Dr Lauren Pearson

Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine
Sustainable Mobility & Safety Research Group

Investigating the barriers and enablers that prevent or encourage us to ride a bike

What was your research focused on?

My PhD research used mixed-methods to identify and understand the kind of factors that prevent and encourage people to ride a bike, with a special focus on barriers experienced by groups under-represented in bike riding.

What are some barriers that may prevent us from choosing to ride a bike? 

My research found that people experience a diverse number of barriers and enablers, but there were some particular factors that were reported consistently across population groups. These related to having a lack of safe and supportive infrastructure which they feel they can ride a bike in, and particularly, the desire to have infrastructure that is separated from motor vehicles, to help support people of all ages, abilities, cycling levels and confidence levels to feel able to choose bike riding as a viable transport option.

Gendered differences were also observed. Women tended to view riding a bike beside motor vehicles as a highly vulnerable activity that could subject them to harassment, and also feared that a lack of confidence in their cycling ability may result in colliding with oncoming motor vehicle traffic. Men’s concerns were less so about vulnerability and lack of confidence, and instead related the unpleasant sensory experience of riding a bike alongside fast-moving traffic. Consistently, however, safe and supportive infrastructure was key for all demographics.

How do we provide that safe and supportive infrastructure? 

Part of my research involved identifying different population groups' “thresholds” for where they would feel comfortable riding a bike. Overwhelmingly, the preference is for off-road paths or protected bike lanes, like those being implemented on St Kilda Rd in Melbourne. Respondents were not satisfied with merely a painted line separating a bike lane from motor vehicle traffic, or what’s called a ‘sharrow’, where an image of a bike is painted on the road. To support a greater adoption of bike riding for a greater diversity of people, infrastructure planning should instead preference bike paths that are separate or protected from traffic.

How can we benefit from adopting bike riding as our preferred way of getting around? 

The benefits are huge. It’s not only great for physical health, but mental health too. There’s a growing body of evidence that cycling, even in small trips, can provide extraordinary mental health and cognitive ability benefits. Additionally, there’s the potential for reducing environmental emissions and creating positive economic impacts. It supports small businesses by encouraging short trips within the local community. Interestingly, it can also enhance social equity. Driving to work each day is quite a solitary activity, and you’re less likely to experience incidental social interactions throughout your trip, as you would when riding a bike. These short interactions can have greater benefits on a social scale by leading to an increased sense of community. So really, there’s benefits all-around.

How has your research created real-world impact?

There’s been an impact at both a global and local level. A systematic review I conducted identifying the top barriers to cycling has recently informed an initiative by Bloomberg Philanthropies that will fund US$10 million to provide safe and accessible cycling infrastructure in ten cities globally. Applications for the grant are closing soon, and I’m excited to see which cities will take advantage of the funding!

Looking locally, a study I conducted as part of my PhD investigated the potential for bike riding across Victoria. Potential riders were classified into four groups based on their attitude towards bike riding: strong and fearless, enthused and confident, interested but concerned, and no way no how. The interested but concerned group accounted for 78% of Victorians, and really demonstrates the untapped potential of bike riding in Victoria due to lack of supportive infrastructure. The research was cited in Victoria’s Infrastructure Plan for the next 30 years, and the specific data on interested bike riders has helped inform transport strategies for numerous local councils in Greater Melbourne. My recent work exploring barriers and enablers of riding a bike has also informed the Victorian Department of Transport’s media strategy for getting more people on bikes.

What do you hope will come of your research in the future? 

I hope my work will continue to provide practical findings for institutions internationally and within Australia to create spaces where people of all ages and abilities can access bike riding as an everyday, accessible, zero-carbon form of transport and physical activity.