tag:theconversation.com,2011:/au/topics/cycling-787/articlesCycling – The Conversation2024-02-27T12:32:52Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2243122024-02-27T12:32:52Z2024-02-27T12:32:52ZE-bike incentives are a costly way to cut carbon emissions, but they also promote health, equity and cleaner air<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577761/original/file-20240225-22-nb9e6p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C15%2C5019%2C2916&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A man pulls his kids behind an electric bicycle near the pier in Huntington Beach, Calif.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/man-pulls-his-kids-behind-an-electric-bicycle-near-the-pier-news-photo/1311180585">Paul Bersebach/Orange County Register via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>E-bikes have captured <a href="https://velo.outsideonline.com/ebike/ebike-gear/5-e-bike-trends-we-expect-to-see-in-2024/">widespread attention</a> across the U.S., and for good reason. They are <a href="https://cleantechnica.com/2023/12/11/e-bikes-are-radically-more-efficient-than-electric-cars/">the most energy-efficient way</a> to move from place to place, providing exercise in the process, and offer enough assistance while pedaling uphill or into headwinds to make them usable for many types of riders. </p>
<p>Greenhouse gas emissions from e-bikes are much lower than those from either gasoline-powered or <a href="https://www.itf-oecd.org/good-go-assessing-environmental-performance-new-mobility">electric cars</a>. Some cities and states are encouraging the use of e-bikes by providing purchase incentives, often drawing on public funds dedicated to curbing climate change.</p>
<p>Currently, over 100 cities and states <a href="https://trec.pdx.edu/news/e-bike-incentive-programs-north-america-new-online-tracker">have or plan to launch e-bike incentive programs</a>, most funded by energy or environment initiatives. However, there has been little research on the effectiveness of these types of programs, how to design them or how to define goals. </p>
<p>We study transportation from many angles, including <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=I3wi1-EAAAAJ&hl=en">innovation</a>, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/John-Macarthur-4">sustainability</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=JltA3IAAAAAJ&hl=en">economics</a>. Our new study, published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2024.104114">Transportation Research Part D</a>, investigates the effectiveness of several types of e-bike purchase incentives and the investment required to induce additional e-bike purchases. </p>
<p>We found that incentives do spur extra e-bike purchases, but at a relatively high cost compared with narrowly defined climate benefits. We find that a public agency using a point-of-purchase discount would have to distribute about US$4,000 in incentives to generate one additional e-bike purchase. This is because over 80% of people who buy an e-bike would likely have bought one even without the discount. For perspective, it takes <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2017.01.002">about $30,000 worth of incentives</a> to induce an electric car purchase. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">California initiated a $10 million statewide program in 2023 that offers voucher incentives to low-income residents for purchasing electric bikes.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Nonetheless, e-bikes provide many other benefits. They make mobility easier and more affordable for many people, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2023.100940">older adults and people with disabilities</a>. They bolster the case for <a href="https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/publications/cost-benefit-of-bicycle-infrastructure-with-e-bikes-and-cycle-sup">investing in bike paths and infrastructure</a>, which produce <a href="https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/why-us-cities-are-investing-safer-more-connected-cycling-infrastructure">economic, safety and mobility benefits for cities</a>. And they <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2017.06.002">boost health by promoting exercise</a>. In our view, cities and states should assess e-bike incentive investments based on this broad range of benefits, rather than focusing solely on a narrow environmental objective.</p>
<h2>Not just a climate tool</h2>
<p>Clean technology incentives tend to be focused on a specific outcome – usually, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This works well for most energy-related upgrades, such as replacing old air conditioners, improving home insulation and generating electricity from wind and solar power. Consumers want the services that these devices deliver – cool air, comfortable conditions indoors and electricity that’s available and affordable. The new devices simply deliver those familiar goods more sustainably. </p>
<p>E-bike incentives are different. They invite people to adopt a new technology that can fundamentally change recipients’ travel patterns. In fact, while replacing car trips with e-bike trips <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2020.102482">can provide substantial climate benefits</a>, those benefits may be smaller than other benefits that are less widely measured. Focusing narrowly on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by replacing car trips means providing incentives to people who drive the most, or who drive the biggest gas guzzlers.</p>
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<p>But what about carless households, transit riders or bicyclists? For them, e-bikes can make it much easier to travel in most North American cities. That increased mobility could provide greater access to jobs, shopping or other important services, such as health care.</p>
