Exploring how to get more people onto bikes
February 2024
TRIP types, safety issues, new technologies, and women’s reluctance to ride, were all up for discussion at the AITPM’s February webinar ‘Life Cycles: New (and old) bicycle technologies as part of our human transport system’.
Three Monash University researchers presented on different aspects of cycling – with all concluding that planning the right infrastructure was the key to getting more people out of their cars and onto both standard and electric bikes.
More than 85 participants listened to Associate Professor Robbie Napper from the Department of Design, Dr Lauren Pearson from Sustainable Mobility and Safety Research Group, and Dr Rumana Sarker from the Public Transport Research Group. Their presentations led to engaged discussion and plenty of questions, moderated by AITPM Board Director @Mike Willson.
Dr Napper introduced the ‘Napper typology’, his nuanced approach to understanding bicycle usage beyond the conventional commuting and recreation activities. He said the development of the typology represented how each usage type relates to, and mixes with, one another, and departed from classifying people to classifying the things they may do.
Dr Napper identified six journey types: recreation, commute, tasks and errands, passenger, work, and sport. Work trips happen much more now than before the pandemic – there are far more delivery riders, for instance, including on powerful e-bikes.
“People use bikes for very different purposes,” he said. “I realised I have very different attitudes depending on my cycling purpose. I’m confident if I’m alone commuting, but when I put my children on the back of a cargo bike (which is classed as a passenger trip), I feel very different and am more cautious.
“I think we should start designing a bike transport system with these diverse uses in mind - so designing a bike path that is comfortable for a four-year-old as well as for a 40-year-old,” he said.
Dr Sarker from the Public Transport Research Group delved into the realm of e-bikes, which are often hailed as a replacement for motorised transport.
“Globally, purchases of e-bikes are on the rise post-pandemic,” she told the webinar. “But that comes with a cost, with a surge in bike injuries, both from collisions and single crashes. E-bikes are much heavier and faster than regular bikes, and it can be difficult for drivers to predict their speed, and there is a lack of infrastructure for e-bikes.”
Dr Sarker presented the results of a European survey of community acceptance of a hypothetical ‘smart’ e-bike. The hypothetical bike included traffic detection, collision avoidance, speed warnings and emergency alerts.
“People are more likely to buy a smart bike if they perceive it as useful, comfortable, easy to use, if they are encouraged by peers, if it’s branded as cool and trendy, and if it’s perceived safer than existing bikes,” she said.
But, she said, even with better technology, people don’t perceive smart e-bikes as safer until there is better infrastructure.
Dr Pearson, who has a focus on the intersection between sustainable and active modes of transport, and gender equity, told participants that e-bikes were critical to shifting people out of cars.
While cycling rates among women are low in Australia, her research revealed that many women are keen to ride, but are concerned about personal safety, falling, not being fit enough, and ‘keeping up’ in a hyper masculine environment.
She said that while e-bikes play an important role in overcoming gendered barriers, they are also heavier, longer, and can be difficult to manoeuvre so it is vital that we plan bike parking that doesn’t require lifting, offers charging capabilities, and considers community-managed bike cages.
“What’s really important now is that as we move forward, we need to plan for people of all ages, genders, and the diversity of bikes,” she said.
AITPM runs webinars throughout the year, with professionals and practitioners sharing their expertise and experiences across a range of transport fields and disciplines. The events may attract CPD hours or points. Click to view webinars and resources as an AITPM Member.
