| Popis: |
Participation rates in Australia remain low compared to other international settings, and gross inequities exist in participation, including for women and people living in low socioeconomic areas [1]. In recognition of the health and environmental benefits of increasing cycling participation, governments in Australia are increasing investment in initiatives to increase bicycling [2]. Recent research found that 78% of people in Greater Melbourne (a major Australian metropolitan region) are interested in riding a bike [3]. This demonstrates an opportunity for considerable modal shift to bike riding. There is, however, insufficient knowledge of the barriers to, and enablers of cycling for transport in this context. Research of barriers and enablers in Australia is very limited, however the majority of what has been conducted bas been quantitative research in groups whom are already cyclists. Existing research explores factors affecting cycling for all purposes, potentially overlooking differences in barriers and enablers reported for either riding a bike for transport, or recreational purposes. Further, quantitative studies often present the prevalence of a particular barrier or enabler, without consideration of the strength of how preventative, or encouraging the factor may be. This has resulted in cycling strategies being largely uninformed by the needs of people who are not current cyclists, and without consideration of the needs of people who ride a bike for transport, compared to recreational ri.ders. To increase cycling participation, it is essential to understand the barriers and enablers of cycling for all people of all ages and abilities, and to understand the nuances of their perception of safety. This requires a mixed-methods approach, with a robust sampling approach, to consider the prevalence and strength of the varying factors that influence people's decision to ride a bike or not. We conducted an online survey and semi-structured interviews with people living in nine selected local government areas across Greater Melbourne. [From: Introduction] |
