Lewes Cycle Challenge 2013 Getting more people cycling by understanding behaviour change
Evaluation report prepared by: Challenge for Change January 2014
Contents Section One - Introduction ......................................................................... 7 1.1
Background .................................................................................. 7
1.2 Aims and objectives ....................................................................... 8 Section Two - Marketing, Promotion and Incentives....................................... 9 2.1
Promotional materials .................................................................... 9
2.2
Website analytics ......................................................................... 11
2.3
Incentives and prizes .................................................................... 12
Section Three - Challenge Results .............................................................. 13 3.1
Top-line Results ........................................................................... 13
Section Four - Data Collection ................................................................... 15 4.1
Data collection ............................................................................. 15
4.2
Representative sample .................................................................. 16
Section Five - Registrations into the Challenge ............................................ 17 5.1
Organisations............................................................................... 17
5.2
People ........................................................................................ 17
Section Six - Survey Results ..................................................................... 19 6.1 Change in general cycling behaviour ............................................... 19 6.2
Frequency of cycling trips to work ................................................... 26
6.3
Modal shift .................................................................................. 28
Section Seven - Barriers and Motivators ..................................................... 31 7.1
Barriers and motivators for participation in the Challenge .................. 31
7.2
Cycling confidence and bike ownership ............................................ 35
7.3
Interventions to encourage cycling.................................................. 37
7.4
Feedback on workplace cycle facilities ............................................. 38
Section Eight - Results Summary ............................................................... 40 8.1
Aims ........................................................................................... 40
8.2
Objectives ................................................................................... 42
8.3
Summary of recommendations ....................................................... 43
Section Nine - Conclusion ......................................................................... 45 Appendix 1 – Organisation Registrations ..................................................... 46 Appendix 2 – Improvements for cyclists within the Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch areas ................................................................................... 48
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“Thanks for organising the Challenge. It was enjoyable to take part and has been an inspiration to my 7 year old son.” – Non-Cyclist
“Brilliant idea - I've had bikes all my life but haven't ridden for several years. This started me off and I enjoyed it - have been out several times since.”– Non-Cyclist
“I very much enjoyed taking part in the Challenge and it has helped me to realise that I can cycle to and from work - Hove to Lewes quite easily.” – Regular Cyclist
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Executive Summary Outline of the Challenge Love to Ride Lewes (www.lovetoride.net/lewes) was established in early 2013 and rolls on as the online community for cyclists of all abilities in the area. Challenge for Change delivered the first Lewes Cycle Challenge on this platform in May and June 2013. The initiative aimed to increase the number of people cycling in Lewes. This mirrored the focus of the successful LSTF bid and addressed various requirements of a broader programme of sustainable travel initiatives and infrastructure developments. The behavioural change programme allowed organisations to compete against one another to see who could encourage the most staff to cycle for at least 10 minutes, during the three week Challenge period from Monday 27 May to Sunday 16 June 2013. The Challenge focused on participation and not miles to ensure a fair competition that encouraged non- and occasional cyclists, as much as regular cyclists. Try-a-bike sessions with led rides and organised group rides were offered throughout the Challenge period to provide a fun and easy way to participate. During the Challenge period, 39 organisations participated, and 302 people recorded over 22,553 miles via 1,687 trips. The 39 participating organisations employed between them more than 6,200 people, showing the reach of the Challenge’s marketing effort.
Evaluation of the Challenge This report details an evaluation of the Challenge. Participants were surveyed at baseline when registering into the Challenge (May 2013) and three weeks (July 2013) and three months (September 2013) after participating. The results of these surveys have been analysed. The three-week Post Challenge Survey and the three-month Post Challenge Survey achieved response rates of 37% and 29% respectively. For the purpose of this report, registrants have been grouped into one of the following groups: • •
Non-Cyclists - People who had either not cycled at all or only a few times in the year before the Challenge (40% of registrants). Occasional Cyclists - People who had either cycled only a few times a month or about once a week before the Challenge (23% of registrants). 4
•
Regular Cyclists - People who had cycled two days or more each week before the Challenge (36% of registrants).
Top-line results The Lewes Cycle Challenge programme has successfully influenced the behaviour of the key target audiences in the Lewes area. The top-line results are: 1. Participation of new cyclists One of the aims of the 2013 Challenge was to encourage people who are not currently cycling to start cycling. With 151 non-cyclists registering and 116 going on to record a trip this is a good proportion of non-cyclists. 40% of all registrants were non-cyclists. 2. Increase in cycling frequency Three months after the Challenge: • •
49% of non-cyclists at baseline reported cycling at least once a month or more often, with 40% now cycling once a week or more; 50% of those classed as occasional cyclists reported cycling two days a week or more.
3. Increase in cycling to work frequency Three months after the Challenge: • •
11% of participants who reported cycling less than two days a week to work at baseline are now cycling to work at least two days a week; 6% of participants who reported travelling to work by car at baseline had switched to cycling to work as their main mode of transport.
4. Adding value to local projects that aim to promote cycling and sustainable travel Following the Challenge, participants were given the opportunity to state an interest in cycling activities or information in a survey. Most respondents wanted information about bike maintenance (n=50), led group rides (n=17) and advanced cycle skills training (n=14).
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Key Recommendations There is an opportunity for the local councils and their partners to continue the legacy of the Challenge by implementing the follow-up interventions, promote adult cycle training schemes and information about cycle routes directly to those who requested it; offer bike maintenance courses to benefit as wide an audience as possible; and build a relationship with the organisations that were involved in the Challenge to engage them in further cycling activities. The database of over 800 cyclists and 60 businesses in the area is a great resource and could be used for research purposes, to consult on plans for new infrastructure with cyclists of all abilities, to promote the annual programme of cycling events in the area and to continue to support those cyclists who have shown a change in behaviour through the Challenge by incentivising them to keep cycling. There is a high level of interest from Challenge Champions in continuing to Champion cycling in their workplace and explore implementing a grants scheme to help workplaces improve their facilities.
Conclusion The Lewes Cycle Challenge programme has successfully engaged a large audience of potential and existing cyclists in the area. Positive behaviour change has been measured amongst the key target groups of non- and occasional cyclists as a result of the Challenge. Continuing to attract non-cyclists into the programme would remain the key focus of a repeat Challenge, as well as attracting new organisations to take part and increasing participation within existing organisations. It is recommended that a 2014 Cycle Challenge be run to continue with increasing rates in cycling and cycling to work, evident in the results obtained during 2013.
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Section One Introduction In April-May 2013, Challenge for Change delivered the third Lewes Cycle Challenge through the successful Defra Air Quality grant funding. The new Love to Ride web platform hosted the 2013 Challenge and all users were successfully migrated across. There are immediate advantages to the new platform, including year round activity, new functionality, additional global Love to Ride community initiatives and promotions and for 2014, access to the new Community Manager role and support. The Challenge was a behavioural change programme, based on social marketing theory, designed to encourage more people in Lewes to cycle more often. This report provides data and feedback on the Challenge and evidence to show the outcomes of the Challenge, based on participant research.
