Where Do We Go from Here? Breaking Down Barriers to Bicycling in the U.S.

To better understand these barriers to biking, PeopleForBikes funded research in 10 U.S. cities focused on helping communities build strong local partnerships and accelerate the growth of bicycling. The researchers set out to identify different factors preventing people from bicycling, plus what infrastructure and incentives people need in order to start. The 10 focus group cities included in the study were: Austin, Texas; Baltimore, Maryland; Denver, Colorado; Fort Collins, CO; Memphis, Tennessee; New Orleans, Louisiana; New York City; Portland, Oregon; Providence, Rhode Island; and Tucson, Arizona. Using a qualitative approach, researchers conducted two focus groups in each city — one with community members, another with local business representatives. By facilitating discussions using both open-ended and closed-ended questions, researchers were able to gain an in-depth understanding of participants’ perceptions and attitudes towards bicycling, as well as what types of activities, programs or marketing might change their opinions. By involving businesses, researchers were able to determine what role the private sector might play in hindering or advancing bicycling. In some focus groups, a higher proportion of minority participants allowed the research team to gain a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the physical, social and cultural barriers to biking. Discussions explored participants’ travel patterns, how they perceived and identified with bicyclists, access to and experience with bicycling, and feedback regarding local bike infrastructure and the building process. Also examined was the representation of bicycling and bicyclists in the media and the effectiveness of current bicycle safety education and enforcement programs.

• Record URL:
  https://prismic-io.s3.amazonaws.com/peopleforbikes/6b4cc95b-295d-4947-88fb-839702944c97_PFB-Final-Barriers+to+Biking+REPORT.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  PeopleForBikes

  1966 13th Street, Suite 250
  Boulder, CO  United States  80302
• Authors:
  • Brown, Charles
  • 0009-0001-7884-0929
  • Blickstein, Susan
  • Yang, Siennah
  • Jain, Aashna
  • Sinclair, James
• Publication Date: 2021

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 111p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Access; Attitudes; Bicycling; Communities; Cyclists; Focus groups; Infrastructure; Private enterprise; Recommendations; Travel patterns
• Geographic Terms: Austin (Texas); Baltimore (Maryland); Denver (Colorado); Fort Collins (Colorado); Memphis (Tennessee); New Orleans (Louisiana); New York (New York); Portland (Oregon); Providence (Rhode Island); Tucson (Arizona)
• Subject Areas: Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01771740
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 21 2021 10:54AM