Cycling and e-bikes a more likely option for a quarter of Londoners following tube strikes, new poll shows
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
More than one in four Londoners say they are now more likely to consider cycling following Tube strikes in the capital in September, with many using e-bikes for transportation during the disruption.
A poll by Lime and YouGov found 28 per cent of Londoners are more likely to cycle in the future, while 21 per cent said they cycled during the strikes.
The Underground network was largely shut between September 7 and 12, prompting thousands of commuters to turn to bikes to get across the city, with e-bike operator Lime reported a surge in usage including rush hour trips on Monday and Tuesday being up more than 50 per cent week-on-week, climbing to 74 per cent by Wednesday.
By Thursday, Lime saw a 70 per cent rise in trips, a 39 per cent increase in trip duration, and a 35 per cent increase in average trip distance, showing Londoners were taking longer journeys on e-bikes.
Central and East London saw the highest number of people saying they would consider cycling in the future, at 36 and 34 per cent respectively.
Alice Pleasant, Senior Public Affairs Manager at Lime, said the strikes showed “just how far London has come as a cycling city” and that cycling has become a standard part of travel for many.
The longest Lime journey recorded during the strike was 23km, crossing nine boroughs, while one e-bike covered 201km over four days, almost the distance from London to Nottingham, while Forest bike hire reported that 84 per cent of commuters who used their service during the strikes are likely to continue cycling, with many trying a bike for the first time.
Tom Fyans, CEO of the London Cycling Campaign, said: "The mass shift to dockless hire bikes during the strikes demonstrated the power of cycling to move people around our city safely, the incredible convenience of dockless hire, the huge untapped potential as a safe, healthy transport mode that remains unfulfilled for cycling in London - with too many areas still deprived of truly safe, comfortable cycle routes, and the desperate need for more cycle capacity our routes already face.
“For more of those 1 in 4 Londoners who want to cycle more to keep pedalling, we'll need a lot more cycle tracks, crossings, and routes."
The spike in e-bike usage following the Tube strikes comes amid wider efforts to promote e-bikes as a sustainable and healthy transport option, including the E-Bike Positive campaign; a UK-wide initiative backed by the ACT designed to improve public understanding of e-bikes, highlight their benefits for sustainable transport, and challenge negative perceptions particularly in mainstream media.
For more information on the E-Bike Positive campaign, click here.