1.1
Background
The third Lewes Cycle Challenge took place from 27 May to 16 June 2013 and successfully encouraged a total of 302 participants to take part. The Challenge encouraged people to experience what it was like to actually ride a bike, through events, incentives and peer encouragement. It had been extended by a week due to heavy rain and bad weather. Rides were recorded online via a dedicated Lewes Cycle Challenge website, which encouraged organisations and the individual departments within them to compete against each other to see who could encourage the most staff to cycle for at least 10 minutes. The Challenge focused on participation rather than mileage, to ensure a fair competition that engaged non- and occasional cyclists, as much as regular cyclists. It also helped to foster a sense of teamwork and a cycling culture within participating groups by motivating existing cyclists to seek out and encourage their non-cycling friends to get involved. The design of the promotional materials and website used illustrations of cyclists including bike hangers aimed at existing cyclists to encourage their non-cycling colleagues to take part, specifically in the try-a-bike sessions. Try-a-bike events were held at various workplaces to give participants the opportunity to try cycling for 10 minutes. These events also included a free bike tune up by a Dr. Bike mechanic.
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1.2
Aims and objectives
Aims The aims of the Challenge are: •
To encourage people who are not currently cycling to start cycling.
•
To encourage occasional cyclists to cycle more regularly.
•
To encourage those who are not currently cycling to work to cycle to work.
•
To add value to local projects that aim to promote cycling and sustainable travel in Lewes.
•
To provide measurable results so that stakeholders can see that the Challenge programme has made a real difference to the number of people cycling in Lewes.
Objectives Challenge for Change built on the level of engagement achieved in the 2010 and 2011 programmes in Lewes. The 2013 targets were: 1. To encourage at least 30 businesses to register in the Challenge. 2. To encourage at least 300 people to participate in the Challenge each year.
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Section Two Marketing, Promotion and Incentives Louise Skipton-Carter was appointed as the Challenge Manager. Her role was to encourage as many new organisations and people to take part and to support them throughout the Challenge programme.
2.1
Promotional materials
A range of promotional materials were to promote the Challenge: A4 posters, A4 business factsheets, A4 paper registration forms and A6 postcards. Different messages were used in order to target different audiences – non-cyclists and existing cyclists.
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Printed materials were complemented by a Challenge website (Section 2.2), web banners and targeted emails to participants before, during and after the Challenge period. Some emails went to all participants, whilst others were targeted at specific groups within the database, for example: •
Emails to Workplace Champions – gave tips and ideas on how to promote the Challenge and encouraged them to become actively involved in the Challenge by organising social rides for their team.
•
Emails to new cyclists – focussed on the “Cycle for 10 minutes and win!” message and highlighted incentives such as the free cinema tickets and prizes.
All publicity for the Challenge took a friendly, non-lecturing approach. Instead of focusing on promoting the benefits of cycling and physical activity, it encouraged people to simply give cycling a go, have fun with their workmates and in turn discover the benefits for themselves. Publicity clearly highlighted the prizes and incentives available, which are detailed in Section 2.3.
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2.2
Website analytics
Organisations, departments and individuals were encouraged to register their involvement and record their cycling activity on the website www.lewescyclechallenge.org.uk. The website displayed live results and enabled a quick and easy comparison of individual and team results to motivate further participation, with statistics relating to distance, trips, calories and carbon savings. The analytics statistics for the website have been recorded and analysed specifically for the month before, during and the two weeks after the Challenge period, from 27 April to 30 June 2013: • • • • • •
4,818 visits (67% from returning visitors, 33% from new visitors). 1,741 absolute unique visitors. 74 visits on average per day. 05:04 minutes spent on average on the site. 25,705 page views. 5 page views on average per visit.
Most of the traffic to the website (44%) was direct, followed by searches (33%), referring sites (22%) and email link (1%). Figure 1: Visits per day 300 250 200 150 100 50
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30/06/2013
28/06/2013
26/06/2013
24/06/2013
22/06/2013
20/06/2013
18/06/2013
16/06/2013
14/06/2013
12/06/2013
10/06/2013
08/06/2013
06/06/2013
04/06/2013
02/06/2013
31/05/2013
29/05/2013
27/05/2013
25/05/2013
23/05/2013
21/05/2013
19/05/2013
17/05/2013
15/05/2013
13/05/2013
11/05/2013
09/05/2013
07/05/2013
05/05/2013
03/05/2013
01/05/2013
29/04/2013
27/04/2013
0
2.3
Incentives and prizes
The following competitions, incentives and prizes were used to attract the key target audiences into the Challenge: Team Participation Award – The top three organisations in each size category that encouraged the highest proportion of staff to ride a bike for the Challenge won a certificate. The winning organization in the 500+ and 200-499 size category won a brewery tour, the winners in the 50-199, 2049, 7-19 and 3-6 size categories won a luxury hamper. •
Cinema Tickets – 100 cinema tickets for Odeon were awarded to those who cycled for the first time in over a year for the Challenge and their encouragers, as well as those who rode a bike at a try-a-bike session.
•
Weekly Prizes – There were three weekly prize draws, one in each week of the Challenge. These draws encouraged participants to record at least one trip a week for any specific purpose: for leisure or work. Prizes included a £525 bike, a massage and an overnight stay for two with breakfast.
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Section Three Challenge Results 3.1
Top-line Results
The results from the 2013 Challenge, which relate to trips that were recorded within the three-week Challenge period, from 27 May to 16 June, are presented in the table below. Table 1: Top-line results for the 2013 Lewes Cycle Challenge Top-line results Organisations Participants Non cyclists Distance (miles) Total trips % trips for transport purposes CO2 saved (kg) Energy burnt (million kJ)
2013 39 302 116 22,553 1,687 51% 3,397 2.5
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The organisations and departments which encouraged the most people to cycle for the Challenge were: Table 2: Participation Award Winners Size Category
500+
200-499
50-199
20-49
7-19
3-6
Place
Organisation
% Participation
1st
Sussex Police
4.3%
2nd
East Sussex County Council
3.2%
3rd
East Sussex Division - Sussex Police
0.4%
1st
Lewes District Council
7.5%
2nd
South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
6.1%
3rd
Communications - Sussex Police
5.2%
1st
The Guild Of Master Craftsmen
32.0%
2nd
South Of High Street - The Guild Of Master Craftsmen
20.0%
3rd
Planning and Environmental Services - Lewes District Council
15.0%
1st
Public Health - East Sussex County Council
72.0%
2nd
North Of High Street - The Guild Of Master Craftsmen
51.0%
3rd
High Weald Lewes Havens CCG
44.0%
1st
Sussex Express
75.0%
2nd
Surrey and Sussex CSU Business Intelligence
55.0%
3rd
Wilson Wilson & Hancock
25.0%
1st
Lewes Cycle Shack
2nd
Pixeldot Creative
75.0%
3rd
HR - High Weald Lewes Havens CCG
67.0%
100.0%
Events Over the course of the Challenge, five events took place covering five different locations, including group rides and at workplaces to encourage both new and existing cyclists to take part in the Challenge. These events engaged more than 100 people.
