The fear of cycling on the road

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horizon
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The fear of cycling on the road

Post by horizon »

(This thread is prompted by Si's thread on cycle lanes.)

I want to know what people really mean when they say that they have a fear of cycling on the road. Since other people do cycle on the roads, those who say they are afraid must either perceive a danger that others don't or have an irrational or exaggerated fear. Since people who do cycle on the road are hopefully neither reckless nor have a careless disregard for their own safety, my feeling is that these two positions are incompatible: either the fear is irrational or the road-cyclists are reckless.

I am going to suggest therefore that the fear of traffic that people cite as a reason for not cycling isn't a perception of risk but a reflection of their own lack of physical confidence, a fear of falling off, an uncertainty about moving traffic and a lack of skill and knowledge about what actually to do on the road - where to go, where to stop etc.

If these are the real concerns (not the safety of roads per se) then the fear is no longer irrational - with those weaknesses, cycling on the road is indeed a hazardous business and traffic frightening. The disparity of perception of risk between a confident road-cyclist and a non-cyclist is therefore perfectly explicable and compatible. This doesn't mean that there is no risk in on-road cycling, just that the different perception of it is more understandable.

It isn't suprising then that cycle training involves (as I assume it does) a degree of bike handling skills, getting used to moving traffic and gaining knowledge about where and how to cycle. I presume that it is these things that allow people to progress to cycling confidently on the road and having a reasonable perception of the risk involved.

However it is surprising IMV that public policy favours cycle paths (from a safety POV): is this not like ensuring that all swimming pools only have shallow water? Of course, there will always be people (especially adults) who might never gain sufficient skill and confidence to cycle on the road (or to swim in the deep end). But is their perception of risk (i.e. assessing general safety against their own lack of skill) the tail wagging the policy dog? If so, would not resources be better directed (more than they are currently) to creating solutions to the lack of skills and confidence rather than the installation of shared paths and cycleways?

I would be very grateful for opinions on this (and I accept that I must surely be treading on well trodden ground).
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Richard Mann
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Re: The fear of cycling on the road

Post by Richard Mann »

You might want to check this out:

http://www.transportparadise.co.uk/2013 ... from-mars/

Essentially I think that a lot of people muddle through "in the gutter" given half a chance.

If you don't look behind, you don't see the threat. If the threat doesn't materialize - if nothing cuts you up - then you carry on oblivious.
Adam S
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Re: The fear of cycling on the road

Post by Adam S »

Horizon, as always your point is well argued. It seems obvious to me that the decision to cycle is based upon the perceived risk of riding on the roads and the perceived benefit from riding the cycle. As you suggest, confidence affects the risk of riding on the roads and it is perfectly rational to feel at higher risk because of a lack of confidence or skills. So I agree with your main point.
However, I don't think you can discount people's perceptions of danger from road traffic as irrational and therefore irrelevant. Most potential cyclists are unlikely to read research papers detailing actual risks of cycling and thus they rely on the information they receive. The information people receive may not be accurate or complete but perceiving risks from this information isn't irrational. Also, don't underestimate the power of irrationality. I don't have a particular fear of heights but you couldn't persuade me to skydive if you were armed with enough statistics to prove it safer than watching tv. I know i'm unlikely to come to any harm from jumping out of a plane, it's probably the same for many potential cyclists but that doesn't mean that the perception of danger isn't there. This perception still plays a role even if someone has complete confidence in their own competence.
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meic
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Re: The fear of cycling on the road

Post by meic »

It is a bit hard to claim that cycling on the road is perfectly safe when people that we personally know are getting knocked off, injured and occasionally killed whilst out on their bikes.

The fear of cycling on the roads is perfectly valid and I can understand why my neighbours give it a go and then quit.

Just because some of us think that the risk is an acceptable level doesnt mean that the majority think it is acceptable.
There are people who choose to be Despatch riders, Policemen, Firemen and Soldiers but the majority of people think those professions are too dangerous and I will not say that they are mistaken.
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snibgo
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Re: The fear of cycling on the road

Post by snibgo »

Q: "Why don't you cycle?"
A: "Because the roads are too dangerous."

That's how the standard survey goes. Some people draw a conclusion from this: build cycle paths and cyclists will come.

But they don't, so the conclusion is wrong. Some people (including me) think the standard answer is mostly an excuse. People think they should cycle, and reach for the first reason that is beyond their control. They rarely answer, "I can't be bothered," although I suspect that is the most common genuine reason, along with, "A car is more convenient and faster."

horizon wrote:If so, would not resources be better directed (more than they are currently) to creating solutions to the lack of skills and confidence rather than the installation of shared paths and cycleways?

