Top reasons why people don't ride a bicycle

Why don't more people ride bicycles?

According to a survey conducted in Washington state, it's because they never learned to ride in the first place or they don't know how to ride in traffic.

Those results from a telephone survey surprised the state Department of Transportation official who sought the input as part of the state's effort to update its 12-year-old bicycling and pedestrian plan.

The official, Paula Reeves, told the Seattle Times:

“We do put some resources into supporting bike clubs and giving training. This is something we need to put more resources behind.”

Where to find help

Here in the Puget Sound region, the Cascade Bicycle Club offers bicycling skills classes through its Cascade Bicycle Education Foundation. There are classes on commuting and riding effectively on city streets and group rides, as well as bicycle maintenance and paceline riding.

The foundation even offers custom-designed classes for six or more upon request, such as basic adult riding, intro to city riding for teens and basic commuter tips.

Also, Kent Peterson, bike commuting director for the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, offers clinics for commuters on Friday afternoons in March, April and May.

The BAW also sponsors the Bike Buddy Program in Seattle and Spokane which matches inexperienced bike commuters with seasoned veterans on the same routes.

The League of American Bicyclists offers bike education programs across the US. Go to the “Find it Here” page at the LAW website and check BikeEd Courses to find classes near where you live.

Other findings

Sadly, the report summarized in the Seattle Times concluded that one-third of Washington state residents use a car to get from one place to another, never walking, bicycling, skateboarding, etc.

— 40% said they had no bicycle;

— among those who do ride, they do it less than once a week and for less than 6.5 miles;

— of those who say bicycling is too difficult, 26% said the roads were too busy and 37% cited lack of bike lanes and shoulders;

— to improve conditions for bicyclists and walkers, 48% said they support redistributing taxes to pay for improvements, 21% support new taxes for improvements, and 30% said they strongly oppose new taxes for upgrades.

The report was prepared by Wilbur Smith Associates of Bellevue, WA, based on a telephone survey of 400 residents who averaged 51 years old.