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Section Four Data Collection The data recorded and collected as part of the Challenge was critical for analysing and evaluating the Lewes Cycle Challenge programme and understanding changes in participants’ behaviour.
4.1
Data collection
Three surveys have been completed by participants in the programme, at the start of the Challenge, three weeks and three months after the Challenge:
Survey
N responses % response rate
Post Challenge Survey 1
Post Challenge Survey 2
(July 2013)
(Oct 2013)
374
140
108
-
37%
29%
Baseline (Mar-Jun 2013)
The first Post Challenge Survey aimed to discover what perceived barriers participants had to cycling more often in the future and to explore their intended future cycling behaviour, whilst the second one explored any changes to cycling behaviour since the Challenge. Incentives were offered for each survey to encourage completion.
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4.2
Representative sample
It is important to ascertain whether the participants who responded to the Post Challenge Surveys are representative of all who took part in the Challenge. A representative sample means that the survey results can be extrapolated to represent all Challenge participants. To test whether the participants who completed the Post Challenge Surveys were representative of all participants, their cycling behaviour, gender and age have been compared against those given at baseline. Table 3: Comparison of sample
% of all Challenge registrants
% of all Post Challenge Survey 1 respondents
% of all Post Challenge Survey 2 respondents
Not at all A few times 1-3 times a month Once a week 2-3 days a week 4 or more days a week
19% 21% 14% 9% 17% 19%
19% 22% 14% 9% 17% 19%
16% 17% 19% 9% 18% 21%
Male Female
59% 41%
59% 41%
55% 45%
15 yrs or less 16-19 yrs 20-24 yrs 25-34 yrs 35-44 yrs 45-54 yrs 55-64 yrs 65 yrs or older
<1% 1% 6% 25% 32% 23% 11% 2%
<1% 1% 5% 25% 32% 23% 12% 1%
0% 0% 5% 21% 35% 28% 11% 0%
Cycling behaviour at baseline
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Section Five Registrations into the Challenge The Challenge succeeded in attracting a wide audience of organisations and cyclists of all levels of cycling experience. Key Points â&#x20AC;˘
63 organisations registered into the Challenge, and 39 (62%) of them participated
â&#x20AC;˘
302 of the participants who registered to take part (81%) went on to record a trip during the Challenge.
â&#x20AC;˘
Over 300 people in Lewes have now registered onto the website and engaged with the Challenge.
5.1
Organisations
63 organisations confirmed that they would take part in the 2013 Challenge. Participants in 39 of these confirmed organisations went on to record a trip (62%), therefore there were 24 organisations that registered but did not participate. Appendix 1 shows a list of all organisations registered into the Challenge.
5.2
People
The Baseline Survey for the 2013 Challenge was completed by 374 people, indicating that they had registered to take part. 302 of the participants who registered to take part (81%) went on to record a trip during the Challenge. To date, over 300 people in Lewes have now registered onto the Challenge website and engaged with the Challenge.
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1
Figure 2: Age and gender of registrants (N=368 ) Male (n=217)
Female (n=151)
20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 15 yrs or 16-19 yrs 20-24 yrs 25-34 yrs 35-44 yrs 45-54 yrs 55-64 yrs 65 yrs or less older
1
•
The largest group of participants were aged 35-44 years (32%), followed by 25-34 years (25%) and 45-54 years (23%).
•
41% of participants were female.
•
There were more male than female participants in bands above 35 years, but generally more females than males in bands lower than 35 years.
The number of males and females do not equal the total number of registrants (N=374) due to missing data. 2 Those who completed the Baseline Survey 18 are referred to as ‘registrants’ throughout
Section Six Survey Results The Challenge surveys presented a great opportunity to observe the behaviour of a large group of cyclists in Lewes. This information shows us how the Challenge has influenced participants’ cycling and travel-to-work behaviour. The results of the Baseline and both Post Challenge Surveys are reported in this Section2.
6.1
Change in general cycling behaviour
Key Points •
151 registrants (40%) had either cycled not at all or only a few times in the year prior to the 2013 Challenge.
•
Amongst non-cyclists who stated an intention to cycle more often after the Challenge, 50% showed an increase in reported cycling behaviour three months later.
•
40% of those classed as non-cyclists at baseline reported cycling at least once a week three months after the Challenge.
6.1.1 Cycling behaviour at Baseline Table 4: Before taking part in the Challenge, approximately how often have you ridden a bike in the last 12 months? (N=370)
Not at all
A few times
1-3 times a month
Once a week
2-3 days a week
4 or more days a week
Male (n=218)
13%
20%
13%
10%
21%
23%
Female (n=152)
27%
24%
16%
8%
13%
13%
All (N=370)
19%
22%
14%
9%
17%
19%
Gender
• •
71 registrants had not cycled at all in the year prior to the Challenge. The largest group of registrants had cycled a few times in the year before taking part in the Challenge (22% of total registrants).
2
Those who completed the Baseline Survey are referred to as ‘registrants’ throughout this report. The term ‘participants’ refers to those who went on to record a trip.
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From this data, Challenge registrants have been grouped into three broad segments based on their cycling behaviour: •
Non-Cyclists - People who had either not cycled at all (classed as ‘new cyclists’) or only a few times in the year before the Challenge.
•
Occasional Cyclists - People who had either cycled only a few times a month or about once a week before the Challenge.
•
Regular Cyclists - People who had cycled two days or more each week before the Challenge.
Figure 3: Before taking part in the Challenge, approximately how often have you ridden a bike in the last 12 months (n=374)?
Non-Cyclists
Occasional Cyclists
36%
Regular Cyclists
40%
23%
• 151 registrants (40%) had either cycled not at all or only a few times in the year prior to the 2013 Challenge. • In 2013, on average, Workplace Cycle Challenges in the UK attracted 31% non-cyclists and 19% occasional cyclists. The results achieved in the Lewes Cycle Challenge therefore compare very favourably and show that the programme attracted an above average proportion of the key target audience into the Challenge.
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Gender differences amongst the three segments were also looked at. Figure 4: Before taking part in the Challenge, approximately how often have 3
you ridden a bike in the last 12 months? (N=370 )
Male (n=218)
Female (n=152)
100% 80% 60%
52%
42%
48%
58%
Non-Cyclists (n=150)
Occasional Cyclists (n=86)
40% 20%
28%
72%
0%
â&#x20AC;˘
Regular Cyclists (n=134)
The differences in gender across the audience segments followed the typical pattern found amongst cyclists: with a higher proportion of females as non-cyclists (52%) and a higher proportion of males as regular cyclists (72%).
3
This number is lower than the overall number of registrants (N=374) because gender data was missing for 4 registrants.
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6.1.2 Intentions to cycle after participation in the Challenge Participants were asked about their intentions to cycle after the Challenge in July 2013 - Post Challenge Survey 1. Table 5: Thinking ahead to the next 3 months, will you be riding a bike...? (n=85)
More than I did in the 3 months before the Challenge
About the same as I did in the 3 months before the Challenge
Less than I did in the 3 months before the Challenge
Non- (n=33)
97%
0%
3%
Occasional (n=20)
60%
35%
5%
Regular (n=32)
25%
75%
0%
All (N=85)
61%
36%
2%
Participant Segment
â&#x20AC;˘
97% of non- and 60% of occasional cyclists stated that they intended to cycle more than they did before taking part in the Challenge.