I admire the work Si does. It seems to get people on bikes, giving them skills and confidence. However, if we want a major modal shift, which means multiplying cycling levels by a factor of ten or so, I think we need to make cycling more convenient and faster than driving.
andrewk
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Re: The fear of cycling on the road

Post by andrewk »

snibgo wrote:Q: "Why don't you cycle?"
A: "Because the roads are too dangerous."

That's how the standard survey goes. Some people draw a conclusion from this: build cycle paths and cyclists will come.

But they don't, so the conclusion is wrong. Some people (including me) think the standard answer is mostly an excuse. People think they should cycle, and reach for the first reason that is beyond their control. They rarely answer, "I can't be bothered," although I suspect that is the most common genuine reason, along with, "A car is more convenient and faster."

I admire the work Si does. It seems to get people on bikes, giving them skills and confidence. However, if we want a major modal shift, which means multiplying cycling levels by a factor of ten or so, I think we need to make cycling more convenient and faster than driving.


Actually, during rush hour in London cycling is faster than going by car and a lot less unpleasant than the tube. This, perhaps, explains the rise in popularity of cycle commuting in London.
However, many (most) still do not and will not cycle, most are also obese couch potatoes. Quite frankly they don't want to even try cycling, they're just too damn lazy and inactive and readily invoke the convenient excuse of "its too dangerous".
snibgo
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Re: The fear of cycling on the road

Post by snibgo »

Yes. It seems that London (or parts of it) has seen a massive increase in cyling. Not from lots of shared paths and cycleways, not from helping people gain skills and confidence, but simply from self-interest -- when cycling is easier and quicker than driving, that's what people do.

(I haven't been to the smoke in years, so the above is based only on what I've read.)
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Mick F
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Re: The fear of cycling on the road

Post by Mick F »

horizon wrote:.......... would not resources be better directed (more than they are currently) to creating solutions to the lack of skills and confidence rather than the installation of shared paths and cycleways?
Utterly correct.

Do away with the cycle tracks/paths, or at least don't build any more, and spend the dosh on cycle training.

I know that's a very black and white statement from me, but I'm a black and white sorta guy. I have no issues whatsoever on riding on the roads. There are some roads I'd prefer not to ride on but if a road goes where I want to go, I'll use it. It's the most efficient way to get from A to B.

I'm not reckless, just confident and competent. My experience has been built from a lifetime of cycling on the roads. I know what I'm doing, know where I'm going, and know how to do it. If people could be trained in cycling proficiency, they too would look forward to a lifetime of cycling ............ on the roads.
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TonyR
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Re: The fear of cycling on the road

Post by TonyR »

Personally I think there are a lot of factors playing here.

First some people just aren't interested in cycling just as I am not interested in going fishing. If a keen fisherman friend invites me to go fishing with him I will generally find a polite excuse rather than tell him his beloved hobby would bore me to death. We tend to be like that keen fisherman and not understand how anyone could not share our passions.

Second while cycling is as safe as walking and people don't fear being a pedestrian (the rational approach) for many its not an irrational decision but a rational one based on wrong information. They look at cycling and see people being exhorted to wear polystyrene hats to save their heads, hi-viz to make sure that traffic sees them and campaigning for segregation to keep them away from the dangers of traffic. Is it any wonder then that many will come to the quite rational conclusion that it must be a very dangerous activity that needs so many measures to protect the participants. The media add to it with the reporting of every death in detail while largely ignoring the 7 or so deaths a day of motorists. Even forums like this don't help by highlighting the accidents that inevitably occur in a large cycling community and making them appear common.

Third, if you try cycling in traffic and you are not confident (or even if you are) it can be an unpleasant experience even if not a dangerous one statistically. It can feel dangerous.

There are a number of other factors involved which are covered in David Horton's excellent Fear of Cycling pieces on Copenhagenize and are more about the sociological aspects (David is an academic sociologist) - well worth a read if you are interested. Also some of psychologist Birgitta Gatersleben's work at the University of Surrey of people's perceptions of cycling is interesting on the reasons people don't cycle. e.g. Paper 1 and Paper 2. A soundbite therefrom:

A study focused on bicycle use (Gatersleben & Appleton, 2007) showed that the majority of people in an English sample had never considered cycling and believed that cycling was simply not for them. They indicated that they would not cycle under any circumstances (pre-contemplation).


