Non-cyclists become more critical of car

Amsterdammers who do not own a bicycle themselves seem to become less critical of cyclists and more critical of motorists. The cause of this development is not immediately clear.

In Amsterdam, everybody seems to own a bicycle, but in reality there are also Amsterdammers who live in households where no one has a bicycle. In the bicycle satisfaction studies of O+S it regards one in five to six respondents.

In these studies, people were asked whether they get annoyed at other road users, and if this is the case, at which ones most often. In 2008, respondents without bicycles most often identified cyclists as the primary source of annoyance. However, in 2010 the situation has reversed: now, they get annoyed primarily at motorists. The difference is statistically significant.

Researcher Jessica Greven of O+S says the cause of this development is not immediately clear. “One might think that road closures might cause more annoyance, but then there were road closures in 2008 too. It will be interesting to see in the next study whether the development continues.”

Among respondents who do own a bicycle themselves, there is no clear trend discernable. They mainly get annoyed at motorists, but almost as often at other cyclists. The moped comes in third.