National cyclists’ charity CTC says that nearly half of Great Britain’s commuters live within a five-mile bike ride of their place of work, and is encouraging more of them to switch to two wheels for their journeys.
Research commissioned from YouGov found that common complaints among those not commuting by bicycle include congestion, inconsiderate motorists, buses not arriving at the time shown on the timetable, and overcrowding and high fares on trains.
All of those are featured in a new video from CTC that has been released to coincide with this year’s Bike Week, which runs from last Saturday 13 June through to next Sunday 21 June.
As well as finding that 47 per cent of people live five miles or less from their place of work, the research also found that while sharing some frustrations, such as roads with potholes, with other commuters, 27 per cent of cyclists said nothing frustrates them about their commutes.
CTC’s Bike Week Co-ordinator, Jonathan Sharpe, said “Our latest research makes a really a compelling case for cycling.
“It is easy to start your day on time, less burdened by traffic jams, and with money still in your pocket ready for a hearty lunch break – the answer is cycling to work.”
Research previously featured on road.cc has found that those who commute by bicycle are more likely to arrive at work refreshed and be more productive than people who do so using other modes of transport.
CTC, which delivers Bike Week in partnership with Cyclescheme and Love to Ride, says that half a million people will participate in the initiative this year.
Bike Week also benefits from funding from Bike Hub, Cycling Scotland, and Travelwise Northern Ireland, and is supported by British Cycling, London Cycling Campaign, Sustrans, the Association of Cycle Traders and Cyclenation.
You can find more information, including events in your area, on www.bikeweek.org.uk as well as via Facebook and Twitter, where the official hashtag is #BikeWeekUK.
Born in Scotland, Simon moved to London aged seven and now lives in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds with his miniature schnauzer, Elodie. He fell in love with cycling one Saturday morning in 1994 while living in Italy when Milan-San Remo went past his front door. A daily cycle commuter in London back before riding to work started to boom, he's been news editor at road.cc since 2009. Handily for work, he speaks French and Italian. He doesn't get to ride his Colnago as often as he'd like, and freely admits he's much more adept at cooking than fettling with bikes.