Advocacy for active transport: advocate and city council perspectives

Abstract

BackgroundEffective advocacy is an important part of efforts to increase population participation in physical activity. Research about effective health advocacy is scarce, however, the health sector can learn from the experiences and knowledge of community advocates and those who are on the receiving end of this advocacy. The aim of this study is to explore advocacy for active transport from the perspectives of community advocates and representatives from City councils.MethodsCycling and walking advocates were identified from the local contact list of Cycling Advocates Network and Living Streets Aotearoa. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with cycle and walking advocates from throughout New Zealand. Advocates also nominated a suitable council officer at their local City council to be interviewed. Interviews were recorded and transcribed and categories of responses for each of the questions created.ResultsSeveral processes were used by advocates to engage with council staff, including formal council submissions, meetings, stakeholder forums and partnership in running community events promoting active transport. Several other agencies were identified as being influential for active transport, some as potential coalition partners and others as potential adversaries. Barriers to improving conditions for active transport included a lack of funding, a lack of will-power among either council staff or councillors, limited council staff capacity (time or training) and a culture of providing infrastructure for motor vehicles instead of people. Several suggestions were made about how the health sector could contribute to advocacy efforts, including encouraging political commitment, engaging the media, communicating the potential health benefits of active transport to the general public and being role models in terms of personal travel mode choice and having workplaces that support participation in active transport.ConclusionsThere is potential for the health sector to make an important contribution to advocacy for active transport in New Zealand. While there are many barriers to achieving supportive environments for cycling and walking, a range of advocacy strategies were identified which could help ensure that health perspectives are considered in decisions relevant to active transport.

Political activity for physical activity: health advocacy for active transport

“…These included concerns about injury risk, obesity, physical inactivity, personal safety and facilities for people with disabilities. Previous research has identified a tendency for emphasis of injury risk over health benefits [ 16 , 30 ] and this was also true in the total sample in the current study. While not disputing the importance of reducing injury risk, it would appear that there is a need for greater emphasis of the health benefits of active transport.…”

“…Identification and understanding of opposition arguments is an important part of advocacy efforts, firstly to guide attempts to find win-win scenarios where the wishes of both parties are met, or alternatively to allow counterarguments to be developed to limit the impact of entrenched opposition [36]. Similar to previous studies, the cost or resources needed to carry out active transport initiatives was a concern [10,16]. In New Zealand, homeowners pay an annual fee to the local council to help pay for local services.…”

“…A second point of opposition was perceptions that facilities were not needed as few cyclists or pedestrians currently use a particular route. Latent demand can be a difficult concept to communicate, particularly when a facility may form part of a larger network and increases in active transport users might not be realised until the entire network is completed [ 16 ]. Final areas of concern were for conflict between cyclists and pedestrians and potential environmental damage or wildlife disturbance from track development.…”

“…Active transport is associated with lower all cause mortality [ 11 ], increased fitness, decreased body weight and diastolic blood pressure among adults [ 12 , 13 ], and with greater physical activity among children [ 14 ]. Transport policies and systems that prioritise walking, cycling and public transport have been identified as one of the best investments for physical activity [ 15 ], and the health sector has an important role to play in supporting active transport initiatives [ 10 , 16 , 17 ].…”

“…In addition to written submissions, it is also possible to speak in support of these to a meeting of the City Council representatives. Previous research has identified this submission process as an important opportunity for active transport advocacy [ 16 ]. The public nature of the submission process provides an opportunity to examine health sector involvement in advocacy to city councils.…”