77% of Spaniards support a public bicycle-sharing service in their city to encourage their use as a means of sustainable transport, according to the monographic study 'Bicycle sharing in Spain: opportunities and challenges for more sustainable urban mobility', carried out by Fifteen and Ipsos.
The report, for which 1,900 cases have been analyzed, has also concluded that the bicycle has become a regular means of transport for 19% of the Spanish population, while 51% say that they use the bicycle on some occasion and 33% place not having their own bicycle among the reasons for not traveling on one.
Thus, bicycle sharing services have a good perception, according to the study, which indicates that one in three respondents has used them on some occasion, highlighting the greater use by men (59%) and in the age group of 25 to 44 years (44%), with an average age of 39 years.
Furthermore, the bike lane infrastructure is the most valued point when using shared bicycles (7.9 out of 10), although with minimal differences with other aspects, such as the proximity of stations to the home or workplace, a number sufficient number of bicycle collection stations or a sufficient number of bicycles (the three options with 7.8), according to the report.
Likewise, the availability of electric bicycles receives a rating of 7 out of 10 and 62% of Spaniards consider this aspect "very important" when using shared bicycles, while 68% of regular users of these bicycles acknowledge that they has encouraged cycling more frequently.
In this sense, the general director of Fifteen, Benoît Yameundjeu, has stressed that "citizens' opinions confirm that bicycle sharing services can contribute decisively to boosting the general use of bicycles in Spain."
"They offer new users an opportunity to discover cycling without the need for them to purchase their own bike and, at the same time, expand the options for regular users. There is still a lot of room for growth if we expand these services to more cities," he said. defended.
For his part, the director of Public Affairs at Ipsos, José Pablo Ferrándiz, highlighted that the study demonstrates the "great predisposition of the population to use bicycles more in their usual trips."
In this context, the report also investigates the perception of the bicycle as a model of sustainable and healthy mobility, since 89% believe that it plays an important role in reducing carbon emissions and 82% in reducing traffic.
Furthermore, 87% consider that cycling increases mental and physical energy while 75% recognize that it makes them feel happier and improves their well-being.
The study also indicates that there are no significant differences in the demand for these services by people from different cities. To this end, together with the sample of all Spanish citizens (1,200 cases), an additional survey has been carried out on a representative population of five Spanish cities.
The chosen cities have been Córdoba (200), Elche (100), Ourense (100), Salamanca (200) and Terrassa (100), in order to know the perception of inhabitants of cities diverse by size, location and urbanism, which do not have a bike sharing service.
The specific responses in these cities coincide with those of the general population of Spain and with the opinion of experts that bike sharing services are suitable for any type of city. Specifically, the greatest support is found in Córdoba and Ourense (with more than 80%), whose respondents also recognize that they would use the bike more if these services are developed (60%).
Finally, the report identifies two main demands on administrations: priority action in the development of safe cycling infrastructure adapted to the characteristics of each city and the implementation of public bicycle-sharing services, which make it possible to popularize this means of transport among non-users.