â&#x20AC;˘
Remarkably, 25% of regular cyclists stated an intention to cycle more than they did before the Challenge. Only 2% of participants intended to cycle less often after taking part in the Challenge.
Participants were asked to elaborate on their intentions in free text. These qualitative quotes have been combined into a word cloud, with the font size of individual words reflecting how frequently they appeared in responses. Figure 5: What is the main reason(s) that you will cycle more in the next 3 months?
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“The Challenge offered some encouragement and it is nice to know that the community support cycling.” - Non-cyclist “Because I dusted it off and enjoyed it more than I thought.” - Occasional Cyclist “I realised how easy it was to cycle to work and back.”
- Regular Cyclist
6.1.3 Did intentions translate into action? It is interesting to find out whether those participants who stated that they intended to cycle more often after the Challenge, actually did so. To assess this, the cycling behaviour of the key audience, non-cyclists, at three months after the Challenge was compared to their stated intentions three weeks after the Challenge. Table 6: Changes in cycling behaviour three months after participating in the Challenge, relative to cycling intention three weeks after the Challenge (n=14) – Non-cyclists only 3 Weeks Post Challenge Cycling intention More About the same/Less
3 Months Post Challenge Non-
Occasional
Regular
% Increased Cycling
% of baseline registrants (with data)
Not at all
A few times
1-3 times a month
Once a week
2-3 days a week
4 or more days a week
100%
29%
21%
14%
7%
14%
14%
50%
0%
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
•
Of the 14 non-cyclists who completed both the three week and three month follow-up surveys, 100% stated that they intended to cycle more often after the Challenge. 29% of them went on to cycle two or more days a week three months after the Challenge.
•
Amongst non-cyclists who stated an intention to cycle more often after the Challenge, 50% showed an increase in reported cycling behaviour three months later.
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6.1.4 Behaviour change three months on Changes amongst the wider group of participants who responded to Post Challenge Survey 2 (regardless of whether they responded to Post Challenge Survey 1) are shown in the table below. Table 7: Changes in cycling behaviour three months after participating in the Challenge (N=107) 3 Months Post Challenge Non-
NonOccasional
Regular
% Increased Cycling
n
Not at all
A few times
1-3 times a month
Once a week
2-3 days a week
4 or more days a week
Not at all
17
29%
35%
6%
0%
18%
12%
71%
A few times
18
11%
28%
11%
22%
17%
11%
61%
1-3 times a month
20
5%
5%
20%
35%
30%
5%
70%
Once a week
10
0%
0%
10%
10%
80%
0%
80%
2-3 days a week
19
0%
0%
5%
16%
53%
26%
26%
4 or more days a week
23
0%
0%
0%
4%
9%
87%
-
Baseline
Regular
Occasional
•
49% of non-cyclists at baseline reported they are now cycling once a month or more, three months after the Challenge.
•
40% of non-cyclists reported that they are now cycling weekly (once a week or more often) three months after the Challenge.
•
50% of those who were occasional cyclists at baseline reported cycling regularly three months after the Challenge.
•
Overall, 13% of participants were cycling less frequently three months after the Challenge, compared to 60% who were cycling more frequently4.
4
This figure excludes regular cyclists who cycled 4 or more days a week, as this is the upper limit of cycling frequency that the survey allows.
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Participants were asked why they had cycled more often in the three months since the Challenge. Figure 6: What is the main reason(s) that you cycled more in the last 3 months?
“I was really encouraged to ride my bike after the Challenge - I remembered what fun it is and how good I feel - I now cycle to work every day!” – Non-Cyclist “I bought a new bike and enjoyed riding it so much I want to continue cycling as often as possible.” – Occasional Cyclist “My fitness improved during the Challenge - so now I feel like going out at the weekends or for longer rides on the way home. I realised how much further I could go and my confidence improved.” – Regular Cyclist
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6.2
Frequency of cycling trips to work
Occasional and regular cyclists were asked how frequently they had cycled for work in the three weeks prior to completing the Baseline Survey. The same question was repeated in Post Challenge Survey 2 to assess behaviour change three months after the Challenge. Key Points Of those who reported cycling less than two days a week to work at baseline, 11% reported cycling to work regularly (at least two days a week) three months after the Challenge.
•
6.2.1 Trips to work Baseline Figure 7: In the last 3 weeks, about how often have you cycled to work? (N=211)
Occasional Cyclists (n=79)
Regular Cyclists (n=132)
70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Not at all in the Less than 1 day 1 day per week 2-3 days per last 3 weeks per week week
4 or more days per week
•
11% of occasional cyclists reported cycling to work two or more days a week, whilst 63% did not cycle at all to work.
•
Unsurprisingly, regular cyclists reported more frequent cycling trips to work than occasional cyclists, with 80% of regular cyclists cycling to work at least one day per week, compared to 28% of occasional cyclists.
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Three months on Table 8: Changes in cycling to work three months after participating in the Challenge (N=62)
Baseline Not at all in the last 3 weeks Less than 1 day per week 1 day per week 2-3 days per week 4 or more days per week
â&#x20AC;˘
3 Months Post Challenge Less 2-3 1 day than 1 days per day per per week week week
4 or more days per week
% Increased Cycling
n
Not at all in the last 3 weeks
16
88%
6%
6%
0%
0%
13%
3
0%
0%
67%
33%
0%
100%
8
13%
13%
50%
25%
0%
25%
14
7%
0%
14%
64%
14%
14%
21
0%
0%
0%
10%
90%
-
Of those who reported cycling less than two days a week to work at baseline, 11% reported cycling to work regularly (at least two days a week) three months after the Challenge.
The cycling trips to work of non-cyclist participants were also looked at as some have reported general increases in cycling behaviour. Table 9: Changes in cycling to work amongst non-cyclists three months after participating in the Challenge (N=32) 3 Months Post Challenge n
Not at all in the last 3 weeks
Less than 1 day per week
1 day per week
2-3 days per week
4 or more days per week
% Increased Cycling
Not at all
15
73%
7%
0%
7%
13%
27%
A few times
17
76%
6%
0%
12%
6%
24%
All NonCyclists
32
75%
6%
0%
9%
9%
25%
Baseline General Cycling Behaviour
â&#x20AC;˘
19% of non-cyclists reported cycling to work at least one day a week three months after the Challenge.
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6.3
Modal shift
In the Baseline Survey, registrants were asked how they usually travel to work on most days. If they used more than one mode of transport, they were asked to select the one that they use to cover the longest distance. Key Points •
At baseline, non-cyclists accounted for 49% of those who drove alone to work, whilst occasional cyclists accounted for 32%, and regular cyclists for 19%.
•
6% of those who travelled to work mainly by car at baseline had switched to cycling to work as their main mode of transport three months after the Challenge.
