Research routinely shows that fears over safety and sharing the road with motor vehicles is a major barrier to cycling. This is a shame, considering the physical, mental and environmental benefits of getting about by bike.
But could e-bikes provide the answer?
According to a Cycling UK survey, just 2% of UK adult journeys are made by bike. In the US, numbers from the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) suggest that – between 2009 and 2017 – about 1% of all trips in the United States were taken by bicycle.
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In terms of the barriers, a 2018 YouGov poll showed that 57% were worried about sharing the road with lorries and large vehicles, 56% had concerns over close passes and 49% worried about crossing busy junctions.
That’s where the power of the e-bike comes in. The best e-bikes are quicker to get up to speed, the added power may allow for longer routes on quieter roads, and, the size and weight of an e-bike might just be enough to inspire greater confidence in those otherwise put off.
UK charity for cycling, Cycling UK, has certainly found that its e-bike hire scheme, ‘Making Cycling E-Asier’ – running in Greater Manchester and Luton and Dunstable – has encouraged people otherwise put off saddling up to give pedalling a try.
In fact, in Bedfordshire’s Luton, “cycling to work increased from 32% to 75%” following the introduction of the scheme, according to the organisation’s Director of Behaviour Change and Development, James Scott.
“E-bikes aren’t necessarily taking away from conventional cycling. They’re expanding the market by bringing in people who previously felt cycling wasn’t for them”, Scott, told us.
How are electric bikes banishing fears for the scheme users? Scott outlined the key feedback from users.
Faster accelerations can reduce fears
(Image credit: Getty Images / Sterling Lorence Photo)
“[Improved confidence] is not about going faster,” Scott begins, “it’s about feeling safe and getting yourself out in front of the traffic,” he explains, outlining participant feedback.
This is where the important difference between legal e-bikes and the illegal machines we see far too many of lies.
All UK-legal e-bike motors cut out at 15.5mph (25kph); in the US, speeds vary by state – most use a three-class system: Classes 1 and 2 provide assistance up to 20mph, while Class 3 pedal-assist e-bikes can assist up to 28mph. But it’s the added boost of power at slow speeds that makes all the difference; a motor gives a ‘kick’ in those first pedal strokes which can provide confidence at junctions, traffic lights and roundabouts.
Anecdotal evidence concurs: “One of our research participants said, ‘I can accelerate quicker in traffic than I could on my usual bike,’” Scott explains.
In one case, a participant in Cycling UK’s bike loan scheme enthused, “I could get to work and back three times on this bike in the time it takes me to commute by public transport or by car. Undertaking all the cars on my way home in rush hour traffic in the cycle lanes is very liberating!”
Given that average traffic speeds in many urban areas are 12mph or so at peak times, e-bikes are very often a quicker option as well as a healthier and more enjoyable one.
Quieter, longer routes?
Added power may allow riders to elongate their routes
(Image credit: Future)
Can e-bikes encourage people to use quieter, longer routes instead of navigating busy roads? That’s likely but not entirely proven.
What is abundantly clear from the stats – 57% worried about sharing the road with lorries and large vehicles, and 56% with concerns over close passes – is that high traffic counts deter would-be cyclists.
The assistance of an e-bike allows riders to be more flexible with route choice, granting the freedom to explore quieter roads over longer or hillier routes, rather than looking for the most direct option.
“There’s definitely evidence that people are willing to ride longer distances on an e-bike,” Scott told me.
“We had one participant who had never thought about cycling to work before because it was around an 18-mile trip each way. With an e-bike loan for a month, he cycled it every day – 36 miles there and back.”
E-bikes also flatten out the hills, reducing fear born of moving much slower once the road points up.
One scheme user said, “the commute felt too far before. It doesn’t anymore. The hills felt intimidating, and there was a fear of arriving sweaty and concerns around fitness.”
Encouraging more underrepresented groups to cycle
Fear of the road is more likely to put women off cycling than men
(Image credit: Getty Images)
A lack of infrastructure can put women off riding more than men.
In a 2025 report, Cycling UK stated, “Over half of women (58%) believe their cycle journeys are limited by safety concerns and a lack of suitable infrastructure. Female respondents pointed to roads not feeling safe enough to cycle (36%) and a lack of dedicated cycle routes (23%) as significant barriers to cycling.”
The added power may help to close the gap.
“Women make around half as many trips by bike as men and are more likely to be put off by fears around heavy traffic. E-bikes don’t remove all those barriers, but they can alleviate some of them by making journeys quicker and taking some of the physical strain out of cycling,” explains Scott.
Those with disabilities often find e-bikes a great way to get to work too.
“People with disabilities are motivated to cycle – they really want to cycle, including for commuting. What was often lacking wasn’t the motivation, but access to the right bike,” Scott says, adding, “there are lots of people with disabilities who can ride a standard bike, but having the electric assistance behind them makes it much more viable – particularly the acceleration and the constant power. Again, it’s about the bike taking the strain.”
Car replacement
E-bikes make great replacements for cars
(Image credit: Getty Images)
There are many benefits and motivations for cycling as a whole. But those who begin with an e-bike are very often replacing car use rather than considering cycling a new hobby or leisure pursuit.
In fact, I’m personally an example of this. This year, I swapped car miles for bike miles, and as well as often saving time sat in traffic, I’ve lost weight and seen my resting heart rate drop by 6bpm.
Looking to results seen from the hire scheme in Bedfordshire’s Luton, where participants’ cycling to work habits increased from 32% to 75%, “one of the big things we saw was people dropping car travel for cycle travel,” Scott says.
Luton isn’t the most bike-friendly town, with its busy inner ring road and car-oriented road network, so this shows that where e-bikes are available, Cycling UK’s participants use their cars less.
All of this said, the bike is only one part of the puzzle. Case in point, London’s boroughs’ investment in infrastructure contributed to a doubling in cycling in Greater London between 2012 and 2024.
Scott concurs. “E-bikes are one part of the solution, but you have to marry them with the right cycling infrastructure,” he said, adding, “if we want more women cycling, more children cycling to school, and a broader range of people cycling, safe infrastructure has to be there.”
