Network Rail and Cycling UK have launched a partnership today (Aug 3) in light of a fifth of Brits saying they would consider cycling to work.
A new YouGov study, commissioned by Network Rail has revealed that 20% of people are now likely to consider cycling to work, with nearly 60% of commuters feeling confident about travelling back into their workplace.
Although people are keen to cycle all or part of their journey, the study has revealed a number of barriers putting people off. 49% said they were worried about cycling on busy roads, which increases to 55% for Londonders, 22% are concerned their bike will get stolen or damaged and 15% are concerned about insufficient bike storage at or near their place of work.
The partnership has established a new initiative to help novice cyclists tackle roads in towns and cities, with advice and support on parking bikes securely at stations and an interactive journey planner to help plot a cycle-friendly route.
David Biggs, Managing Director, Network Rail Property, said:
“With more people taking up cycling and considering using it as part of their journey back to the workplace, we wanted to let them know that our stations offer lots of convenient storage space for them to leave their bikes.
“We’re working with Cycling UK to help promote sustainable, healthy travel, by offering useful and practical advice to new cyclists and help overcome some of the common barriers to cycling.”
Across Network Rail’s 20 managed stations, there are currently 5,000 secure bike storage spaces to encourage people to opt for their bikes to get to and from the station.
