Spectrum: The Federal Ministry of Transport (BMVI) had set itself a major goal as part of the National Cycling Plan 2020: They wanted to increase the average share of cycling in the total traffic volume nationwide from 11 percent to 15. By all accounts, this requirement failed miserably. A study by the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich now provides interesting insights into why this is the case.
Proportion of bicycle traffic inconsistent nationwide
The corona pandemic has ensured that more and more people have switched to cycling, at least temporarily. A significant increase in cycling can be seen, especially in the larger cities. In metropolitan areas such as Munich, Berlin and Hamburg in particular, the proportion of bicycle traffic is well above the target of 15 percent. In the nationwide average, however, this value is not reached.
The question of why people don't regularly get on their bikes is all the more interesting for the planners. The "Rad-Aktiv-Study" Since January 2018, the LMU Munich has been trying to classify the group of non-cyclists. It is hoped that the study will provide insights in order to derive targeted measures to improve the share of cycling.
Who are the non-cyclists and how do they tick?
According to the definition of LMU study belong to the group of non-cyclists all people who get on a bike no more than once a month or who do not ride a bike at all. The preliminary result of the study, which is expected to be completed in June 2021, speaks of a good 50 percent of all Germans. Interestingly, one crystallizes in this group gender gap out.
So belong 55 percent of women but to the non-cyclists only 46 percent of men. The researchers conclude from this that a major starting point is safety in cycling. They suspect that with increasing safety measures, the proportion of women among cyclists will also increase.
Social clusters and relocation as sticking points
are also important demographic factors and the social environment. The proportion of cyclists decreases with increasing age. At the same time, the researchers identified so-called "social clusters". People who opt out of cycling for commuting and everyday journeys often also have above-average many bicycle refusers in their environment.
However, the most important factor that the researchers have been able to identify so far is the change of residence. The move still has a major impact on who uses their bike regularly and who doesn't. However, which measures can be derived from the study will only become apparent after the study has been evaluated.