Cycle sales more than cars apparently

[BigonaBianchi]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/10413102/Cycle-sales-outstripping-cars.html

Good news.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

I'd heard a while ago that this was the case in Italy, but didn't realise it was true here as well. Good news indeed.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

If it were translated into bicycle use greater than car use, that would be good. Bicycles sold in great numbers to be left neglected in sheds and garages isn't such encouraging news.

Until the rest of us want cheap bikes.

 

[EltonFrog]

Well, I'm going to do my best to help reverse the trend today, 'cos I'm gonna buy a car later. I don't care. Get over it.

 

[Brains]

However.......
A bike typically only carries one person, whereas a car typically caries greater than one.
A car has a life of about 20 years, a BSO probably has a life of half that.
A car doing a typical 10,000 miles PA is 30 miles a day, or about one hour of use per day.
How many of those bikes will get an average of one hour of use every day of the year ? I guess a sub one percentile.

So the reality is that we need to see bikes sell several times over the number of cars PA to reach equilibrium

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

In the UK 3.6 million bikes were sold last year, compared with just over 2 million cars – a gap of 1.6 million

I hadn't realised that the gap was quite so large. It's also worth remembering that car sales are also up. Brits can't seem to get enough of them either. I've no idea where they'll put them all though.

 

[Kies]

@CarlP - BMW or AUDI?

 

[Koga]

The bold highlighted text is the only important statement in the article:

"People are crying out for alternatives to the car, but safety is still a major concern preventing many people from jumping on their bikes – the Government must urgently lower speed limits and invest in safer routes to address this."

Get that sorted and more bikes will be sold and actually used.

 

[EltonFrog]

@CarlP - BMW or AUDI?

Neither.

 

[classic33]

[QUOTE 2749804, member: 45"]Read the headline. One must have been a unicycle.[/quote]
That might be me!
But by definition, doesn't a unicycle only have the one wheel & therefore shouldn't have been counted in bike sales?

 

[Brains]

Really? Most cars I see every day have just 1 person in them...

Even if a car only takes one person most of the time, it occasionally takes >1, therefore the average will be >1.

Most bikes I see every day have just 1 person on them ... But the occasional bike with a kid on the back or a tandem throws the average