BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Evans Cycles recreated cycling’s ‘highest ever’ modal share on Sunday 30th May, with cyclists making up 41% of all road users near Blackfriars Bridge, London.
Wishing to emulate the ‘golden age of cycling’ during its 100-year history where in 1949 cyclists made up 37% of all road users, the retailer encouraged cyclists to saddle up on the opening day of Bike Week.
Using AI technology from Google, analysis showed cyclists on 30th May 2021 made up 41% of modal share near Blackfriars Bridge on Sunday – up 4% on the highest recorded 1949 national average, and 13% up on the period two weeks beforehand.
In 1921, a hard-riding touring cyclist and cycling advocate – F.W. Evans – opened a small shop on Kennington Road in southeast London. As the author of a pamphlet extolling the benefits of a new style of the ‘lightweight’ bicycle, Evans was focused on using innovative design to open up cycling to the masses.
The first F.W. Evans store began to grow as the number of cyclists on Britain’s roads doubled from 4.7 million in 1929 to just over ten million in 1936. With there being around six cyclists to every one motorist by 1937, cycling levels then peaked in 1949 when pedal power made up 37% of all journeys.
Evans Cycles also partnered with Cycling UK on its World’s Biggest Bike Ride. Taking place on Sunday 30th May, and kicking off the 2021 edition of Bike Week, London based participants were encouraged to cycle over Blackfriars Bridge between 11am and 1pm.
Using Google’s Video Intelligence API accessible on Google Cloud Platform, passing riders and traffic were automatically counted from video footage on the day.
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