When commuting to work, it’s natural to develop pet peeves. To support Ride to Work Week 2017 held on the 19th – 25th June, we put together a survey encouraging more people to travel to work on two wheels. The survey asked over 1000 people what frustrated them most on their journey and the results were enlightening.

The survey found that traffic jams are the biggest pet peeve for commuters. 60% of car owners found it to be their biggest frustration, compared to 13% of motorbike riders. The kind of pet peeves that commuters mentioned were varied, depending on how they travelled to work.

For commuters who got the bus or train, they were frustrated by the following:

• Gangs of noisy youths
• People putting their feet on seats
• Sitting next to someone who smells
• Screaming children
• Bus/train temperature
• Rowdy football fans
• People talking across you
• Strangers trying to make conversation
• Someone stealing elbow space on arm rests
• People reading a paper in your personal space
• Awkward train guards
• People who took ages getting a ticket at train stations

Of all those factors, the two that commuters found the most annoying on the bus were screaming children (29%) and sitting next to someone who smells (31%).

When looking at how commuters get to work by region, the survey found the highest concentration of car drivers can be found in Central England at 65%. The largest number of motorbike riders can be found in Northern England at 2% Northern Island scored the highest amount of bus commuters with 41%, while the Republic of Ireland has the most train commuters at 39%.

With traffic jams being the leading pet peeve for commuters, it makes sense for more people to ride motorbikes and scooters. They can cut through traffic queues and a report from the Office for National Statistics has pointed out that motorbike riders are happier than other commuters.

We want to encourage more people to ride a motorbike to work, so we’re offering free commuting cover for UK and Ireland Carole Nash Policyholders for Ride to Work Week 19th to 25th June 2017. To get more people riding we are also giving away the chance to win* a CBT day. Make sure you are following InsideBikes on Facebook to enter.

For more information about Ride to Work Week, please visit www.ridetoworkweek.co.uk

*t&C’s Apply please see https://www.carolenash.com/social-terms-and-conditions