Baseline Table 10: How do you usually travel to work on most days? (N=374) Audience Segment
Car – drive alone
Bicycle
Car – with passengers
Walk/ run
Bus
Train
Do not work
Work from home
Other
All (N=374)
43%
23%
10%
7%
6%
9%
1%
1%
1%
Driving in a car alone was the mostly frequently reported method of travel to work (43%), followed by bicycle (23%), car with passengers (10%), and catching the train (9%).
•
The figure below shows mode of travel to work for non-, occasional and regular cyclists. Figure 8: How do you usually travel to work on most days? (N=374)
Bicycle
Walk/run
Bus/Train
Car - drive alone
Other
100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Non-Cyclists (n=151)
Occasional Cyclists (n=87)
28
Regular Cyclists (n=136)
•
Driving in a car alone was the most common modes amongst non- and occasional cyclists (52% and 59% respectively).
•
Non-cyclists accounted for 49% of those who drove alone to work, whilst occasional cyclists accounted for 32%, and regular cyclists for 19%.
•
8% of non-cyclists and 9% of occasional cyclists walk or run to work. This suggests that the dynamic nature of cycling to work is not necessarily a hindrance to this behaviour.
•
Cycling was by the most common mode of transport to work amongst regular cyclists (59%), and 22% of regular cyclists drove alone to work.
In the Baseline Survey, participants were asked how often they had travelled to work by car in the seven days prior to filling in the survey. The responses amongst participants have been analysed to detect any shifts in travel-to-work behaviour three months after the Challenge. Figure 9: In the last 7 days, on how many days did you travel to work by car? (Baseline Survey, N=374)
Non-Cyclists (n=151)
Occasional Cyclists (n=87)
Regular Cyclists (n=136)
60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 0 days
•
1 day
2 days
3 days
4 days
5 days
6 days
7 days
At the time of the Baseline Survey completion, over two-thirds of all nonand occasional cyclists (60% and 68% respectively) had travelled to work by car on at least three of the last seven days.
29
Three months on Table 11: Changes in car trips to work three months after participating in the Challenge (n=106) All Participants
3 Months Post Challenge - no. of days
Baseline no. of days
n
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
% Decreased Car Trips
0
44
82%
9%
2%
5%
2%
0%
0%
0%
-
1
6
33%
50%
0%
0%
0%
17%
0%
0%
33%
2
4
50%
25%
0%
0%
0%
0%
25%
0%
75%
3
13
15%
8%
15%
15%
15%
15%
0%
15%
38%
4
12
0%
8%
17%
0%
33%
42%
0%
0%
25%
5
20
15%
0%
5%
10%
20%
45%
0%
5%
50%
6
0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
7
7
0%
0%
29%
0%
29%
29%
14%
0%
100%
•
Overall, 48% of respondents were travelling to work by car less frequently three months after the Challenge, whereas 22% were commuting by car more often.
•
36% of respondents reported travelling to work by car by at least two fewer days three months after the Challenge.
Large modal shifts were measured by tracking the change in the main mode of transport to work from baseline to three months after the Challenge. Three months on Table 12: Modal shift from car to bike – journeys to work three months after participating in the Challenge (N=49) 3 Months Post Challenge Baseline Car - drive alone Car - share with others All Car
•
n
Cycle
Car - drive alone
Car - share with others
Other
% Switched to cycling
42
5%
90%
5%
0%
5%
7
14%
14%
71%
0%
14%
49
6%
80%
14%
0%
6%
6% of those who travelled to work mainly by car at baseline had switched to cycling to work as their main mode of transport three months after the Challenge.
30
Section Seven Barriers and Motivators The following results from the Baseline and both Post Challenge Surveys detail the specific barriers and motivators to cycling. This information can help inform Lewes District Council when planning future interventions to encourage cycling in the city.
7.1
Barriers and motivators for participation in the Challenge
Key Point â&#x20AC;˘
Barriers to Champions getting colleagues involved included: distance from work, lack of time and apathy.
7.1.1 Workplace Champions In the Post Challenge Survey 1, the Workplace Champions were asked for their main reasons for registering their organisation into the Challenge: Figure 10: What was the main reason that your workplace registered into the Challenge?
31
“To encourage our team to take up more physical activity with the hope to inspire other teams to do the same. We had also won the two times before and had a reputation to maintain.” - Non-Cyclist “Sussex Police has a Green policy and hence encourages cycling.” - Occasional Cyclist “Encourage people to ride and stay fit, reduce parking issues and make people realise the financial benefits of riding to work!” - Regular Cyclist
The Workplace Champions were also asked what barriers they came across to getting their colleagues to take part in the Challenge. Figure 11: What do you perceive were the main barriers to getting more of your colleagues to take part?
32
20 of the Workplace or Department Champions answered an open-ended question asking them what the barriers were to getting more colleagues to take part. These barriers and the frequency with which they were mentioned are presented in Table 16 below. Table 13: Barriers to getting more participation in the Challenge (n=20 Champions) Barrier Distance from work Lack of time Apathy Not owning a bike Fear (for safety) Habit/routine Cycling confidence Lack of facilities at work Lack of support from work Forgot to enter miles Uninterested about exercise
Number of times mentioned 7 6 5 5 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
•
The most frequently mentioned barriers were distance from work, lack of time and apathy.
•
Other barriers included not having a bike and concerns about safety.
“The 'try-a-bike' session was a bit too far from the office – everyone’s got incredibly busy workloads. If it had been on site I think more people would have popped along. Some colleagues just not interested in the Challenge at all.” – Regular Cyclist “Time - and remembering to sign up and log rides they were actually doing. Perception that the Challenge involved time commitment to take part.” – Occasional Cyclist “Lack of support for initiative across the college and lack of social cohesion between staff.” - Regular Cyclist
33
In Post Challenge Survey 1, Workplace and Department Champions were asked to rate how cycle friendly their workplaces were. Figure 12: How cycle-friendly would you rate your employer? (N=19)
0 - 'Not at all cycle-friendly' 0%
10%
20% 11%
•
30%
40%
1
2 50%
26%
3 60%
4
5 - 'Very cycle-friendly' 70% 32%
80%
90%
100%
16%
Less than half of the Champions (47%) rated their workplaces highly on being cycle friendly with a score of 4 or 5 out of 5.
The Workplace Champions were also asked how they could be better supported and what would make it easier for them to encourage colleagues to take part: • • • • • • •
Longer Challenge Longer lead-in time More encouragement, such as planning cycling routes, bike loans and training More incentives More try-a-bike sessions at convenient times and places Run on-site events Template communications to send out to colleagues
“I think that the try-a-bike sessions are a good 'pull' and so more of them in a large traffic free area with a large selection of bikes would encourage more involvement.” “I think you need to give people a clearly worded (i.e. irrefutable) biking solution, based on where they live and what time they need to leave. Until you do that the grey areas are going to put people off.” “Continue to have these annual events it really is effort internally for ESSC to make the shift that is needed and for leadership by senior staff.”
34
7.2
Cycling confidence and bike ownership
In the Baseline Survey, non- and occasional cyclists were asked about their cycling confidence, whether they owned a bike and what condition it was in. Key Points •
About three-quarters of the non-cyclists reported feeling “fairly confident” (49%) or “confident” (25%) when cycling on the road.
