New survey; Yorkshire’s love hate relationship with cycling – over half of cyclists on the region’s roads are victims of road rage abuse

A new survey of over 600 cyclists has revealed that 55% of cyclists choosing to ride around the picturesque Yorkshire countryside have suffered road rage or abuse at the hands of its motorists.

It seems that with the growing popularity of the sport in the region, and the legions of weekend Tour de France lookalikes taking to the B roads, increasingly large numbers of motorists are venting frustration towards riders.

The survey, commissioned by leading cycle retailer, AllTerrainCycles.co.uk, discovered that although 14% of respondents had only ever experienced one incidence of road rage whilst cycling in Yorkshire, a massive 41% had received road rage or abuse on more than one occasion.

Only 7% of respondents felt that motorists in Yorkshire were very considerate of cyclists, with 22% of the opinion that they were ignorant of cyclists’ safety altogether. The majority of survey respondents (71%) felt that Yorkshire motorists were only somewhat tolerant of cyclists.

When compared with cycling on the other side of the Pennines, just 42% of cyclists had suffered abuse from motorists in Lancashire (13% less than those in Yorkshire), and a remarkable 58% had never experienced road rage from motorists in the county.

“The arrival of the iconic Tour de France in 2014, combined with the subsequent annual Tour de Yorkshire events, has led to an influx of visiting cyclists to Yorkshire, as well as an increased number of locals inspired to take to two wheels.” said Tony Booth of All Terrain Cycles, which has stores in both Saltaire and Wetherby.

“The growing popularity of the sport seems to have come at a cost with the inevitable inconvenience of more cyclists causing conflict with motorists – it is simply unacceptable that over half of cyclists in Yorkshire have been subjected to more than one incident of abuse from our motorists. However, while it seems that motorists can often be impatient and inconsiderate to cyclists, it is also vital that riders do not exacerbate the situation by displaying poor road manners; all road users must show mutual respect and put safety first.”

Mr Booth adds: “Interestingly, we are seeing growing demand for products which can help to safeguard cyclists if they are a victim of road rage. The increased use of helmet camera technology not only protects the rider in the event of a dispute, but due to the rise in the number of road rage incidents going viral and making the news, it’s arguably less likely that a motorist would engage in aggressive behaviour if they thought they were being caught on camera.”