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Cycling Demand Study

Study of the Demand for Off-Road Recreational Cycling in Lancashire

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Summary

In 2001, the Countryside Agency and Lancashire County Council appointed consultants to assess the actual and latent demand for off-road cycling in the county of Lancashire. The study involved a variety of methodologies - desk research, consulting countryside managers and cycle officers, focus groups and an interview survey.

A geo-demographic analysis of cyclists estimated the potential market for cycling amongst residents of the county to be up to 350,000 people, or one quarter of the population.

The research identified two particularly significant opportunities, which could be progressed by the promotion of off-road cycling:

A high proportion of cyclists in Lancashire belong to groups who tend to visit the countryside less - families with young children, those from less well-off areas; promoting off-road cycling could increase visits to the countryside by these groups
It is easier to encourage existing leisure cyclists to cycle to work, the shops, etc. than to encourage those who currently drive to work to convert to cycling. Promoting leisure cycling could increase participation in cycling and therefore reduce car use in the county

The study identified a number of general (policy) and specific (routes and information) improvements which could be made to increase participation in off-road cycling in Lancashire and to improve enjoyment.

Main Findings and Conclusions

Aim

The aim of the study was to understand actual and latent demand for off-road recreational cycling in the County

Objectives

Specific objectives were to:

Build on the findings of existing access demand research
Obtain an accurate baseline of existing and projected demand
Use the results to ensure that new access and improvements are demand led

The Existing Research

Most existing research is national or local and little was known of off-road cycling at the county level. Also, the existing research does not differentiate between on- and off-road cyclists.

Key findings were:

Off-road recreational cycling breaks down into two areas - cycling on traffic-free routes and mountain biking
Road safety and traffic issues are universally important
Mountain bikers are predominantly young to middle aged males; users of traffic-free routes have a broader profile
The greatest potential for growth is for day trips by infrequent and occasional cyclists
Provision of routes has led naturally to use suggesting considerable latent demand
Cycling is less popular than eating and drinking out, visiting friends & relatives and walking
Attractive countryside, freedom, health and fitness are important motivating factors
Traffic, lack of routes and concerns over security are important constraints
Cyclists reduce the enjoyment of other users

Countryside Managers and Cycle Officers

On-the-ground knowledge and experience of countryside managers and cycle officers was gained through a series of workshops. Participants identified 54 existing routes and 52 new route opportunities as well as a number of broader issues:

Participation in cycling amongst young people is falling most rapidly mostly because of less cycling to school
Participation in cycling whilst young has a big influence on the likelihood of participation in adulthood
There are few opportunities to try off-road cycling close to home and a need to be creative in addressing this
Cycle routes are also good for other non-powered vehicles including scooters, roller blades, roller skis, etc.
Off-road cyclists are fragmented and lack organisation. It would be effective for them to work with equestrians, who are highly organised
There are many new route opportunities in West Lancashire to provide beginners routes but constraints include unclear ownership and reluctant landowners
Sustrans' pro-road policy discourages the development of off-road routes
Mountain bike routes are not long or challenging enough
User conflict is an issue; education is needed
There are opportunities to improve canal towpaths for use by cyclists
Information on where to cycle off-road is inadequate

Focus Groups

The market for off-road cycling is highly segmented so focus group discussions were used to identify needs and preferences, motivations and constraints relating to different groups. Key issues for different segments are:

Mountain Bikers

Opportunities for mountain biking are perceived to be very limited Awareness of where to cycle is very localised
Mountain bikers want more routes closer to home
They want to be able to make circular trips, predominantly off-road, for whole days and evenings
Most mountain bikers in Lancashire ride regularly on footpaths
Mountain bikers find specially constructed cycleways in urban areas and in forestry dull
Navigation, especially in forested areas is thought to be more difficult on a bike than on foot, with a need for waymarking
Mountain bikers prefer challenging, single track routes
There is demand for mountain bike only routes, especially where the terrain is challenging
Walkers are felt to be unjustifiably hostile to mountain bikers because they were there first
Mountain bikers have little enthusiasm for organisation and a preference for getting out to ride
There is little enthusiasm for introducing youngsters to the sport
Mountain bike magazines, the internet and guide books are the main sources of information used to plan rides

Countryside Users (not cyclists) and
Casual Cyclists

Most countryside trips are part day trips for walks
Most had cycled when younger
Reasons for not cycling include fear of crime, traffic and lack of fitness
Parents are concerned about allowing their children to cycle un-supervised
New forms of recreational transport, like scooters and roller blades, are perceived to be more enjoyable, cheaper and have fewer associated problems
This group obtains information from guidebooks, articles in local newspapers , leaflets, the internet and LCC information centres

Young People

The countryside is not important to most of this group and cycling is not an important leisure activity
Most countryside trips are taken very locally, in summer, for social activities
Almost all own bicycles, but none ride them regularly
Reasons for not cycling include fear of crime, traffic, perceived inconvenience and lack of interest
Reasons for cycling include adventure, excitement and convenience
Purpose built centres, more traffic-free routes and rides in PE lessons would encourage participation
Word of mouth, school and youth centres are important sources of information

