Jennifer Kent, University of New South Wales

The use of the bicycle as a feeder mode to public transport: benefits and barriers

Physical activity is a modifiable risk factor in the reduction of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, obesity and depression. Despite this, recent studies have demonstrated that only half of Australian adults are sufficiently active to benefit their health.

There is a well established link between the composition of the built environment and our ability to be physically active. Town planning characterised by segregated land use, disconnected streets, uniformly low residential density and limited public transport access promotes motor vehicle dependency and discourages physical activity. Conversely, built environments characterised by connected streets and transport networks, a diverse array of densities and infrastructure that is designed to facilitate walking and cycling decrease car dependency and encourage physical activity.

This study will explore the relationship between the built environment and physical activity with a focus on the potential benefits of active transport, specifically, the use of the bicycle to access public transport. By exploring the complexity of health behaviour using a socio-ecological model, the role the built environment plays in addressing contemporary chronic diseases is discussed. Other advantages of facilitating bike access to public transport, such as the extension of existing public transport catchments without the need for substantial infrastructural investment, are also discussed. Barriers to the uptake of a bike-public transport modal combination are then analysed and psychological theories of individual behaviour change used to determine more specific ways the built environment might impact the uptake of cycling to public transport as a routine mode of mobility.

Research to date has focused on what should change to ensure the built environment is more supportive of health. Until recently, how this change can become reality in established urban areas has remained relatively under-examined. Having established benefits and barriers to cycling as a feeder mode to public transport, this study will conclude by examining the barriers within an institutional framework, focusing on institutions that govern urban infrastructure provision in Sydney, Australia. This examination employs social theories of institutional governance and change to identify ways these institutions might mobilise to better facilitate the bicycle as a feeder mode to public transport.

Jennifer Manefield - jenmanefield@hotmail.com

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