Abstract:
Cycling in South Africa is hardly a mode of transport for commuter purposes, but largely a
leisure activity undertaken by specific groups, whilst these sub-cultures have garnered
popularity amongst their communities, often this is where they end. In this paper the
authors will explore if and how these sub-cultures can be harnessed to create further
cycling use for commuter trips within South Africa. The promotion of cycling as a
sustainable mode of transport within South Africa is often downplayed owing to a lack of
infrastructure. However, studies within communities have shown that leisure cycling subcultures exist, even if no cycling infrastructure is available. Therefore, there is an innate
attraction to cycling within these groups that could achieve a modal shift for other trip
purposes. By understanding the drivers related to these sub-cultures it could be possible
to formulate the desired conditions required to create South African cycling common use.
In this paper, we have surveyed several leisure cyclists, to identify the attractive
components for leisure cycling as well as the hinderances to commuting cycling use. We
used the findings to develop a set of requirements that would assist in promoting more
commuter-type cycling activity in the country as well as attracting more cyclists.
