Commuting Conversion Rate

[simpythegimpy2]

In the five odd years I lived in Cape Town I managed to convert five people into cycling to work regularly (most of them are obsessives now). That's one a year.

 

For every conversion I usually had to at least cycle their route with them once or twice and had to give them a lot of encouragement regarding cycling and often had to lend them a bike for a while. Despite my best efforts I could not convert my wife who only worked about 20 minutes away from home (all routes had bike paths).

 

Looking back it seems like a lot of hard work for minimal reward, but hopefully some of those people will pay it forward.

 

Does anyone have a better conversion rate around?

[Moriarty]

Mine is probably negative, never had cycle paths and have had quite a few near misses and buses/trucks seeming to be deliberately trying to kill me.................so the people I have spoken to have probably been put off................sorry!

[Oufy MTB (Roadie)]

negative for me. I can't blame folks for not wanting to commute with bikes, too many horror stories. However, lwr Salt river Main rd into town is a big turn off to many would be commuters. The green lane i feel has made an improvement going in, I'm enjoying the extra space and cars are respecting it so hopefully we moving in the right direction

[Ozzie NL]

Conversion rate???

 

You sound way too mch like those people in grey suits, ringing the doorbells on Sundays nalso into conversions

[BenReaper]

In the year and a half I have started cycling again I have managed to convert about 4 friend to cycling and 2 of them to comuting aswell

[JohnnyReggae]

I have managed to "convert" a grand total of zero. Everyone in my office thinks I am mad, especially on bad weather days. I've stopped trying to convince anyone to cycle, if they want to cycle they will. The same way I've stopped trying to convince people to ride a unicycle. I just ride, don't really care if anyone else wants to or not 

[cat-i]

About 15 years ago when I worked at Unisa, I 'converted' 2 guys to commuting. They were already (road) cyclists, and both of them bought mountain bikes specifically to commute.

 

At parktown a few years ago one of the guys also commuted for a while, but stopped when he had to train for Epic, and never commuted again afterwards.

 

So in 20 years of commuting, only 3 converts, one who un-converted again. A good rate, considering that I never tried to convert anyone.