Other benefits include;.
Reduction in noise levels as bicycles are very quiet compared to car engines. .
Can contribute to less energy consumption via transport activity and contribute significantly to the reduction in green house gas emissions which should be an imperative of the most transport authorities (Stern, 2006),.
Reduce congestion as more people cycling would mean less people making car journeys and consequently goods can be transported more quickly and efficiently.
In spite of these benefits cycling levels in the UK have seen very small increase in recent years and remains a marginal transport mode behind walking, bus, and car (Department for Transport, 2010). This may have been due to some barriers which generally discourage people from cycling, including;.
Safety: Cyclists can be generally vulnerable to motor vehicle traffic. Cyclists can perceive greater safety risk if poor cycling conditions prevail, where there is insufficient cycle infrastructure and high motor vehicle speed.
Security: through the fear of theft or damage due to inadequate cycle parking facilities or fear of travel at night.
Distance: the nature in which a city's functions are spatially distributed could affect cycle distances. Urban sprawl tends to increase distances, which could potentially discourage cycling as services will locate further away from where people live and work.
Health: cyclists may perceive health problems from inhaling polluted air from vehicle exhausts.
Social status: cycling could be seen as an activity for poor people who cannot afford a car or as an activity for children. This might put certain people away from cycling as they don't want to be seen as unsuccessful or poor.
Weather: adverse weather conditions such as very high or very low temperatures or heavy rainfall can deter cyclist. .
Topology: very hilly terrain can discourage cycling as it demands more energy from cyclists while flat terrain encourages cycling as it is less stannous to cycle.
