Fear of cycling

Cantdosleepy

"Most people seem finally to have realised that cycling is ‘a good thing’, but many still don’t cycle. So what stops them getting on their bikes? Explanations typically focus on physical factors such as climate, hills and infrastructure. Emotional barriers to cycling are easily overlooked, but are also massively important. Chief among these emotional barriers is a fear of cycling. You probably already know this – certainly in the UK, talk to friends who don’t cycle and you quickly figure out that they actually feel a bit scared at the prospect of cycling."

Fear of Cycling, an essay in five parts:
Introduction
Constructing fear of cycling
Helmet promotion campaigns
New cycling spaces
Making cycling strange (not up yet...)

DevUK

I have a friend who is in his mid 30's and has never learned to ride as he has issues with vertigo. Sounds strange, but to him the idea of the ground whizzing by as you cycle along fills him with dread. He managed to master escalators a while back, and I've taken him out on my spare bike recently, which coped with well

londonlivvy

I can relate to the fear of cycling.

In fact I've taken this week off the bike as I'm sick of spending most of my journey to work working out which car/ bus / ped is going to try to kill me next. As I have neither speedy reactions nor a spidey sense, I end up having to cycle like a granny, which (combined with the fear factor) has made it all very un fun.

And (so far) I've actually really enjoyed commuting by train. Which is probably sacriledge on this forum...

jonginge

londonlivvy wrote:

I can relate to the fear of cycling.

In fact I've taken this week off the bike as I'm sick of spending most of my journey to work working out which car/ bus / ped is going to try to kill me next. As I have neither speedy reactions nor a spidey sense, I end up having to cycle like a granny, which (combined with the fear factor) has made it all very un fun.

And (so far) I've actually really enjoyed commuting by train. Which is probably sacriledge on this forum...

*shakes pitchfork* Burn her!

_Brun_

^ Hypocrite!

jonginge

_Brun_ wrote:

^ Hypocrite!

Dammit. I was hoping noone would notice. Curses.

roger_merriman

londonlivvy wrote:

I can relate to the fear of cycling.

In fact I've taken this week off the bike as I'm sick of spending most of my journey to work working out which car/ bus / ped is going to try to kill me next. As I have neither speedy reactions nor a spidey sense, I end up having to cycle like a granny, which (combined with the fear factor) has made it all very un fun.

And (so far) I've actually really enjoyed commuting by train. Which is probably sacriledge on this forum...

maybe a differnet route some roads are just horrible and you do end up thinking one day....

i'm lucky in that my commute is very short so I have one mile of quiet almost village like back streets and then a mile off road though Bushy park. so while I have to avoid deer in the dark it's a rather stress free route.

soy_sauce

i think this apply to everything, unless people go out and do it (in this case, cycling on the road), it will always have questions in your head like "what if this happen... what if that happen..??!" sometimes even you did it before but something happened (in this case, crash or hit by a car), then you might end up thinking "what if this happen again?!"

DonDaddyD

I can relate to the fear of cycling.

In fact I've taken this week off the bike as I'm sick of spending most of my journey to work working out which car/ bus / ped is going to try to kill me next. As I have neither speedy reactions nor a spidey sense, I end up having to cycle like a granny, which (combined with the fear factor) has made it all very un fun.

And (so far) I've actually really enjoyed commuting by train. Which is probably sacriledge on this forum...

This relates to the OP as well.

I wouldn't refer to the above as a fear of cycling. Nothing in the above denontes a lack of confidence or 'fear' in the aparent ability to ride a bike - you do not need speedy reactions of a 'spidey sense' to ride safely, certainly these shouldn't be relied upon to ensure safety.

The fear is clearly placed within the things external to and outside of your control and this excludes the bike.

That fear 'a lack of control' is not limited to riding a bike, I don't like driving my car in rush hour traffic for that very reason. I cannot account for other peoples reactions and while a catching a bus may feel safer because it is a norm within a traffic heavy road a cyclist may appear to be an anomoly in that scenario and I cannot trust or anticipate fully others reactions to it.

CyclingBantam

Not read the links yet and I may be missing the point but do we not think the thing that keeps probably 90-95% of people from cycling is lazyness? However frustrated they get in their cars I genuinely think most might even say they should cycle but won't, ultimately because they are too lazy.

jinnan_tonnix

Here lies good stuff:

http://hembrow.blogspot.com/2008/09/thr ... afety.html

boneyjoe

Can't seem to find the word for cycling phobia - just googled it, and the best that came up is "cyclist inferiority phobia" - what rubbish! Anyone know what it is / have any ideas?

choirboy

boneyjoe wrote:

Can't seem to find the word for cycling phobia - just googled it, and the best that came up is "cyclist inferiority phobia" - what rubbish! Anyone know what it is / have any ideas?

Cyclophobia according to this.

Aguila

BenBlyth wrote:

Not read the links yet and I may be missing the point but do we not think the thing that keeps probably 90-95% of people from cycling is lazyness? However frustrated they get in their cars I genuinely think most might even say they should cycle but won't, ultimately because they are too lazy.

