Cumbersome but desirable—Breaking the code of everyday cycling

Abstract

Introduction Cycling for transport could integrate physical activity (PA) into daily routines and potentially increase total PA levels. However, for parents with young children, most factors affecting transport mode choice tend to facilitate car use. Greater insight is necessary into reasons for (not) using sustainable transport modes in parents with young children. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore the experiences, including motives, perceptions, attitudes, and norms, of parents of young children by using an e-bike, a longtail bike, and a traditional bike for everyday travel to the workplace, kindergarten, and the grocery store during the autumn, winter, and spring, in nine months. Methods Semistructured focus group interviews were conducted with 18 parents of young children residing in southern Norway. Parents were recruited through Facebook announcements and direct contact with kindergartens, selected organisations, and companies in the Kristiansand municipality. Data were analysed by systematic text condensation by using NVivo V.11. Results Participants’ experiences were summarised by three main themes: ‘cycling is cumbersome’, ‘cycling reflects the desirable me’, and ‘breaking the cycling code’. Time use, planning, logistics, wet and cold weather, long distances, and no cycling habit were frequently mentioned barriers, and the most notable facilitator was the children’s attitude towards cycling. In general, children loved to cycle and preferred cycling to driving. Additionally, the freedom and independence of cycling were emphasised and valued. Conclusion In challenging weather conditions, parents of young children may experience cycling as cumbersome but desirable, and bike access could increase the feasibility of daily cycling.

Mobility Infrastructures and Health: Scoping Review of studies in Europe

“…Cycling behaviour to the grocery store did not change with the car being prevalent in this situation. Participants shared that appearing as a role model to their toddlers contributed to making cycling a desirable behaviour [ 50 ].…”

“…Overall, despite quality of active mobility infrastructures, distance to destination remains a major barrier to active transportation [ 12 , 22 , 47 , 48 , 113 , 141 ]. Educating the population about the benefits of active transportation [ 22 , 50 ] and providing the opportunity to use bikes facilitated the recruitment of more people to active transportation [ 28 , 49 ]. Contrastingly, owning a car and car prevalence is negatively associated with active transportation and affects children’s perception of the environment [ 13 , 28 , 40 , 48 , 57 , 86 ].…”

“…However, the study observed that bike sharing stations alone were insufficient to increase cycling levels in locations where no other cycling infrastructures were present. (12,14,20,28,(47)(48)(49)(50)(51)(52)(53) The distance between the current location and target location as well as the ease with which it can be covered Play-infrastructure ( An example of a broad-scale and long-term intervention are the cycling interventions hosted in 18 towns in England between the years 2005 and 2011 [37]. Interventions were made both in terms of infrastructure changes (including bike parking, and cycling lanes and paths) and educational incentives at the expense of 14£ to 17£ per inhabitant, per year over a period of between 3 and 6 years.…”

Longitudinal associations between bicycling and having dependent children, in middle-aged men and women

“…Planners have tools to enable travel by bicycle quicker, easier, and as comfortable as travel by car ( Winters et al, 2017 ), and these tools are used by cities with high bicycling modal share such as Amsterdam ( Pucher and Buehler, 2008 ), where the accessibility of shops and schools by bicycle supports high bicycling levels among women before and after they have children ( van der Kloof and Cox, 2015 , Eyer and Ferreira, 2015 ). Wider availability of cargo, longtail, and electric-assist bicycles may also help people to manage the physical demands of carrying children or goods, as well as the challenges of longer distances and hills ( Riggs and Schwartz, 2018 , Bjørnarå et al, 2020 , Dowling, 2020 ).…”