.”

Jones continues:

“To put the problem into context, the Dutch Government invests in the region of £10 – £20 a head to ensure that cyclists feel confident on the roads, compared to under £1 a head in the UK.

“There is absolutely no reason that motorist and cyclists can’t safely co-exist on our roads, and collectively we should be doing all we can to encourage the nation to get on its bike.”

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On Bing: see images of British Olympic cycling 2012

Amazing pedal car looks like a Ferrari FXX