Cycling boom post-covid

Acoording to the study, more than 700,000 new bicycle users have joined the practice of cycling in Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than 370,000 people have started with the scooter. ‘The bicycle and the scooter in pandemic times in urban spanish areas‘, by the Cities for Bicycle Network (RCxB).

The pandemic has sparked a Cycling mobility. All has not been negative in the pandemic and, in this case, we are congratulated by this report which confirms the increasing use of the bicycle as a means of daily transport.

The adoption of new users to this mode is particularly relevant compared to the previous mode of travel. One third of new users left the car to cycle. The scooter has increasingly replaced walking and public transport.

The private car is the most used previous mode, with 23.6%, among bicycle users. This percentage rises to 31.2% among new users.

“The study revealed that, in a general context of low mobility caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, many people have approached the use of bicycles and scooters, especially in large cities. Thousands of new users have emerged. Others have considered it and many believe they will use it in the future. In this sense, we have also discovered that we have more than 2 million potential future users, ”explained Antoni Poveda, president of the RCxB and vice president of Mobility, Transport and Sustainability of the Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona.

The bicycle opens new options through its multiple uses and the scooter, more linked to forced mobility

25% of bicycle users used it to go to work or study. This figure drops to 22.4% for new bicycle users. On the other hand, 34.3% of bicycle users state that they use it regularly to make daily trips. However, half or more of cyclists report using a bicycle for cycling (50.6%) or doing sports (55.6%).

On the other hand, the use of the scooter is more linked to forced mobility.

Another important information is that it has helped reduce the gender gap between cyclists. From 63% of male users to 60.1% and from 37% of female users to almost 40%.

“Virtually everyone who approached cycling during the pandemic has come to the cycling world to stay,” concluded Poveda

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