The thing I am interested in is to see how the new Government approach of linking cycling and walking into health policy rather than transport policy will work. The new focus appears to be one not of reluctantly catering for people to cycle as road users but as a way of tackling the time-bombs of obesity and ill health facing the NHS from a largely sedentary population. In that respect its sobering to note that obesity is set to take over from smoking as the number one cause of preventable deaths.
TonyR
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Re: The fear of cycling on the road

Post by TonyR »

snibgo wrote:Yes. It seems that London (or parts of it) has seen a massive increase in cyling. Not from lots of shared paths and cycleways, not from helping people gain skills and confidence, but simply from self-interest -- when cycling is easier and quicker than driving, that's what people do.

(I haven't been to the smoke in years, so the above is based only on what I've read.)


I have and largely correct. Two other factors. Boris Bikes have changed the perception that cycling is only for keen cyclists. You now see people all over central London on them from wobbly tourists to business people and it creates the image that anyone can cycle in London. Second now the numbers of cyclists are up (it is becoming the dominant mode of commuter transport) people see it as something normal rather than just a few enthusiasts so the numbers cycling are helping to get people cycling. As you say facilities and training don't really come into the conversion and I worry that the driver for facilities will backfire (the Bloomsbury cycle lane is probably the worst cycling experience in London on a heavily used route)
reohn2
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Re: The fear of cycling on the road

Post by reohn2 »

My youngest daughter(29,married with a family and her own business and a very confident woman) has an irrational fear of spiders,when asked she'll answer ,"I just don't like them".she has cycled regularly since she was six,and lived and cycled in central Manchester.Weird innit?
I like cats, we used to have two.Our next door neighbour died almost a year ago,his son inherited the house and moved in.He now has 15 cats that just roam free,making a mess behind plant pots and on our drive,which stinks of cat pee,not nice=heavy traffic.

Sometimes people have irrational fears,sometime rational fears.
Sometimes they make excuses.

If you were brought up being ferried about in a car to school,and constantly told about bad people lurking around every corner,kept in the house to play for fear of abduction,cosseted and wrapped in cotton wool for fear of injury,not allowed a bike for the same reason.....................
Later told that bicycles,like buses,are the transport of the poor which equals failure...........
See the traffic thunder by having full control through your local towns and cities,with all the noise and fumes associated with it.
Then asked to venture out in that perceived and or real world on something so vulnerable as a bicycle,would you?

We've bred fearful,lazy people,who play on games machines in any number of worlds and all in the safety of their own homes,instead of experiencing the real world and it's wonders.
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reohn2
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Re: The fear of cycling on the road

Post by reohn2 »

TonyR wrote:........... The new focus appears to be one not of reluctantly catering for people to cycle as road users but as a way of tackling the time-bombs of obesity and ill health facing the NHS from a largely sedentary population. In that respect its sobering to note that obesity is set to take over from smoking as the number one cause of preventable deaths.


And not surprisingly either,look around any UK town or city,the evidence is there for all to see!
I was sat in a town centre cafe not long ago,out of the thirty people to pass bye ten were what I'd consider to be three stone(19kg) or more overweight :shock: ,a worrying prospect for future healthcare :? .
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Mick F
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Re: The fear of cycling on the road

Post by Mick F »

reohn2 wrote: ............ We've bred fearful,lazy people,who play on games machines in any number of worlds and all in the safety of their own homes,instead of experiencing the real world and it's wonders.
Why?
Who's to blame?

Parents?

What about the parents of the parents?
Mick F. Cornwall
Ellieb
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Re: The fear of cycling on the road

Post by Ellieb »

Actually it is very simple: on a bike you are sharing the road with 1.5+tons of metal travelling at speeds which will comfortably kill you if they hit you. 'Accidents' happen all the time due to the way these things are driven, but if you are in a car there is some degree of protection. On a bike there is almost none. To be honest, I'm slightly surprised that people think that cycling isn't dangerous. Some of us just accept the risk.
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horizon
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Re: The fear of cycling on the road

Post by horizon »

Ellieb wrote:Actually it is very simple: on a bike you are sharing the road with 1.5+tons of metal travelling at speeds which will comfortably kill you if they hit you. 'Accidents' happen all the time due to the way these things are driven, but if you are in a car there is some degree of protection. On a bike there is almost none. To be honest, I'm slightly surprised that people think that cycling isn't dangerous. Some of us just accept the risk.


Ellieb: I'm trying to work out the relationship between danger, risk and fear. It seems you may be saying that we road-cyclists are not fearful enough and the pavement cyclists have it right! No-one is disputing that there is some danger and risk - it's how we perceive it and whether we experience fear.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
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