•
81% of non-cyclists reported owning a bike.
Figure 13: How confident do you feel when cycling on the road? (N=238)
Non-Cyclists (n=151)
Occasional Cyclists (n=87)
120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Confident - I'm happy Fairly confident - I Not at all confident Not confident - I to ride in traffic. prefer to ride on quiet don't like to ride on I am a learner. roads. the road.
•
About three-quarters of the non-cyclists reported feeling “fairly confident” (49%) or “confident” (25%) when cycling on the road. Lack of confidence is not the reason these non-cyclists were not cycling prior to the Challenge.
•
About a quarter of non-cyclists reported feeling “not confident” (25%) or “not at all confident” (2%) on the road. Lack of confidence was definitely a factor in these participants not cycling much prior to the Challenge.
•
91% of occasional cyclists reported feeling “fairly confident” or “confident”, suggesting that there is little room for further training and confidence building.
35
Figure 14: Do you own a bike? (n=238)
Yes
No
100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Non-Cyclists (n=151)
Occasional Cyclists (n=87)
â&#x20AC;˘
81% the non-cyclists reported owning a bike. This shows that there is a relatively high bike ownership amongst this group and potential to encourage them to use their bike more often.
â&#x20AC;˘
98% of occasional cyclists reported owning their own bike.
36
7.3
Interventions to encourage cycling
In order to help understand the barriers to cycling, non- and occasional cyclists were asked what training or information they were interested in having in Post Challenge Survey 1. Key Points •
Most respondents wanted information about bike maintenance (n=50), led group rides (n=17) and advanced cycle skills training (n=14).
•
55% of Champions (n=11) planned to continue with championing cycling.
Figure 15: Would you be interested in any of the following? (N=60)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Bike maintenance course Led group bike rides Advanced cycle skills training - skills to Intermediate cycle skills training - skills Assistance planning a cycle route Beginners cycle skills training - control
•
Most respondents wanted information about bike maintenance (n=50), led group rides (n=17) and advanced cycle skills training (n=14).
•
Only 14 participants were interested in beginner or intermediate cycle skills training.
Participants were also asked for any ideas on specific improvements for cyclists within Lewes. Suggestions were provided by 58 participants and their full responses are in Appendix 2. These will be most effectively analysed by someone with local knowledge of the area. In Post Challenge Survey 1, Champions were asked whether they or their workplace had any plans to continue championing cycling and whether they wanted more information about setting up certain events. 55% • • • • •
(n=11) planned to continue championing cycling; specific plans included: Continue to support next Challenge Cycle racks Formation of a green group Regular group rides Travel plans 37
7.4
Feedback on workplace cycle facilities
In Post Challenge Survey 1, non-, occasional and regular cyclists were asked to rate the cycling facilities at their workplaces. Key Points •
20% of respondents had no access to showers.
•
Changing rooms and lockers were not available to 18% and 23% of respondents respectively.
Figure 16: Q. How would you rate the following in your workplace...?
Very Good
Good 0%
Acceptable
Poor
Very Poor
Not available
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Cycle Parking n=(83) Showers n=(83) Changing Rooms n=(83) Lockers n=(83)
•
Cycle parking was available to almost all respondents (96%) and rated as ‘good' or 'very good' by 63% of respondents.
•
80% of participants had access to showers, and 61% of them rated their shower facilities 'good' or 'very good.'
•
18% had no access to changing rooms, whilst lockers were not available to 23% of cyclists.
•
Changing rooms and lockers were rated 'good' or 'very good' by 47% and 37% of cyclists respectively.
38
The responses from employees at large organisations were assessed. The following two large organisations had the highest number of responses so their facilities were analysed specifically: Figure 17: Sussex Police
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Poor
Very Poor
Not available
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Cycle Parking n=(21) Showers n=(21) Changing Rooms n=(21) Lockers n=(21)
Figure 18: East Sussex County Council
Very Good
Good
Acceptable
Poor
Very Poor
Not available
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Cycle Parking n=(15) Showers n=(15) Changing Rooms n=(15) Lockers n=(15)
39
Section Eight Results Summary The Lewes Cycle Challenge was successful in engaging businesses and people to take part and successful in converting non-cyclists to become more frequent cyclists. The Challenge successfully influenced the behaviour of the key target groups (non- and occasional cyclists) and the aims set out at the start of the Challenge were achieved. It also exceeded the target numbers for registered organisations and participants.
8.1
Aims
1. To encourage people who are not currently cycling to start cycling. â&#x20AC;˘
Intention of non-cyclists to cycle more often: 40% (n=151) of registrants reported at baseline that they had not ridden a bike or had only ridden a bike a few times in the year prior to the 2013 Challenge. Three weeks after the 2013 Challenge, 97% of these non-cyclists who completed Post Challenge Survey 1 reported that they intended to ride a bike more often after the Challenge.
â&#x20AC;˘
Non-cyclists report cycling more often: 49% of non-cyclists at baseline reported they are now cycling once a month or more, three months after the Challenge. 40% of non-cyclists reported that they are now cycling weekly (once a week or more often) three months after the Challenge.
This shows a real change in behaviour and suggests that the Challenge was effective at encouraging people to take up cycling. Overall, half (49%) of noncyclists who took part in the Challenge are cycling more often three months after the Challenge.
40
2. To encourage occasional cyclists to cycle more regularly. •
Occasional cyclists report intending to cycle more often: 23% of participants reported at baseline that they had cycled 1-3 times per month or once a week before the 2013 Challenge. Three weeks after the 2013 Challenge, 60% of these occasional cyclists reported that they intended to ride a bike more often after the Challenge.
•
Occasional cyclists report cycling more regularly: 50% of occasional cyclists reported cycling at least two days a week three months after taking part in the 2013 Challenge.
This shows real change in behaviour and suggests that the Challenge was effective at encouraging occasional cyclists to cycle more often. 3. To encourage those who are not currently cycling to work to cycle to work. •
Participants cycle more frequently: 11% of participants who reported cycling less than two days a week to work at baseline reported three months after the Challenge that they were now cycling to work at least two days a week.
•
Modal shift from car to bike: 36% of respondents reported travelling to work by car by at least two fewer days. Furthermore, 6% of participants who reported travelling to work by car at baseline had switched to cycling to work as their main mode of transport three months after the Challenge.
These results indicate that the Challenge motivated non-cycle commuters and encouraged them to cycle to work. 4. To add value to local projects that aim to promote cycling and sustainable travel. •
Interest in cycling initiatives amongst non-Champion participants: Most respondents wanted information about bike maintenance (n=50), led group rides (n=17) and advanced cycle skills training (n=14).
•
55% (n=11) of Champions planned to continue championing cycling at their workplaces.
These results indicate that participants want more information and training and Champions wish to continue championing cycling after the Challenge.
