Don’t be fooled by common myths about cycling – use these explanations to help spread the truth!
Our roads are too narrow
It’s too hilly here
Shopkeepers rely on people driving
Shops won’t get deliveries
We’re not Dutch or Danish
Cycling isn’t safe
People with physical disabilities can’t cycle
Elderly people can't cycle
Liability laws will make people drive safely
Everyone needs to share the road
We need more cycle training, not cycling infrastructure
The weather isn’t right
People should wear helmets when cycling
Cycling infrastructure slows down cycling
Cycling causes danger to people walking
It’s too expensive to provide for cycling
People don't use cycling facilities that already exist
Higher standards of driving would make cycling safe
People break the rules when cycling
Cycling causes congestion
Cycling infrastructure is unsafe
We need more electric cars
We’ll be stuck on terrible cycle paths
People should cycle at the side of the road, not in the middle
People who cycle don't pay for the roads
Bus lanes provide good conditions for cycling
People should wear hi-viz when cycling
Cycling makes you sweaty
You need lots of special stuff to cycle
People won’t or can't cycle very far
Cycling is not practical in big cities
Cycling should require a licence and registration
Nobody would choose to cycle if they could drive instead
Cycling means breathing in more polluted air
Collective responsibility, collective guilt
Cycling should require mandatory insurance
Cycling infrastructure causes pollution
Cycling isn't practical for shopping or for carrying loads
Cycling with children isn't practical
Fallacies collated by popular topic…
- Cyclists should pass a test to ride on the road
- Cycle lanes are always empty, and they have caused the roads beside them to become congested
- Cycling infrastructure hinders emergency vehicles
- Roads were built for cars, not cycles
- The only people who cycle are middle-class white men (MAMILs)
- Women don't cycle because it messes up their hair
Are we missing a fallacy or two? Let us know!