|
👍
Fri 15 Aug 2008, 08:05
Meanwhile, in the rest of the world utility cycling in on the increase: THE RISE OF PEDAL POWER AS BRITONS REACH BREAKING POINT
The British Olympic Cycling team’s medal haul is already off to a winning start with both Nicole Cook and Emma Pooley riding to victory and it seems an increasing number of people are following in their footsteps by making the switch to pedal power, a survey has revealed.
New research commissioned by leading retailer, Halfords, has revealed that concerns with rising fuel costs and the environment are just a few of the reasons that a growing number of Brits are turning to bikes as a means of transport.
The Halfords study found 41 per cent of commuting workers in the South would consider turning to pedal-power to travel to work if they lived close enough. And distance did not appear to put these respondents off from the two wheel option, with 38 per cent prepared to travel anywhere between three to ten miles to cycle to work.
The survey, part of Halfords’ ongoing campaign to promote the Cycle2Work1 initiative, found that saving money on fuel was the greatest benefit for switching to two wheels for Southerners - with a huge 91 per cent of respondents citing this as the main decision to change. Doing their bit for the environment was also high on reasons for changing to bikes, with 72% saying that cycling was a much greener transport alternative.
Employees aged between 18-24 years are most likely to start cycling to work, with 51 per cent saying that they would consider using a bicycle. Paul Bullett from Halfords commented: “With the credit crunch and rising fuel prices, it’s clear that the British workers are ready to get on their bikes – and quite right too! Whilst we accept that bikes aren’t feasible for every journey, if people living within as little as a five mile radius from work switched to pedal power not only would they see immediate savings on their fuel bills but they would also benefit from improved fitness too.
“The recent success of Nicole Cook and Emma Pooley has certainly raised the profile and interest in this sport and our survey also revealed that six per cent of workers have already switched to a bike. We would expect this figure to be much higher as fuel costs continue to rise and if the British cycling team’s success at the Olympics continues!”
The survey did reveal, however, that businesses could be doing more to support the switch to cycles too. It seems the British workforce in the South that does not currently cycle to work, are calling on their employers to introduce other measures into the workplace to make the cycle-commute easier, with just under 40 per cent wanting better wash/shower facilities and more secure storage facilities at work. Paul Bullett added: “There’s clearly an appetite for making the change. Our research suggested that as many as one in five of employees would consider buying a bike if their employer provided a cheaper way of buying a bike. Whilst we appreciate that great strides for better cycling provision have already been achieved, much more could be done to help get workers onto bikes.”
Despite recent efforts to promote cycling amongst businesses, 65 per cent of employees in the south weren’t aware of that the various national incentive schemes such as Halfords that offer the opportunity to purchase bikes at heavily discounted and tax-free rates. The publication of Halfords’ research comes at a time when cycling has never been more popular in Britain. And in response to this, Halfords has pioneered a special Cycle2Work scheme whereby employees can get their hands on a bike and all the relevant cycle safety equipment through a salary sacrifice via their employers.
Bullett concluded: “Pedal-power is becoming increasingly practical, economical, a great workout and good green fun too. So for the shorter journey such as your half an hour daily commute to work why not take consider taking the cycle-commute challenge. Letting your car take a back seat for the next month could save you around £100 in petrol as well as burn around 6000kcal that’s equivalent of around 15 Mars Bars!” For further information on Halfords Cycle2Work scheme visit www.cycle2work.info or call 08450 778 850 Notes to editors: All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1955 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 25th and 28th July 2008. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+) Case studies are available such as Clare Bayly (32) from Solihull who has already adopted pedal-power who because of rising fuel costs decided to jump on her bike. “In the morning, I take it quite easy cycling quite slowly to avoid the sweat-factor! But on the way home after a stressful day in the office I really go for it and always arrive home refreshed and relaxed. It’s already saved me money and it’s also a great way of fitting exercise into my daily routine,” said Clare. To speak to a representative from Halfords, Claire direct or any other Cycle2Work converts please contact Caroline Binch at McCann Erickson on 0121 713 3829.
| 