41
8.2
Objectives
1. To encourage at least 30 businesses to register in the Challenge. â&#x20AC;˘
63 organisations participated.
registered
into
the
Challenge
and
39
2. To encourage at least 300 people to participate in the Challenge each year. â&#x20AC;˘
374 people registered into the Challenge and 302 participated.
42
8.3
Summary of recommendations
Data on the barriers and motivators for cycling amongst key target groups can be used to design interventions to support cycling in Lewes. To maintain the momentum created by the Challenge and to further increase the frequency of cycling amongst Challenge participants, we recommend that the Lewes District Council and its partners: •
Promote adult cycle training schemes directly to those participants who requested such training and to those who reported low confidence cycling on the road.
•
Use the results of this report to work with organisations to improve Workplace Travel Plans and to set up events (e.g. cycle rides/routes, Dr Bike etc.) that Champions reported that they wanted to hold.
•
Work with participating organisations to improve facilities for cyclists, especially those where facilities were poor or absent.
•
Work with the organisations where Champions have indicated an interest in further championing cycling and where support has been requested.
•
Continue to improve the infrastructure for cyclists in the city.
•
Utilise the database of over 800 cyclists in the city to promote follow-on interventions in the city and to communicate with cyclists of all abilities.
Challenge for Change strives to improve the Challenge programme year-on year and have examined feedback from participants and stakeholders in Lewes. Given the opportunity to deliver a repeat Challenge in Lewes, Challenge for Change would aim to: •
Send out a ‘save the date’ email as soon as the Challenge dates have been confirmed so that organisations can start planning their involvement with the Challenge earlier.
•
Have a longer lead in time for the project so that the promotional materials can be printed ready for the start date of the Challenge Manager.
•
Make sure that the Challenge Manager can start work 9 weeks before the Challenge, can work the days allocated, especially 4 days a week during the Challenge period.
•
Run events in the lead up to the start of the Challenge in order to raise awareness and engage people earlier in the programme. 43
•
Run a higher profile PR campaign in the lead up to and during the Challenge to attract more people if budget allows e.g. through outdoor media, advertising and events.
•
Encourage the industrial estates to take part in the Challenge; design a suitable method for them to record their rides e.g. a wall chart. Run a trya-bike session at an industrial estate or business park so that several organisations can take part together.
•
Incentivise Champions to promote the Challenge more widely in their organisations by introducing prizes or recognition specifically for Champions, based on the participation of their team.
•
Introduce more results on the website to help recognise the efforts of those who encourage the most new cyclists and the Champions who are encouraging the most staff to take part e.g. Top Encouragers and Top Champions league tables.
44
Section Nine Conclusion The results show that the 2013 Lewes Cycle Challenge programme has positively influenced the cycling behaviour of participants. The aims set out at the start of the Challenge were achieved and the Challenge met its target numbers of registered organisations and participants. The Challenge was successful in encouraging people who are not cycling to start cycling, encouraging occasional cyclists to cycle more regularly and encouraging people who are not currently cycling to work to cycle to work. Key outcomes recorded three months after the Challenge include: • • • • • •
49% of non-cyclists at baseline reported cycling at least once a month or more often; 40% of non-cyclists at baseline reported cycling once a week or more often; 50% of those classed as occasional cyclists reported cycling regularly; 19% of non-cyclists at baseline reporting that they were cycling to work at least one day; 48% of participants are driving less frequently (at least one day less); and 36% of participants are driving at least two days less.
55% of Champions are interested in continuing to champion cycling and have specific plans such as organising bike rides and improving facilities at work. The programme attracted a high number of non-cyclists (40%, n=151) to take part. There is now a database of over 300 cyclists in the area. This database is a great resource which can be utilised for research purposes, to promote the annual programme of cycling events and to continue to support those cyclists who have shown a change in behaviour through the Challenge by incentivising them to keep cycling. Attracting new organisations to take part in the Challenge and re-engaging this year’s organisations would be the key focus of a repeat Challenge, as well as continuing to attract non-cyclists. We recommend that there is another Workplace Cycle Challenge in 2014 to continue with increasing rates in cycling and cycling to work, evident in the results drawn from the 2013 Challenge.
45
Appendix 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Organisation Registrations The following table details the organisations that registered into the 2013 Challenge, together with their total number of staff, and total participating staff (Ps). Table 14: Organisation Registrations (N=63) Organisation Action In Rural Sussex Amey Application Solutions (Safety And Security) Ltd ASL Vision Barclays Bank PLC DOT Duran Duran East Sussex County Council Energy Technology & Control Ltd. Equilibrium Complementary Health Centre Firefly Solar Fujitsu, Lewes Furniture now! Future Cycles Glyndebourne Productions Hanover Displays Hazel wood Newick Health Partners International High Weald Lewes Havens CCG HMP Lewes ICS Insight Security Ltd Knill James Lewes Cycle Shack Lewes District Council Lewes Football Club Lewes Smith LTHTR Undergraduate Dept Middle Farm Monkey Bizness MP for Lewes and Parliamentary Under Secretary for Transport Natural England NHS East Sussex Downs And Weald Pelham House Pells Pool Community Association Pixeldot Creative Priory School, Lewes RF Solutions Ltd Rockhill Mailing Services Ltd South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust Southdown Housing Association Southern Rail Spectrum Eyecare Ltd St Marys Church Surrey and Sussex CSU Business Intelligence Sussex Downs College Sussex Express Sussex HIS Sussex Police
46
Postcode
Staff
Ps
BN7 2NH BN7 2BY BN8 6JL RH1 3BA BN7 2JP BN7 2LN BN3 6XD BN7 1UE BN7 2PE BN7 2DB BN8 6JL BN7 2FZ BN7 2PE BN7 2LG BN8 5UU BN86JL BN8 4FB BN7 2PE BN7 2PB BN7 1EA BN7 3EX BN8 6JL BN7 1JU BN7 2AN BN7 1AB BN7 2XA BN7 2NF pr29ht BN8 9LJ BN8 6Jl BN7 2LJ BN72PH BN7 1UE BN7 1UW BN7 2PW BN7 2DG BN7 2XN BN8 6JL BN7 2BY BN7 2XW BN7 1JU BN26 BN72AH BN8 5BG BN72PB BN7 2 XH BN7 2LU BN7 2PB BN7 2DZ
45 68 49 200 14 4 3 1156 14 30 11 23 30 4 75 150 4 22 27 353 16 11 40 6 465 27 5 27 20 28 3 45 315 54 10 4 150 30 12 327 650 200 10 3 11 350 8 20 1132
0 0 7 1 0 1 0 39 2 4 2 4 0 0 4 3 0 0 12 6 0 1 2 6 35 0 2 0 0 8 1 0 0 2 0 3 1 0 0 20 1 2 0 0 6 5 6 0 50
New Cyclists 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 6 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0 0 1 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 4 2 4 0 7
Organisation Sustrans (East Sussex team) Talking Jobs Tesco Lewes The Guild Of Master Craftsmen THE OUTDOOR SHOP The Workshop Transition Town Lewes University of Brighton Village Connections Viva Lewes Waitrose Waterside Architect Ltd Wave Leisure Wilson Wilson & Hancock
47
Postcode
Staff
Ps
BN7 1UE BN7 9EW BN72lp BN7 1XU BN7 2AH BN7 1XU BN7 2DA BN2 4GJ BN7 3PE BN71XU BN7 2LP BN7 2PE BN7 2XG BN7 2AF
6 14 217 98 3 4 12 6 46 4 300 4 50 8
4 1 1 31 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 2 2
