Yes, survey finds bicycles are the most popular form of transportation

It might not surprise many Momentum readers, but a new Ipsos survey found that if safe cycling infrastructure is created, the cyclists will come.

The findings of the survey illustrate very clearly that many find cycling in urban areas to be too dangerous, and that safe cycling infrastructure could make a major impact. More than half of those surveyed in 28 countries said cycling was too dangerous in their areas.

“The prevalence of cycling to run errands or to commute is highest in countries where it is most widely perceived as a safe mode of transportation such as China, Japan, and the Netherlands,” read a press release on the survey findings. “In most countries surveyed, a solid majority of citizens are in favor of giving bicycles priority over automobiles in new infrastructure projects.”

Although riding a bicycle for daily needs such as commuting for work and education is flourishing in some countries including 30 per cent of adults in the Netherlands and 20 per cent in Sweden, others are far behind. And those countries include both the United States and Great Britain at five per cent, and Canada at just four per cent.

It is no surprise then, that these are the same countries where fewer than half of the respondents agree with the statement that “new road and traffic infrastructure projects in their area should prioritize bicycles over automobiles.” In contrast, the average for the survey is 64 per cent agreement, with a higher than average rate in emerging countries.

Holger Haubold, of the European Cyclists’ Federation, comments that the “new global survey from Ipsos shows that people around the world generally have a positive attitude towards cycling, but most prefer to cycle where they feel it’s safe.”

In addition, the survey found that cycling is more popular than all other forms of transportation, natch, with a global average of 82 per cent viewing bicycles favorably compared to 74 per cent for automobiles, 73 per cent for e-bikes, 59 per cent for motorcycles or mopeds, 53 per cent for standup scooters and 43 per cent for trucks.

“Support for prioritizing bicycles in infrastructure prevails where large majorities agree that ‘cycling from one place to another in my area is too dangerous,’ including all countries surveyed across Latin America and Southern Europe as well as Malaysia and Saudi Arabia,” according to the report.

Countries sampled for the survey include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland), France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Spain, United States, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, and Turkey.

Check out all the findings here.