Cycling during and after COVID: Has there been a boom in activity?

Anecdotal evidence suggests that cycling boomed during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many shops ran out of bicycles for sale. However, it is not known whether increased cycling activity has continued. Using evidence from two representative online panel surveys, comprising over 2,400 New Jersey residents, the authors analyze bicycle ownership, purchasing, usage during the pandemic and intention to use after the pandemic subsides. The authors estimate multivariate models and find that the odds that a respondent intends to cycle more in the future (compared to prior to the pandemic) are 4.5 times higher if they have noticed positive changes to their neighborhood during the pandemic. Moreover, the odds that a respondent intends to cycle more are two times higher if they worked from home, compared to working outside the home. The findings suggest that infrastructure changes successfully induced cycling during the pandemic and increased the intention to cycle in the future. Additionally, because the uptake in cycling has been larger for people who work from home, the authors highlight the importance of focusing on bicycle infrastructure related to recreation and exercise, in addition to commuting.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2023.09.017
• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369847823002000
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13698478
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Younes, Hannah
  • Noland, Robert B
  • Von Hagen, Leigh Ann
  • Sinclair, James
• Publication Date: 2023-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: References;
• Pagination: pp 71-82
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour
  • Volume: 99
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 1369-8478
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13698478

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior modification; Bicycling; COVID-19; Infrastructure; Mode choice; Travel behavior
• Geographic Terms: New Jersey
• Subject Areas: Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01899158
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 15 2023 9:19AM