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Title:

Spoke’n Word: A Qualitative Exploration of the Image and Psychological Factors That Deter Bicycle Commuting

Accession Number:

01555472

Record Type:

Component

Availability:

Transportation Research Board Business Office

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

Abstract:

This study investigated the psychological, societal, and image preconceptions people have of bicycle commuters and bicycling, the extent to which these beliefs discourage them from commuting to work by bicycle, and other barriers that discourage them from a bicycle commute. These issues were explored through interviews with thirteen employed adults in the San Francisco Bay Area who could feasibly commute by bicycle but were not currently doing so. Among the key findings, many respondents: 1. Perceive bicycle commuters as young, energetic and physically fit, and equipped with special clothes or cycling gear. 2. Worried about how to maintain a professional work image if they cycled to work. 3. Felt that they couldn’t commute by bicycle because they needed to have a personal car available for such purposes as work duties or errands, chauffeuring kids or a pet, or carrying bulky items to and from work. 4. Worried about the safety of cycling, with a particular focus on driver inattention and fears about cycling in the dark. (Desire for more bicycling infrastructure was less prominent in the safety discussions.) 5. Believed that having lots of co-workers who commute by bicycle could provide a much needed boost of encouragement to biking to work, whether through positive motivation and camaraderie or peer-pressure and friendly competition. 6. Saw cycling positively, believing that bicycle commuting would benefit them as a good way to fit in exercise, decompress after a day of work, or gain a new perspective on the “beautiful” Bay Area.

Supplemental Notes:

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ANF20 Bicycle Transportation.

Monograph Accession #:

01550057

Report/Paper Numbers:

15-1991

Language:

English

Corporate Authors:

Transportation Research Board

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

Authors:

Seyda, Lauren
Agrawal, Asha Weinstein

Pagination:

14p

Publication Date:

2015

Conference:

Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Meeting

Location: Washington DC, United States
Date: 2015-1-11 to 2015-1-15
Sponsors: Transportation Research Board

Media Type:

Digital/other

Features:

Figures; References; Tables

Geographic Terms:

San Francisco Bay Area

Subject Areas:

Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

Source Data:

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2015 Paper #15-1991

Files:

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Created Date:

Dec 30 2014 12:43PM