Why is cycling important? Cycling is seen as important in several areas of public policy: • Health Policy – Most adults in developed countries would benefit from being more physically active which would reduce risk of chronic diseases. • Transport Policy – In England, half of the trips made my cars could in principle be shifted to walking or cycling. This would mean reduced traffic noise, reduced traffic pollution and less use of car parking spaces • Energy and Climate Policy – Reducing carbon emissions of car users by encouraging walking and cycling could be a successful strategy to reduce overall carbon emissions and reduce the demand for non-sustainable fuels.
Ogilvie et al 2012 Evaluating the travel, physical activity and carbon impacts of a ‘natural experiment’ in the provision of new walking and cycling infrastructure: methods for the core module of the iConnect study BMJ Open 2012;2:e000694
Why is cycling important? The Copenhagen City Heart Study; Cohort study of 5106 healthy men and women aged 21-90 years followed for an average of 18 years. • • •
Men with fast intensity cycling survived 5.3 years longer Men with average intensity cycling survived 2.9 years longer than men with slow cycling intensity For women the figures were 3.9 and 2.2 years longer.
Schnohr P1, Marott JL, Jensen JS, Jensen GB. Intensity versus duration of cycling, impact on all-cause and coronary heart disease mortality: the Copenhagen City Heart Study. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2012 Feb;19(1):73-80.
Pros and Cons of Cycling for individuals
• Pros;
• Cons;
• • • •
• Danger on the roads • Aggressive drivers
Has no fixed timetable Has no parking problems Has low running costs Keeps you fit and healthy
Gender Differences in Cycling • •
In places such as Denmark, Germany and The Netherlands women are just about as likely to cycle as men Men dominate cycling in the UK and USA e.g. In London 23% of bike trips are taken by women and only 5% of women identify as frequent cyclists John Pucher and Ralph Buehler Making Cycling Irresistible: Lessons from The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany 2008
50%
How is the government promoting cycling? In London this is what the mayor wants to do: 1. A tube network for the bikes •
Dutch-style, full-segregated lanes and junctions
2. Safer streets for the bikes• •
Spending on junctions will be increased Improve the safety of cyclists around large vehicles
3. More travelling by bikes•
Cyclists will double in the next 10 years in London
4. Better place for everyone•
‘Village in the city’ – green corridors, tree-planting, less traffic
Boris Johnson THE MAYOR’S VISION FOR CYCLING IN LONDON 2013
Government funding for child cycle training • Bikeability was launched by the Department for Transport as cycling proficiency for the 21st century. • Bikeability and the National Standard comprise three levels: – Level 1; Teaches trainees basic bicycle control skills in an off-road environment – Level 2; Trainees learn the basics of on road cycling – Level 3; Teaches trainees advanced skills on road cycling
• The total amount of funding provided by The Department for Transport has increased year on year from £3 million in 2007-08 to £11 million in 20112012. • Around half of children in England currently do Bikeablity before leaving primary school.
Steer Davies Gleave CYCLING TO SCHOOL A review of school census and Bikeability delivery data
Hypotheses and Research Question • We predicted that boys – cycle more frequently than girls. – more confident cyclists than girls – enjoy cycling more than girls. • We predicted that children with cycle training – cycle more frequently than children with none – enjoy cycling more than children with none – more confident cyclists then children with none. • What do pupils think schools should do to encourage cycling?
Methods • Questionnaires to 120 students and 40 teachers from Holloway school. • Questionnaires to 160 students from Robert Clack. • Questionnaire covered – – – – – –
Gender and age Whether students had done cycle training How often they cycled How confident they were cycling on the road From a scale of 1-10 how much they enjoy cycling “Do you think the school should do more to encourage pupils to cycle? Please explain”
• Entered data into Excel • Cross-checked for errors - error rate 0.25%
Statistical methods • Data cleaning • Tabulation and significance testing (chi-squared for categorical outcomes, T-test/ANOVA for continuous outcomes) • Analyses conducted in Stata 13. Graphs were made in Excel.
Sample characteristics • Total observations: 280 students • 51% Female • Age: – 11-13 year olds (35%) – 14-16 year olds (61%) – 17-18 year olds (4%)
No Cycle Training Bikeability
Other
Cycling frequency by Gender 100% 90% 80% 70%
60% 50% 40% 30% 20%
10% 0% Female Never
Male
Few months/Once a mon
P=0.003
Once a week
Every day
Gender Vs Cycling confidence, among students who ever cycle 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