+1. See also obesity.

AndyManc

Aguila wrote:

BenBlyth wrote:

Not read the links yet and I may be missing the point but do we not think the thing that keeps probably 90-95% of people from cycling is lazyness? However frustrated they get in their cars I genuinely think most might even say they should cycle but won't, ultimately because they are too lazy.

+1. See also obesity.

+ 1/2 (too lazy to give 1) , Spot on , the reason why people buy ready made meals and have pizza's delivered to their front door, the reason why people use power tools for gardening, the reason why parents drive their kids to school .... the list is endless.

The majority will take the option that requires least effort, societies rise in expendable income has fuelled that behaviour.

The reason why many more don't cycle is because they are lazy b******** , pure and simple.


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mattward1979

roger merriman wrote:

londonlivvy wrote:

I can relate to the fear of cycling.

In fact I've taken this week off the bike as I'm sick of spending most of my journey to work working out which car/ bus / ped is going to try to kill me next. As I have neither speedy reactions nor a spidey sense, I end up having to cycle like a granny, which (combined with the fear factor) has made it all very un fun.

And (so far) I've actually really enjoyed commuting by train. Which is probably sacriledge on this forum...

maybe a differnet route some roads are just horrible and you do end up thinking one day....

i'm lucky in that my commute is very short so I have one mile of quiet almost village like back streets and then a mile off road though Bushy park. so while I have to avoid deer in the dark it's a rather stress free route.

Dude I wish I lived there too hehe!! Got a room?!

Sounds like you live in a disney cartoon!! All respect to you though... us city slummers having to ride through rivers of glass and chavs can only dream!

SmellTheGlove

I think there's a lot of fear of many things out there, and people ever more prone to seeing "risk" in what are frankly normal situations.
***DULL TV ANECDOTE ALERT***
I was watching Design for Life (I believe it's called, kind of Dragon's Den-ish setup on Beeb2) last night where product designers attempt to impress Philippe Starch with their ideas - out of eight ideas, two centred on "self-defence" products for use in and outside the home. A full quarter of the contestants believe that fear is a growth industry.
I tend to disagree with the sentiments behind that thinking. Without wishing to oversimplify, I think that if people were less troubled by their surroundings and things they feel unable to control we'd live more openly. And ride more.



Haven't posted in a while - but am still pounding my usual route, more so since all the water main work around these parts... And the commuter numbers in our factory are rising. So there's some more good news.

suzyb

AndyManc wrote:

... the reason why parents drive their kids to school ..

Not everyone drives their kids to school because they're lazy.

I know several schools around here where many of the kids need to cross a very busy main road that doesn't have a school crossing patrol. If I were one of those parents and couldn't walk my kid to school because I had to get to work I'd be dropping them off by car as well (unless I could bike to work ofc ).

AndyManc

-null- wrote:

I had to get to work I'd be dropping them off by car as well (unless I could bike to work ofc ).

Yes ... because they are too lazy to walk their kids to school (btw I never got walked to school, and NO-ONE in high school EVER got driven by car) and walk back for their car.

They find it EASIER to combine the two ..... because they are lazy :P


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suzyb

AndyManc wrote:

-null- wrote:

I had to get to work I'd be dropping them off by car as well (unless I could bike to work ofc ).

Yes ... because they are too lazy to walk their kids to school (btw I never got walked to school, and NO-ONE in high school EVER got driven by car) and walk back for their car.

They find it EASIER to combine the two ..... because they are lazy :P


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:roll:

Dogbert

AndyManc wrote:

-null- wrote:

I had to get to work I'd be dropping them off by car as well (unless I could bike to work ofc ).

Yes ... because they are too lazy to walk their kids to school (btw I never got walked to school, and NO-ONE in high school EVER got driven by car) and walk back for their car.

They find it EASIER to combine the two ..... because they are lazy :P


.

Which is OK if the school is not a 50 minute round trip to walk to, and you then have a thirty minute commute each way to work. That's the best part of three hours each day, which given schools are only open from 9 until 3 does not leave much time for work
I used to walk to school but it was only five minutes away and my Mum didn't work.
I'm sure that some people would use the car if they only lived round the corner and had nothing else to do all day, but for the vast majority of people its the only practical way of doing it.

AndyManc

Dogbert wrote:

but for the vast majority of people its the only practical way of doing it.

How did people do it 30yrs ago ?

I saw no cars at school (except teachers), everyone either walked or got the bus.

At junior (primary) school, kids walked with other kids or the occasional parent came along.

The present day trend for the vast majority isn't down to practicalities, it's down to conserving time and energy.

It's human nature to take the easy route, the vast majority are not going to take a separate trip to take their kids to school when there’s an alternative ... that doesn't take the effort of putting one foot in front of the other in all weathers.

They choose the easy option, the lazy option, and that option is taken up by their children when they are older.

There is a tiny minority that realise (due to environmental and health issues) they have to change their ways.

I think it's more 'practical' to save your health and the planet than to conserve energy and time.