New Cyclists 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Appendix 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Improvements for cyclists within the Lewes area 58 participants who completed the first post-Challenge survey gave the following suggestions on how to make improvements for cyclists within the Lewes area. Are there any specific areas where you think improvements for cyclists are needed within the Lewes area? Please be specific when describing a particular location. 1. Resurface the Brighton to Lewes cycle lane it is very bumpy which make cycling much harder. 2. Let cyclists through against red lights in the narrow part of the High St in Lewes. There's plenty of room for cyclists. A clear, safe, cycle route from Seaford to Lewes with no gaps in between would be great!! A cycle lane on the road coming into Lewes from Brighton - perhaps one path could be for bikes? A cycle route between Newhaven and Lewes so that cyclist do not have to use either the A26 or C7 A27 lewes-brighton cycle path should be re surfaced. Better cycle parking in town centre. Better maintenance of cycle paths surrounding Lewes area. i.e. A27 from Lewes to Bton. Often become over grown in the summer months and have broken glass and litter on paths which can be dangerous. Would rather cycle on busy road than use paths sometimes. Better one way system Can't think of any improvements that apply specifically to Lewes. It's very difficult to incorporate cycle lanes as many roads are narrow. cars driving down Cliffe high street illegally Coastal route between Eastbourne and Hastings is not that great as it does not go by the coast. Route from The Half Moon to the station at Plumpton could be made as that would connect S. Downs Way to station. Some more warnings for motorists on lanes eg, picture of bikes painted on the road before corners. Coming into Lewes by the Prison and down to the High Street is very narrow and can be difficult on a bike. I haven't cycled around the town of Lewes so cannot comment on this. Cuilfail tunnel A26 from Lewes to Crowborough All of the C7 - Lewes to Newhaven. cycle lane connecting Lewes and Newhaven (C7) Cycle lane on A27 bypass to avoid (dangerous?) hills through Lewes. (Would cut 10 mins from my commute.) Cycle lanes. cycle paths and that not distinguished by painted lines Cycle paths would be good, something that makes it a bit less hair-raising negotiating the one-way system. Cycle racks near shops Cycle routes (Lewes to Newhaven) on the C7 Don't really cycle in Lewes Don't think I ride in Lewes enough to comment. Driver Awareness Earwig Corner!! - to Ringmer. I tried cycling to Priory school from Ringmer with my son aged 12 and it was an experience which could be so lovely and done daily but which nearly ended in disaster and it will be many months/years before I can get him to try again. It's such a shame that local councils can't work together to provide a working cycle route. Ringmer council are just plain stupid and greedy for building a cycle path that is utterly dangerous and Lewes council are just shortsighted for not supporting Ringmer council in building it's current white elephant. Please get your acts together and support a sustainable future!! Finish the cycle path from Ringmer to Lewes. Having a dedicated cycle path that goes through the centre of town... I am involved with Cycle Lewes and am involved with all of their objectives I cycle in from Brighton and the High Street is an absolute nightmare because it is too narrow. There's no space for a cycle lane so I have no idea how to improve the situation. I cycle on the Cuckoo Trail & Eastbourne seafront. I live in Heathfield but work in Lewes. Main problems: Not enough dedicated cycle paths, one is adjacent to busy A-road and heads into oncoming traffic. Potholes
48
I think it would be nice to have a few more places at the top of the high street where cyclists could lock their bikes up safely. I work in Lewes but don't cycle in Lewes, as I travel to Lewes by train. The cycle storeage areas on the trains need improving. There is currently not enough space to store cycles on the trains from St Leonards to Lewes. I would have a 20 mile commute to work avoiding major roads between Eastbourne and Lewes, so it would also be handy to be allowed on the train with a normal bike. Despite what the train company says the early trains such as the 07:32 from Eastbourne, are not full and I am not going to Victoria or Brighton, so taking a bike on there is not a problem. This would allow the option of catching the train in and riding home. It is essential that the Lewes to Ringmer Cycle route is completed, as this is a very dangerous route. The C7 between Lewes and Newhaven is very dangerous and a longer term solution is needed here. The cycle path between Cliff High Street and Malling Rec is poorly singed, and people often complain about cyclists using it esp around Tescos, even though it is a designated route. The above cycle route should be extended from Jenners Way right up to Cliffe high street. Link to Newhaven as the C7 & A26 are dangerous for cyclists. Lots. I would like to see cycle routes throughout the town, especially on routes to schools. I think there should be a lot more cycle storage throughout the town. It would be great if pubs, cafes and businesses could apply for funding for racks for bikes. Pot holes are pretty bad in Lewes, some extremely dangerous. I am really pleased that the route to Kingston is being built and hopefully the route to Ringmer will too. maintaining the cycle lane alongside the A27. trees need to be maintained! More concern for cycle users when identifying required road repairs. What is acceptable for a vehicle is not necessarily acceptable for a bike! More cycle lanes, specifically around South Downs Road. more cycle racks and cycle only dedicated routes More dedicated cycle lanes more off raod sign posting of routes N/A None.. not known as I don't cycle in Lewes not sure Not that familiar with Lewes as live in Brighton. Have not completed above question as no 'Don't know' option available Road conditions are fair in Lewes but poor in surrounding areas. Road surface (Cycle Lane on cobbles Cliff High Street, Sun Street, path along Malling fields, access from Cliffe to Waitrose Safe cycling down C7 or cyle path to allow cycling to Newhaven Some of the roads are in dreadful condition. Warren drive/Brighton Road is badly pot-holed (especially heading out of Lewes). Oh and a cyclist style ski-lift up school hill would be nice too (for days when I don't have the energy!) The A27 roundabout. I'd love to cycle more to work but it gets challenging around there. Particularly if you head off along the road next to Lewes prison. The first time I cycled from Brighton, I wasn't sure where to cycle - back on the road? Was there a cycle path? It simply disappeared. Plus there is no route from Seaford to Lewes so I can't join up with friends. This would encourage me to cycle to work more. The C7 requires a proper cycle lane,it was less busy when I was a kid and it was the A275 then! Proper established route between Newhaven and Seaford and clear up rules surrounding the byelaws along Seaford Seafront which is not at all clear about what areas can be cycled along. The cycle lane/footpath on the A27 from Lewes to Brighton is quite worn and bump and could do with resurfacing. THe raod surface in the Tesco business park area can be pretty hazardous There is no safe way to go from Eastbourne to Lewes on a road bike. If the footpath between Polegate and Wilmington was upgraded that would provide a solution. work on brighton to lewes ctycleway Yes - cycle path all through the town. From Prison down to bottom of High Street.
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Challenge for Change - University Gate East, Park Row, Bristol, BS1 5UB Company Reg. No. 6409628. VAT Reg. No. 928 5078 95
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