‘I would like to cycle more than I currently do’
A new survey by Ipsos finds public backing for actions by the government to encourage cycling and public transport. However, the study also finds a strong attachment to car use and ownership, as well as weakening support for schemes that charge motorists more for road use to improve the environment.
- 44% say they would like to cycle more than they currently do
- 71% say they support actions to encourage more people to walk or cycle instead of driving a car…
- …but the same proportion (also 71%) feel they need a car to suit their current lifestyle
- While there is more support (45%) than opposition (33%) for schemes charging road users a fee to drive around towns and cities, support has weakened since 2020
Christian Easdown, Associate Director, Public Affairs at Ipsos in the UK said of the findings:
Superficially, there is considerable appetite among many people to adopt more sustainable travel behaviours such as walking, cycling or using public transport over driving a car. But there are significant barriers to this happening in practice – for example, most people think our roads aren’t safe for cyclists.
The public say they want to see more encouragement to cycle and back the adoption of electric vehicles but are cooler on the imposition of restrictions and charges for car use even if this reduces congestion and improves the environment.
It remains to be seen if the ‘cost of living’ crisis and sensitivities about interventions being ‘anti-car’ make a difference to public opinion too.Read more here