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MonkeyMonster

Our is not to reason why
choose your gear and cycle by...

tjwood

When I started cycling only a few months ago I had almost no fear of cycling on the road - perhaps because I consider myself quite a confident driver (I've taken an advanced driving course & test) and I know that most of the danger on the road can be eliminated by careful planning, observation, road positioning and the right attitude; which is equally true whether in a car or on a bike. I guess it's all down to a fear of things you can't control, with the right mindset, some knowledge (training) and lots of practice (so that everything becomes natural) you find that actually you can control quite a lot of it. (The cycling thing that maybe I do have a fear of is going down steep technical descents on an MTB; again I'm sure with the right knowledge and lots of practice I can conquer this fear but I've not got there quite yet).


The point I think is that people need to be educated in how to behave on the road (whether cycling or driving). The learner driver test only really covers the basics and if you've ever done any advanced driver training you'll realise how much safer and more confident it makes you. But for cycling there isn't even a basic level of training, we expect people to jump on a bike and into the traffic! Is it any wonder this scares people?



(Oh, and for whatever reason I actually really enjoyed cycling to work in heavy rain this morning; was more fun and seemed even more worthwile because the tailbacks at junctions were twice as long due to all the extra people deciding to drive their darlings to school so they didn't get wet. 9 months ago I would never have believed that cycling 10 miles twice a day could be fun, especially not in the rain. I think a lot of people just don't know what they're missing).

roger_merriman

mattward1979 wrote:

roger merriman wrote:

londonlivvy wrote:

I can relate to the fear of cycling.

In fact I've taken this week off the bike as I'm sick of spending most of my journey to work working out which car/ bus / ped is going to try to kill me next. As I have neither speedy reactions nor a spidey sense, I end up having to cycle like a granny, which (combined with the fear factor) has made it all very un fun.

And (so far) I've actually really enjoyed commuting by train. Which is probably sacriledge on this forum...

maybe a differnet route some roads are just horrible and you do end up thinking one day....

i'm lucky in that my commute is very short so I have one mile of quiet almost village like back streets and then a mile off road though Bushy park. so while I have to avoid deer in the dark it's a rather stress free route.

Dude I wish I lived there too hehe!! Got a room?!

Sounds like you live in a disney cartoon!! All respect to you though... us city slummers having to ride through rivers of glass and chavs can only dream!

still london ish but the edge of it so while it's still very built up. but yes it's nothing like more central london though I do go to the odd training day etc, which is more broken glass etc....

Dogbert

Schools were closer (mine certainly was) and in the vast majority of cases both parents didn't work (round our way certainly both parents working was the exception not the rule), a lot of people worked closer to home, etc etc. There have been huge social changes in the last 30 years that go far beyond car use. Believe me nothing would make me happier than to get shot of our second car, and we walk with the kids whenever we can, but the school run is mathmatically not possible, we pay for extra child care as it is to get our hours in.

You are obviously lucky in location of your kids school / work etc don't assume we are all that fortunate.

suzyb

Dogbert wrote:

Schools were closer (mine certainly was) and in the vast majority of cases both parents didn't work (round our way certainly both parents working was the exception not the rule), a lot of people worked closer to home, etc etc. There have been huge social changes in the last 30 years that go far beyond car use. Believe me nothing would make me happier than to get shot of our second car, and we walk with the kids whenever we can, but the school run is mathmatically not possible, we pay for extra child care as it is to get our hours in.

You are obviously lucky in location of your kids school / work etc don't assume we are all that fortunate.

Plus council cost cutting comes into play. With councils trying to reduce the amount they shell out for school transport by limiting free transport to those further away. And around here that can mean poor Johnny has to walk along the side of an unpaved 60 limit road for a mile or two.

Dogbert

-null- wrote:

Plus council cost cutting comes into play. With councils trying to reduce the amount they shell out for school transport by limiting free transport to those further away. And around here that can mean poor Johnny has to walk along the side of an unpaved 60 limit road for a mile or two.

I think free / cheap school transport would have a great uptake. The walking school bus idea is brilliant and suitable for a lot of urdan areas but does not seem to have been pushed very hard, again probably because of funding.

Stopping school mergers and closures, introducing appropriate numbers of places at local schools, and funding expansion of schools as part of planning permission for new housing developments would all help.

Another issue is the politics of school places - it is now possible to live within walking distance (or even next door to) a school and not be allowed to send your kids to it because places are decide by lottery, rather than who lives where, for social inclusion purposes. It is also possible under these polices, if you are unlucky, to have two children at different schools miles away from where you live. :?

Cafewanda

tjwood wrote:

(Oh, and for whatever reason I actually really enjoyed cycling to work in heavy rain this morning; was more fun and seemed even more worthwile because the tailbacks at junctions were twice as long due to all the extra people deciding to drive their darlings to school so they didn't get wet. 9 months ago I would never have believed that cycling 10 miles twice a day could be fun, especially not in the rain. I think a lot of people just don't know what they're missing).

+1