i think it might be a good idea to invest in electric bikes, as prices have come down and lets face it some one so lazy they will drive less than 200 yards to get a bacon sandwich, i see this every day! will they exercise. there are people out there how will go with out just to put petrol in there car, do not bank on the rising price of petrol getting people out of the tin box.
i have a friend how has a shop full of mobility scooters and he is raking it in, he say most of the people how get scooters have not that much wrong with them, when he sees them again a year or so later they have piled on weight and there mobility has dropped, he trys telling them they would be far better with a electric assist trike but there kids normally talk them out of it, insisting on a scooter.
the fundamental problem we have is we have generations of people how have never ridden a bicycle on the road and are terrified of traffic, most of which is driven by people how have never ridden a bike on the road and do not understand how to behave around bikes. my 19yr old lad has stopped riding his bike on the road because of abuse and threatening behaviour in Rotherham, having glass bottles thrown at you from passing cars and a constant stream of abuse dose that, i have to wear a helmet on my trike and have tow sturdy flag poles at the back of my recumbent trike seat as i was knocked out with a rolled up news paper curtsey of a weight van passenger travelling over 30mph, i will not give you a full list but bottles, cups of hot Coffey/ tea, spitting, fruit and fags are common.
bikes in Rotherham are like hens teeth i can go days with out seeing one and i can not remember the last time i encounterd kids riding along the road not the path.
a compulsory "understanding bicycles" preferably piratical (yes i am in cuckoo cuckoo land) and a change in the law making drivers automatic at fault in any incident with a bike, might make a difference.