The Southampton Cycle Challenge

Challenge Evaluation

CTC Challenge for Change run Workplace Cycle Challenges across the UK, New Zealand and Australia with the aim to get more people cycling more often. To evaluate the projects, participants in the Challenges are asked to complete surveys before and after the Challenges, the results of which enable evaluation of the initiatives.

In each Challenge the first survey was issued at baseline, when participants registered into the Challenge. Participants were also asked to complete surveys two weeks and three months after the Challenge to explore the barriers that participants faced to cycling more and to assess cycling behaviour, to see what behaviour change had occurred.

Top-line Results

Non-Cyclists - People who had either not cycled at all or only a few times in the year before the Challenge.

Occasional Cyclists - People who had cycled 1-4 times a month before the Challenge.

Regular Cyclists - People who had cycled two days or more each week before the Challenge.

2010 Southampton Cycle Challenge

(Monday 14 June - Sunday 4 July 2010)

Three months after the 2010 Challenge:

• 61% of non-cyclists reported cycling more frequently
• 29% of non-cyclists were cycling at least two days per week
• 50% of occasional cyclists were cycling more frequently

2011 Southampton Cycle Challenge

(Monday 9 - Sunday 29 May 2011)

Three months after the 2011 Challenge:

• 45% of non-cyclists reported cycling at least once a week
• 51% of occasional cyclists reported cycling at least two days a week
• 36% of non-cyclists reported cycling to work at least once a week
• 16% of participants who travelled to work by car had switched to cycling to work as their main mode of transport

Sustained behaviour change

392 participants took part in the 2010 Challenge and registered again for the 2011 Challenge. The data from this group of participants enabled an evaluation of their cycling behaviour 10 months on.

10 months after the 2010 Challenge:

• 22% of non-cyclists reported cycling at least once a week
• 30% of occasional cyclists reported cycling at least two days a week
• 8% of participants who travelled to work by car had switched to cycling to work as their main mode of transport

177 participants took part in both the 2010 and 2011 Challenges. The data from this group of participants enabled an evaluation of their cycling behaviour 13 months after the 2010 Challenge.

13 months after the 2010 Challenge:

• 58% of non-cyclists reported cycling at least once a week
• 82% of occasional cyclists reported cycling at least two days a week