<h2>Is investing in e-bike incentives worth it?</h2>
<p>Transportation is the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions">largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions</a>. Electrifying as much of it as possible is an important strategy for slowing climate change. However, e-bike incentives – and, indeed, electric car incentives – are pretty expensive ways to reduce emissions. </p>
<p>The importance of e-bike incentives is that e-bikes are good at replacing car trips and make daily trips easier for people who rely on other options. These advantages provide two main classes of benefits from increasing ownership of e-bikes.</p>
<p>The first set of benefits comes from substituting car-based trips with e-bike trips. Transportation researchers think about a swap like this in terms of vehicle miles traveled.</p>
<p>If I used to drive to work but now ride an e-bike, many benefits will be proportional to the number of miles that I now cover by bike rather than by car. They include reduced traffic congestion, lower fuel and parking costs, increased physical activity and improved health, cleaner air and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. In North America, <a href="https://nitc.trec.pdx.edu/research/project/1041">about 60% of e-bike trips replace car trips</a>. </p>
<p>A second class of benefits comes from improvements in mobility. These effects are more complex to measure. For many people in U.S. cities who don’t own cars, the basic options for getting around are walking, public transit, ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft, or riding a conventional bicycle. In almost all cases, e-bikes would get them to their destinations faster. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">A father explains how his family used electric cargo bikes to replace a car in Toronto and the Netherlands.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Carless households <a href="https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/63059">tend to have lower income</a> and lack mobility options. E-bike incentives can make travel more affordable and give people better access to jobs, health care, child care, shopping and other destinations. Such benefits likely far exceed any nominal greenhouse gas accounting from these transportation users. </p>
<p>E-bike purchase incentives are an investment in the broad benefits that e-bikes can provide. We believe they should be measured against the collective goals of the agency providing the incentives, whether its mission is transportation, equitable mobility, public health, economic development or environmental protection. </p>
<h2>Putting more people on two wheels</h2>
<p>Once there’s agreement that e-bikes are worth supporting for many reasons, the challenge is how to induce more e-bike use and realize those benefits.</p>
<p>Point-of-purchase discounts or vouchers are the most popular strategy, because they mimic other clean energy incentives, such as those for high-efficiency appliances or electric cars. Our study found that they are also the most efficient way to influence consumer behavior compared with other purchase incentives, such as rebates. </p>
<p>Other strategies could be more effective but need further research. For example, <a href="https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/bike-libraries-are-increasing-access-to-bikes-across-america">e-bike lending libraries</a> let people test-ride e-bikes without ownership. And employers can <a href="https://transweb.sjsu.edu/sites/default/files/2051-Fitch-Ebike-Employer.pdf">provide e-bikes to employees</a> to help encourage more sustainable and affordable ways to get to work. </p>
<p>Partnering with community organizations or local mobility-oriented programs could be an effective way to get e-bikes into the hands of people who need them and couldn’t afford them otherwise. And giving e-bike owners more reason to use them, such as <a href="https://momentummag.com/is-it-time-governments-start-paying-people-to-bike-to-work/">payments for biking to work</a>, could increase e-bike use and subsequent benefits. </p>
<p>E-bike purchase incentives may be an expensive climate solution, but they also offer other important benefits. Carefully designed incentive programs could help many urban and suburban residents access a faster, healthier and cleaner way to get where they need to go.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224312/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher R. Cherry receives research funding from State and Federal Departments of Transportation and the National Science Foundation. He has consulted for micromobility operators and bicycling advocacy organizations.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>John MacArthur has received research support and funding from state and federal agencies, the National Science Foundation, micromobility operators and bicycling advocacy organizations.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Luke Jones does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many incentive programs promote e-bike use, but they aren’t necessarily targeting the right people for the right reasons.Christopher R. Cherry, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of TennesseeJohn MacArthur, Sustainable Transportation Program Manager, Transportation Research and Education Center, Portland State UniversityLuke Jones, Professor of Economics, Valdosta State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2234292024-02-13T18:05:53Z2024-02-13T18:05:53ZAxing the Auckland fuel tax reveals the lack of a real transport plan for NZ’s biggest city<p>The government’s recent announcement that it would bring forward legislation to <a href="https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-axe-auckland-regional-fuel-tax#:%7E:text=Transport%20Minister%20Simeon%20Brown%20has,end%20on%2030%20June%202024.">end the Auckland Regional Fuel Tax (ARFT)</a> in June – four years early – is the <a href="https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/02/10/national-axes-critical-lifeline-for-auckland-infrastructure-funding/">third time in 30 years</a> a National-led government has repealed such a tax.</p>
