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Blog post

Addressing the Barriers to Inclusive Cycling in Wales

29 October 2024
Sofia Vougioukalou

Sofia Vougioukalou

Between April and August 2023, Professor Sin Yi Cheung and Dr Sofia Vougioukalou worked with Oasis, Pedal Power, EYST and the Cardiff City Council transport policy group to identify barriers to cycling among diverse groups and identify solutions to increase uptake. This work was funded through a Learned Society for Wales Research Workshop Grant.

This project brought together an interdisciplinary team of researchers in sociology, education, social work, religious studies and health sciences to explore the barriers to inclusive cycling in Wales.

The health and environmental benefit of cycling is well-known. Cycling is one of the most effective ways to maintain a physically active lifestyle, yet it is not easily accessible to all due to persistent multiple barriers (Sustrans 2020, Cox and Coglin 2020). The low representation of ethnic minorities is particularly concerning in that 74% of people from ethnic minority communities do not currently cycle with 33% lacking confidence and being put off by the cost of suitable cycles (Sustrans 2020). Among them, women, mothers with school-age children as well as residents with disability particularly excluded from cycling.

We hosted four workshops using the grant during the months of April to August 2023. The first three workshops recruited participants from diverse backgrounds. Specifically we  involved four distinct groups who are under-represented in cycling:

1) ethnic/religious minorities women (mothers with school-age children);

2) senior citizens, and

3) people with physical or learning disabilities, while recognising the fact that many non-cyclists will have a combination of these characteristics.

These workshops took the format of focus groups, facilitated by either the PI Prof. Cheung or Dr Vougioukalou, within the MEAD Research Group, with the support of our community partners Pedal Power, EYST and Oasis.

The fourth workshop was a meeting involving Cardiff City Council in additional to the other three partners, to develop a funding proposal for a longer-term innovative and comprehensive programme of inclusive cycling.

The project had three outcomes of the project:

  1. identification of barriers to cycling participation from user communities;
  2. co-production of knowledge via a sustainable collaborative research network between universities, local authorities and third-sector organisations;
  3. a funding application for an innovative and comprehensive programme for inclusive cycling with collaborative partners in arts, humanities, social sciences, physical science and engineering at universities in Wales, England and Scotland.

Our workshop activities aimed to contribute to four of the Future Generations Act goals:  a Wales of cohesive communities by building a sustainable collaborative research network between universities, local authorities, third-sector organisations and user communities. In the medium to longer-term, this project aims to contribute towards building a more resilient, healthier and globally responsible Wales by making cycling the number one transport choice. The direct benefit from increased cycling participation from a wider population base will bring about improved physical and health of under-represented groups, reduced traffic congestion (as a result of fewer school runs) and cleaner air which will help towards achieving the net zero environmental target set by the government. We aspire to produce evidence that contributes to these goals.