ALD Automotive conducted research into bicycle use among nearly 1.500 working Dutch people. How often do they cycle to work, what are the reasons and how far are they willing to cycle? For Bike to Work Day, this year on Thursday 24 September, ALD Automotive has collected the following facts. At least 96% of working Dutch people have a bicycle. And the majority of professionals use it for commuting (63%). 34% say they never cycle to work because they think they live too far away from work, don't have a bicycle or need the car for work.

Young people cycle the most
Of the group that does cycle to work, 19% do so every day. The 18 to 29-year-olds group has the largest share with 26%, followed by the 60+ group with 24%. 13% cycle 3 to 4 days a week and 11% once or twice a week. 8% of all professionals indicate that they only cycle in good weather. Due to COVID-19, 30% now think they take the bicycle to work more often.

Lonneke van der Horst, Marketing & Strategy Director: 'You can see that the demand for a different way of traveling is increasing, partly due to COVID-19. Among other things, there is a growing demand for individual transport such as the bicycle, because it is safer for now. Employers are increasingly coming to us with the question of how they can include an e-bike in the lease offer'.

Professionals in the west cycle the most, Frisians and Groningers the least
The provinces of North and South Holland and Utrecht are best represented in the group that cycles daily. In these provinces, 31% cycle every day. 30% of the professionals who cycle daily live in the big city (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and suburbs). In the southern provinces (North Brabant, Limburg and Zeeland), 21% cycle to work every day. Overijssel, Gelderland and Drenthe follow with 14%. Friesland and Groningen close the row with 4% of professionals cycling to work every day.

Long distances
It is striking that people are quite willing to cover considerable distances. 50% consider cycling 15 kilometers to work an acceptable distance. There are even outliers of professionals who don't turn a hand for a distance of 25 to 35 kilometers (13%). When asked what kind of bicycle they prefer to cycle to work on, 43% prefer an e-bike that can go up to 25 km per hour, 39% prefer to get on a regular city bicycle and 9% go for speed and choose the speed pedelec.

Vitality and sustainability
From the research of ALD Automotive also shows that vitality (81%) and sustainability (43%) are the most important reasons for using the bicycle for commuting. A quarter of professionals cite COVID-19 as a reason to cycle to work. Lonneke van der Horst: “At the moment, everyone is even more aware of their health and the environment. The bike naturally fits very well in that picture.” Finally, the costs are a motivation for many professionals to cycle. 56% consider the bicycle primarily a cheaper alternative to the car or public transport.

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