<p>Pulling the plug seems less about the cost of living or misuse of tax revenue than simply sweeping clear the previous administration’s legislation. Transport policies, plans and projects <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/301017039/live-christopher-luxon-unveils-100dayplan-urgent-changes-coming-before-christmas">have fallen</a> at an astonishing speed since the coalition government was formed.</p>
<p>One of its first acts was to cancel the <a href="https://www.transport.govt.nz/area-of-interest/environment-and-climate-change/clean-cars/">clean car discount</a> that helped create a market for electric vehicles by subsidising their cost. Unsurprisingly, sales of EVs <a href="https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/02/07/ev-sales-plummet-after-clean-car-discount-scrapped/">took a plunge in January</a>. At the same time, a higher registration fee for “high-emitting vehicles”, dubbed the “ute tax”, was abandoned.</p>
<p>As the new government took office, transport agency Waka Kotahi quickly <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/501695/waka-kotahi-puts-funding-for-cycling-walking-and-public-transport-initiatives-on-hold">announced a freeze</a> on cycling, walking and public transport projects. Road projects seem unaffected.</p>
<p>Other car-centric policies include plans to roll back hard-won <a href="https://assets.nationbuilder.com/nationalparty/pages/18410/attachments/original/1695502195/Accelerate_NZ.pdf?1695502195">speed limit reductions</a>, cancel light rail projects in Wellington and Auckland, and nix a second multimodal Auckland harbour crossing.</p>
<p>Transport minister Simeon Brown recently doubled down on this when he announced that any additional harbour crossing would be for the <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/government-plans-for-auckland-harbour-crossings-transport-minister-simeon-brown-on-more-car-lanes-nothing-for-bikes/3EDI2BOEBRHEXD4JGKKBL5QB3E/">exclusive use of vehicles</a> – directly excluding consideration of cycling, walking and rail.</p>
<p>Missing in all this is a clear vision of what will replace all the lost policies.</p>
<h2>Cost of living or climate</h2>
<p>The now defunct regional fuel tax was put in place by the Labour government in 2018. It was meant to last ten years and raise NZ$1.5 billion to help fund a list of projects: the Eastern Busway, new electric train units for the City Rail Link, improved bus links to the airport, and redevelopment of the downtown ferry terminal.</p>
<p>The tax also funded road safety initiatives, road corridor improvements, bus and cycle lanes, red light cameras and speed humps. These were all clearly listed in the fuel tax legislation – and are clearly needed: <a href="https://www.transport.govt.nz/statistics-and-insights/safety-road-deaths/sheet/provisional-road-deaths">Auckland road deaths</a> hover around 50 people per year.</p>
<p>The government has also announced that legislation to axe the ARFT would specifically ban spending any remaining funds (estimated to be over $380 million) on cycle or bus lanes. This is despite strong arguments in favour of sustainable travel modes, as <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/508706/world-s-first-year-long-breach-of-key-1-point-5c-warming-limit">global temperatures surpassed</a> the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold last year.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-short-history-of-doomed-second-harbour-crossing-proposals-for-auckland-and-a-quicker-cheaper-option-203140">A short history of doomed second harbour crossing proposals for Auckland – and a quicker, cheaper option</a>
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<p>Instead, the official rationalisation for ending the ARFT has centred on the cost of living. For instance, Simeon Brown has argued <a href="https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-axe-auckland-regional-fuel-tax">drivers with a Toyota Hilux</a> could save “around $9.20 every time they fill up”.</p>
<p>Based on the Hilux’s 80-litre fuel tank and an average 12,000 kilometres per year travelled, that equates to about $92 per year, or $1.77 per week. The savings shrink significantly for smaller, more efficient vehicles.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the government has announced plans to <a href="https://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/road-user-charges/ruc-for-electric-vehicles/">enact a road user charge</a> for battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. On top of removing the clean car discount, this makes low-emitting vehicles less competitive on price.</p>
<h2>Failure to plan</h2>
<p>Shifts in funding priorities are part of politics, of course. But the latest U-turns bring into sharp focus a lack of direction on infrastructure. This includes previous governments, National and Labour alike, which have failed to lock in sustainable forward planning.</p>
<p>Nothing exemplifies this more than the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-short-history-of-doomed-second-harbour-crossing-proposals-for-auckland-and-a-quicker-cheaper-option-203140">on-again, off-again plans</a> for an expanded or new Auckland harbour crossing. After several false starts under the previous Labour government, the new government again <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/government-plans-for-auckland-harbour-crossings-transport-minister-simeon-brown-on-more-car-lanes-nothing-for-bikes/3EDI2BOEBRHEXD4JGKKBL5QB3E/">cancelled the plans</a> in favour of “providing extra lanes for traffic” and “enhancing the existing busway”.</p>
