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Bikeability training (copyright Britishcycling.org.uk)Safety campaigns don’t discourage people from taking up cycling according to new study – but nor do they encourage it
Does the promotion of helmets and hi-vis make cycling appear more dangerous than it really is? A new study has concluded that safety-focused campaigns are unlikely to have any immediate effect on people’s perceptions of cycling or their intention to cycle. While health-focused campaigns were found to make cycling appear more beneficial to those who do not currently ride a bike, they too were found to have little impact on people’s intentions to do so.
The study into ‘dangerisation’ of cycling was carried out at the University of Bath and published in the Journal of Transport and Health. Co-author Dr Tim Gamble said that in order to increase cycling levels throughout the country, we need to rethink how it’s promoted. He advocates renewed focus on the enjoyment the activity can bring.
“The focus on safety concerns seen in certain publicity campaigns in recent years may not be deterring cyclists as much as we had feared. But in our study, although telling people who currently don’t cycle about the health benefits helped them realise how good cycling could be for them, even this didn’t make them look more likely to actually get onto a bicycle.”
Researchers tested the idea that promoting bicycle safety might inadvertently discourage people from cycling due to negative effects on how the activity is perceived. They also tested the idea that stressing the health benefits of cycling might have a positive effect on perceptions and intentions to cycle.
The study saw 228 adults randomly allocated to read safety-focused, health-focused, or control publicity materials, after which the immediate influence on their perception of cycling was measured.
The safety-focused campaign was found to have no effect on people’s perceptions of either the risks or health benefits of cycling and nor did it have an impact on whether or not the person intended to cycle. In contrast, health-focused materials significantly increased perceptions of the health benefits of cycling, although again there was little impact on the person’s intentions to cycle.
Dr Ian Walker, of the University’s Department of Psychology, told BikeBiz that information alone was clearly not enough. His view is that improved infrastructure would most likely make the biggest difference in persuading people to take up cycling.
"The fears some people had about mentioning safety to prospective new cyclists look to be groundless. This is great, as it means authorities probably haven't inadvertently been scaring people away from cycling all these years with well-meaning safety advice.
“But at the same time, although our study shows health information is useful for non-cyclists, it also shows that information alone isn't going to be enough to make people take up cycling. Safe streets are what will most make the difference if we want to see more cycling.”
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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15 comments
It's important to remember that London is not the UK...
This is similar to lots of previous studies. But of course, safety campaigns make it look like the local council or government is doing something about cycling, but without the difficulty or expense of building cycling infrastructure.
Why does the UK insist on copying failure? Why don't we learn what works from places where cycling is common? What works is is good infrastructure and marketing that makes cycling look cool.
Because posters and slogans are cheaper than tarmac and concrete. If you have the infrastructure you don't need marketing. Cycling doesn't need to be cool, it just needs to be easy.
Similar studies concluded that ursine mammals are prone to arboreal defecation.
People are more than happy to cycle at Center Parcs. Maybe it isn't the activity itself but the environment. Who'd have thought it?
When even adverts from cycling shops (or, er, Halfords) involve crashes, what are people supposed to think?
What puts people off cycling is (a) that the weather is shit and (b) they are lazy and lacking in moral fibre.
That's completely true. All those Dutch people have much stronger moral fibre. It's clearly in their blood.
And despite our fixation with the weather, compared to most of mainland Europe we have mild winters and an average amount of rain. Both Copenhagen and Amsterdam actually get more rainfall than London per year.
Maybe someone can invent a breakfast cereal that's high in moral fibre.
I was in Holland at the weekend riding 300km. On Friday evening whilst waiting to go out for food (cold, wind rain) I saw 20-30 people cycling passed the hotel in normal attire, on their city bikes, going about their normal business. An elderly chap in a flat cap and jacket, who I imagined was off to the pub to meet his mates. Several fantastically beautiful women, in their finest gear. The whole range of ages were there, on a friday night, in the rain (some riding with umbrellas) just getting on with it.
A lot of people talk about Dutch infrastructure, but until you have been on it, and ridden it, you have no idea how good it is. The roads are silky smooth, I had to avoid 1 pothole over the 300km trip. The layout and junctions are second to none. And their motorists are so relaxed with cyclists, so what if they get held up for a few seconds, they just deal with it.
I think a lot of the perceptions people have about cycling, i.e clothing, bad weather, are excuses to not cycle. Looking at the dutch, cycling is second nature. They just get on a bike and go, regardless of the conditions. And that attitude is fostered almost entirely by their infrastructure, and the fact that the cyclist is number 1 on the roads.
A few other things I noticed is I didn't see any fat/unfit dutch. One or Two of the guys in our group of 49 may have had a gut, but they were some of the fittest cycling monsters I have ever seen in my life.
If we want to do something real about the obesity crisis we have coming, and the strain on the NHS, and the congestion, then cycling is a real strong solution to all those things.
One of the great sights in Holland is seeing all the school kids commuting on their bikes. At every junction near a school you will see 20, 30, 40 kids waiting to move on. And they take up very little space. I wondered what 30 kids being driven to school by their parents would look like. I didn't have to wonder long, cue 8am back in the UK and the roads are a shambles.
Any cyclist who has the opportunity to go to Holland and cycle, do it, its a wonderful place, and the people are some of the most hospitable you could ever meet.
Note that is measuring people's own perceptions of how they feel they've been influenced. It isn't measuring effect on actual behaviour (which would of course be a much more difficult study).
Dr Ian Walker nails it.
My experience is that people don’t need to be told why cycling is a good thing (it’s fun, it’s healthy, it’s cheap) but what stops them is the lack of safe infrastructure.
What puts people off cycling is their own perceptions about the dangers of sharing the same space as motorists. This is often from practical experience.
Of course.
You've only got to take a quick glance at the roads and the way in which some people drive; there's your biggest deterrent.