Members of Ethnic Communities

Most cycling by Asians is by boys for social reasons
A small number of Asians take part in off-road cycling, mostly on traffic-free routes
Use of the countryside is mostly for short walks or for social reasons - there appears to be little interest in the idea of cycling
There is low awareness of opportunities for countryside access and little interest in obtaining more
Fear of traffic and accidents leads many Asian parents to forbid their children to cycle
Providing facilities close to home, for example at community centres could encourage participation
Young people are likely to respond to competitive events

Interview Survey

A total of 560 face to face interviews were conducted on week and weekend days, between October 2001 and February 2002, at ten locations plus 10 internet interviews with mountain bikers. Key findings were:

Profile

79% of cyclists are male. Female cyclists are most common amongst 16 - 44 year-olds and on traffic free routes.
Almost a third is aged between 35 and 44. The young and older people are under-represented.
Mountain bikers are more likely to be from younger age groups

Cycling Activity

Over half of cyclists cycle for pleasure once a day or once a week. More than a third cycle for transport every day and a third less than once a month
Overall, males cycle more frequently than females and adults with children cycle significantly less frequently
Half of cyclists cycle as often in winter as in summer

Awareness of Cycling
Opportunities in Lancashire

Mountain bikers awareness is higher than those using traffic-free routes
Overall, awareness is relatively low
There is a close correlation between awareness and places recently visited, though cyclists visit fewer places than they know of

Mode of Transport

73% of mountain bikers use a car to reach places to cycle
68% of traffic free route users arrive by bike
1% use public transport.

Information Sources

Word of mouth recommendation is the most common source followed by Ordnance Survey Maps, guidebooks and magazines
4% of respondents use Lancashire County Council's 'On yer Bike 2001'.
The internet is more important for mountain bikers
Females are more likely to use leaflets
Recommendation, guidebooks and magazines are more important for families with children
Recommendation is especially important to young people

Satisfaction with Provision and Facilities

Cyclists are generally dissatisfied with current off-road provision
Cycle hire, extent of opportunities, lack of continuity of route, choice of routes and lack of information cause most dissatisfaction

Motivating and Constraining Factors

Key Motivators

Freedom from traffic

Attractive countryside

Challenging routes (for mountain bikers)

Convenient local routes

Key Constraints

User conflict

Poor surfaces

Inconvenient access

Lack of (legal) routes

Improvements

There are a number of opportunities to improve provision, including:

More routes (including up-grading suitable footpaths to bridleway)
Better information and more publicity
Better maintenance of traffic-free routes
Better continuity of off-road routes
Better signposting/waymarking
More routes close to urban areas
Purpose built mountain bike route networks

Legal Access

Most cyclists know where they can legally ride. However, twelve percent think they are entitled to ride on footpaths. Mountain bikers have a more accurate knowledge of where they can cycle legally.

Geo-demographic Analysis of Cyclists

This shows that a high proportion of off-road cyclists in Lancashire are in lower socio-economic groups, which traditionally do not visit the countryside frequently.

Volume of Groups Present in Sample of Cyclists in Lancashire

Cameo Group

Group 5 Poorer Home Owners

Group 4 Smaller Private Family Homes

Group 3 Affluent Home Owners

Group 6 Less affluent urban dwellers

Social Grade

C2DE

C1C2

C2DE

Types which are more common amongst cyclists than in the Lancashire population are:

Commonness Amongst Off-road Cyclists in Lancashire

Mixed areas of home owners and tenants
Over four times more common

Affluent students and singles
Wealthy older families in exclusive areas

Almost three times more common

Younger families and singles in terraced housing
Affluent households in urban areas
Wealthy older families in suburban area

More than twice as common

Suburban families with school age children
Young single parents and students in small flats and bedsits
Older families in large dwellings

More than 50% more common

Conclusions

Demand for off-road recreational cycling in Lancashire exceeds current provision; the potential market within the county is 350,000, approximately a quarter of the population, plus unknown demand from those in adjacent areas. Current funding for off-road cycling is inadequate.

Off-road recreational cyclists fall into two broad categories, those seeking adventurous, mountain biking routes and those seeking traffic-free cycling routes close to home.

Future market growth will be mostly for casual day and part day trips by occasional and infrequent cyclists.

Issues

If the demand is to be met, a number of issues need to be tackled, including:

Inadequate existing routes and cycle hire
Fear of crime, particularly in urban areas
Inadequate budgets for route development and publicity
Inadequate publicity and information
Inadequate linkages between routes
Inadequate maintenance of traffic-free cycleways
Insufficient opportunities close to centres of population
User conflicts

The report proposes a strategic approach to addressing these.

Out-takes:

Out-take 1 (Locate by summary): Promoting off-road recreational cycling can help the Countryside Agency and Lancashire County Council meet their participation objectives

Out-take 2 (Locate by Focus Groups): Fear of crime, whilst riding and to parked bikes, is a serious constraint especially in East Lancashire and urban areas, along with a general lack of routes and continuity of routes

Out-take 3 (Locate in conclusions): A strategic approach to meeting the demand includes providing more continuous off-road networks, more and better distributed information, tackling cycle crime and providing challenging routes close to urban areas

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Cycling Demand Study

Cameo Group

Social Grade

Category

Commonness Amongst Off-road Cyclists in Lancashire