4 in 5 Dutch riders of regular bikes feel less safe as fatbikes multiple on the paths
As more and more regular bicycle riders share the bike paths with an increasing number of fatbikes, e-bikes, or cargo bikes, more than four in five Dutch now say that cycling feels less safe than it did a few years back, according to research by Univé, conducted by PanelWizard among 1,088 people in the Netherlands.
“Many Dutch people experience the bike path as less safe, but they do not think that has anything to do with their own cycling behavior,” said Rianne Ubels, proposition manager at Coöperatie Univé. “Yet it is precisely our own choices that make a difference for our own safety and for the people around us.” In the meantime, more than two-thirds of people cycle at least once a week.
The same gap in understanding reportedly also appears when it comes to traffic rules. More than nine in ten surveyed are annoyed, to a greater or lesser extent, by cyclists who ignore traffic rules. At the same time, they consider ignoring traffic rules on a bicycle less serious than ignoring them in a car. Their own behavior is reportedly not always a conscious choice, either, as one in five say they do not make a deliberate decision while cycling about whether or not they follow certain traffic rules.
Eighty-nine percent of the survey responders think other cyclists wearing earphones pay less attention in traffic but are less critical of themselves. Only one-third reportedly said they pay less attention to traffic when they have earphones in. However, according to the survey, the older a respondent is, the larger is the share of people who say they do not pay enough attention in such situations.
The survey also found that more than four in five Dutch adjust their cycling when they encounter a cyclist aged 70 or older. At the same time, nearly two in three believe other cyclists do not pay enough attention to older cyclists.
“We also want to help people recognize risks sooner and reduce them where possible. As a cooperative, we believe safety is something we contribute to together: by looking out for one another and preventing damage wherever we can,” Ubels said.
