Image: The Bikeability Trust
A new report from The Bikeability Trust has identified a ‘lost generation’ of adults who lack the confidence and skills needed to cycle on today’s roads, despite growing interest in cycling as a low-cost, healthy and sustainable mode of transport.
Re-engaging a Lost Generation: The Role of Confidence and Training in Adult Cycling Participation reveals that many adults missed out on formal cycle training during childhood, leaving them less likely to cycle and less confident navigating real-world traffic conditions.
The research, based on a YouGov survey of more than 2,000 UK adults, found that three-quarters of adults have not cycled at all in the past year. Among those who do cycle, participation is overwhelmingly focused on leisure and fitness, with just 36% regularly cycling for everyday journeys such as commuting, shopping or school runs.
The report suggests this is partly the legacy of a gap between the decline of the Cycling Proficiency Scheme and the introduction of Bikeability, which has now trained more than six million children across England in the 18 years since it was formed. While today’s young people increasingly benefit from structured cycle training, many adults never had the same opportunity.
The findings highlight a strong link between cycle training and long-term cycling participation. More than half (54%) of non-cycling adults have never received formal cycle training, compared with 41% of adults who currently cycle. Adult cycle training remains rare, with fewer than 1% of non-cyclists reporting they have ever undertaken it.
The research also identifies confidence as a significant barrier to cycling, particularly among women. Women were substantially less likely than men to report feeling confident cycling in traffic, navigating junctions and responding to unexpected situations on the road. The report argues that this confidence gap, rather than ability alone, is a key factor behind the persistent disparity in cycling participation between men and women.
Interviews conducted as part of the research found that many adults limit their cycling to traffic-free routes and recreational rides because they lack the confidence to cycle on roads. Participants frequently cited a lack of formal training as a barrier to using a bike for everyday transport.
The report calls for greater investment in adult cycle training programmes alongside continued investment in cycling infrastructure. It argues that training can help unlock the benefits of active travel by giving people the skills and confidence needed to make regular journeys by bike.
Emily Cherry, chief executive of The Bikeability Trust, said: “Adult cycle training remains fragmented, inconsistent and poorly measured – but Bikeability offers a national gold standard, guaranteeing safety, consistency and accountability wherever training is delivered.
“With sustained Government investment in active travel and centralising adult training through Bikeability, we can provide robust data and outcome tracking to show the return on active travel investment.
“Confident cycling is one of the most effective tools we have to tackle transport poverty, giving people a safe, low-cost and healthy way to get to work, school and services. But people need a clear, trusted pathway to become confident riders. That’s what CycleIn is about: giving people the skills to use the infrastructure we have.”
The report was launched at a parliamentary reception attended by MPs, ministers, metro mayors and active travel leaders, where The Bikeability Trust is calling for additional investment in adult cycle training to help more people cycle confidently for everyday journeys.
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