‘Bicycles seen more as a child’s toy than transport method’

Bicycles are increasingly seen as a child’s toy rather than a way of travel, suggests the Mary Immaculate College (MIC) research on young people’s mobility.

Brendan O’Keeffe and Alanna O’Beirne concluded bikes are seen more as something a child should master and know how to ride, but not to use for any specific transport purpose.

“The vast majority of children today possess a bicycle, but hardly any of them use it to cycle to school or to any of their weekend or leisure destinations. Our results have also shown that as children get older and enter their teenage years, they tend to abandon their bicycles — as age increases, ownership and use levels decrease,” they wrote.