Cycling to work numbers increase.

[snorri]

Not such good news as might first appear, 2011 census results reveal an increase in the percentage of people cycling to work from 1.5% in 2001 to 1.6% in 2011.

http://pedalonparliament.org/a-mountain-to-climb/

 

[jazzkat]

It would be interesting to see how that compares with the rest of the UK.
I wonder whether Scotland has other issues that stop people turning to cycling.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

It's similar here in Melbourne

By the way, guess when the mandatory helmet laws were introduced in Australia? This drop will most likely occur in the UK too, if you ever introduce a similar law.

 

[srw]

Not such good news as might first appear, 2011 census results reveal an increase in the percentage of people cycling to work from 1.5% in 2001 to 1.6% in 2011.

http://pedalonparliament.org/a-mountain-to-climb/

That's flipping Scotland. If you post something of interest to the tiny minority of you north of border you might at least signal the fact.

The data for the vast majority of us is here: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/censu...d-and-wales/sty-method-of-travel-to-work.html, although I can't immediately see a comparator with 2001.

More importantly, if I remember correctly, the question was along the lines "which of the following methods do use for the longest distance in your travel to work?" So all those of us who use a bike-train combo will have been forced to put "train".

 

[Linford]

It's similar here in Melbourne

By the way, guess when the mandatory helmet laws were introduced in Australia? This drop will most likely occur in the UK too, if you ever introduce a similar law.

They appear to be a fairly enlightened in Canberra

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Yes, not sure how that happened. I've only visited there twice, but from what I've heard of the place, it's car-obsessed.

 

[Linford]

Yes, not sure how that happened. I've only visited there twice, but from what I've heard of the place, it's car-obsessed.

Some very warm temperatures and massive distances are never going to turn cycling into the primary form of transport in Oz...how many hours on a plane between Perth and Sydney, or Melbourne and Darwin ?

 

[discominer]

It would be interesting to see how that compares with the rest of the UK.
I wonder whether Scotland has other issues that stop people turning to cycling.

shoot infrastructure, shoot weather and not enough attention to rule number 5...

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Some very warm temperatures and massive distances are never going to turn cycling into the primary form of transport in Oz...how many hours on a plane between Perth and Sydney, or Melbourne and Darwin ?

Too many (I'm flying to Perth tomorrow for a rellie-run, and the flight will be about 4.5 hours). But that's missing the point, as most people here don't commute between capital cities. If you want to compare our commutes with e.g. London's, then you should be comparing similar geographical extents. From Melbourne CBD to its outer suburbs is probably roughly 30km in a straight line. My bicycle commute is 27km to work and 33.5km from work, but I admit it's atypical (and my legs ache a lot). I don't know how it is in London, but is cycling as a commute practical between, say, London CBD and 30km out?

 

[Linford]

Too many (I'm flying to Perth tomorrow for a rellie-run, and the flight will be about 4.5 hours). But that's missing the point, as most people here don't commute between capital cities. If you want to compare our commutes with e.g. London's, then you should be comparing similar geographical extents. From Melbourne CBD to its outer suburbs is probably roughly 30km in a straight line. My bicycle commute is 27km to work and 33.5km from work, but I admit it's atypical (and my legs ache a lot). I don't know how it is in London, but is cycling as a commute practical between, say, London CBD and 30km out?

Couldn't tell you as I don't live in London... realistically the most I'd want to commute each way on the outside would be about 25km, and that would be on mild days in the summer..It is about 3c here now, is miserable and dark and windy and has been raining hard for the last couple when commuting to or from work.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Not such good news as might first appear, 2011 census results reveal an increase in the percentage of people cycling to work from 1.5% in 2001 to 1.6% in 2011.

http://pedalonparliament.org/a-mountain-to-climb/

No wonder, if the rest of Scotland is like Glasgow at the moment.
The meager facilities we had into town are being blocked by building works, one is forced to use roads with fast flowing traffic narrowed from 2 lanes to one. You need commando tactics to cross town on a bike, nerves of steel.
Street light are getting poorer, not switched on today at 4pm.
The weather does not help either: misty, rain, roadworks, no street lights, it's a cyclist's nightmare.

 

[srw]

but is cycling as a commute practical between, say, London CBD and 30km out?

Yes. Many people on here do it (although there isn't really a single CBD). Something between 5 miles and 12 miles is more common - I'm a lightweight at only 5 miles, but that's because I do what a lot of people do and combine train and bike.

 

[SquareDaff]

Not such good news as might first appear, 2011 census results reveal an increase in the percentage of people cycling to work from 1.5% in 2001 to 1.6% in 2011.

http://pedalonparliament.org/a-mountain-to-climb/

I would't read too much into that. From my observations most of the increases in people cycle commuting have been since the 2011 census.

 

[srw]

More importantly, if I remember correctly, the question was along the lines "which of the following methods do use for the longest distance in your travel to work?" So all thoseof us who use a bike-train combo will have been forced to put "train".

Yes - I was right. Question 41:

How do you usually travel to work?
Tick one box only
Tick the box for the longest part, by distance, of
your usual journey to work

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-met...ent/2011-census-questionnaire-for-england.pdf

The census numbers are unrepresentative of those cycling for part at least of their journey to work.

Across England and Wales, CTC have the following information:

- According to the 2011 Census 762,334 people use a bicycle as the main form of transport for getting to work in England and Wales, up by 111,357 from 2001. In addition, another 50,000 or so use bikes as part of a longer journey.

That last figure feels like a very significant under-estimate to me. These days, whichever train route I use into work, almost all of the bike racks are completely chock-a-block. Marylebone alone, one of the smallest terminals on the network, has several hundred bike spaces used by people who use a bike for part of a longer journey, and (I'd estimate) the same again at least of people who carry a folding bike.