Only 9% of Brits cycle to work

Cars and public transportation seem to be rulers of the daily commute across the UK, with a new YouGov poll showing only 9% of Brits cycle to work, with poor weather coming in as one of the biggest excuses for not jumping on a bicycle.

Regardless of the benefits of cycling to work, such as reduced travel costs, better fitness and low environmental impact, 87% of UK workers don’t take their bike to work, according to the survey conducted by Ribble Cycles.

The 18-24 age group is the least likely to cycle, with only 2% saying they do so, and men are more than twice as likely to bike than women (13% vs 5%).

The top reason for using alternative transport is distance from the office, with 42% saying they simply live too far away from work. Meanwhile, 16% say the country’s notoriously gloomy weather keeps them from cycling.

A lack of confidence in their ability is the reason for a quarter of respondents, with more than twice as many women as men reporting this as an excuse to stay off a bike (34% vs 15%).

26% of respondents say they’re worried about having an accident. That number rises to 39% in London, where cyclist deaths reached a record high in 2015.

Of those who do cycle to work, 83% report that it helps improve their fitness and 61% say it reduces their transport costs.

Read the original article at bit.ly/1oExxA7