<p>This is despite <a href="https://theconversation.com/70-years-of-road-based-policies-created-todays-problems-does-nationals-transport-plan-add-up-210696">70 years of evidence</a> showing that adding more roads worsens congestion. As the adage goes, failing to plan is planning to fail.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/70-years-of-road-based-policies-created-todays-problems-does-nationals-transport-plan-add-up-210696">70 years of road-based policies created today's problems – does National’s transport plan add up?</a>
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<p>Consequently, New Zealand’s vehicle ownership rates are among the highest in the world. Per-capita <a href="https://data.oecd.org/transport/road-accidents.htm">road deaths are higher</a> than in many peer nations. At the same time, rates of walking, cycling and public transport use remain stubbornly low – due mainly to a lack of supply, rather than insufficient demand.</p>
<p>Nationally, rail networks remain under-developed, despite clear demand and excellent examples of <a href="https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/rail-transport-global-market-report#:%7E:text=The%20rail%20transport%20market%20size,(CAGR)%20of%206.7%25.">success internationally</a>.</p>
<p>Decades of see-sawing government priorities mean New Zealand’s biggest and most economically important city has no clear plan to transition out of its fossil fuel dependence. </p>
<p>Unless long-term transport planning and related infrastructure projects are elevated out of the political cycle, it is hard to be optimistic about sustainable progress.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223429/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Timothy Welch does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>By moving to scrap the Auckland regional fuel tax, the government continues a decades-long pattern of transport policy U-turns that leave the city – and country – without a sustainable way forward.Timothy Welch, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata RauLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2159832023-11-09T22:00:18Z2023-11-09T22:00:18ZSUV and ute sales slowed due to NZ’s Clean Car Discount – expect that to reverse under a new government<p>With National, ACT and NZ First locked in coalition negotiations, various urgent and climate-related transport challenges hang in the balance.</p>
<p>Based on pre-election rhetoric, the Clean Car Discount (CCD) scheme may soon be gone. While popular with the public, National has criticised the electric vehicle rebate portion as a “Tesla subsidy”, and the fees charged for high-emissions vehicles as a “ute tax”.</p>
<p>Transport agency Waka Kotahi has already put funding for cycling, pedestrian and public transport initiatives <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/501695/waka-kotahi-puts-funding-for-cycling-walking-and-public-transport-initiatives-on-hold">on hold</a>, pending a “clear direction from the incoming government on its transport investment priorities”.</p>
<p>If the CCD does end, it’s likely the upward trend in SUV and ute purchases, which lost steam with the introduction of the programme, will once again pick up. Combined with any lost momentum on developing other transport modes, the impact on road safety and emissions reduction could be significant.</p>
<h2>Utes and SUVs take over</h2>
<p>Big vehicles already dominate New Zealand streets. </p>
<p>In 2009, over 75% of annual passenger vehicle registrations were for small cars, sedans and hatchbacks. SUVs and utes made up just 20% of imports.</p>
<p>By 2022, 87,669 (53%) of the 164,813 <a href="https://www.mia.org.nz/Sales-Data/Vehicle-Sales">new vehicles sold</a> in New Zealand were SUVs of some variety, and 35,056 (21%) were utes. All other vehicles, including passenger cars, vans and buses, comprised about 25% of new registrations.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/where-did-the-cars-go-how-heavier-costlier-suvs-and-utes-took-over-australias-roads-215774">Where did the cars go? How heavier, costlier SUVs and utes took over Australia's roads</a>
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<p>Four of the five top-selling vehicles in the passenger segment in 2022 were utes and SUVs. They included (in order of sales volume) the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux, Mitsubishi Outlander and Mitsubishi Triton. Combined, these four big vehicles accounted for 40% of new registrations.</p>
<p>The low fuel economy of these vehicles directly translates to higher carbon emissions. Depending on the model, the <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/129416507/first-drive-review-ford-ranger#:%7E:text=Powertrains%3A%20single%20turbo%202.0,drive%20single%20cab%29%20to%2011.5L%2F100km">Ford Ranger</a> has a fuel economy rating between 7.6 litres per 100 kilometres and 11.5 L/100km; the <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/122944813/first-drive-review-toyota-hilux#:%7E:text=Powertrains%3A%202.8,5L%2F100km">Toyota Hilux</a> has a range of 7.1 L/100km to 9.7 L/100km.</p>
<p>By comparison, the best-selling conventionally fuelled compact car, the <a href="https://www.carsguide.com.au/suzuki/swift/2022#:%7E:text=Suzuki%20Swift%202022%20Fuel%20consumption&text=The%20Suzuki%20Swift%20currently%20offers,4.6%20to%206.1L%2F100km.">Suzuki Swift</a>, manages a significantly more efficient 4.6 to 6.1 L/100km.</p>
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<h2>Blind spots and safety</h2>
<p>SUVs and utes are also much taller, weigh more, have higher grilles and bonnets, and have more blind spots than more compact vehicles. This makes them more dangerous in urban environments, for pedestrians and cyclists in particular. </p>
<p>In a crash, a vulnerable pedestrian is more likely to suffer a direct strike to the head from a ute or SUV than from a smaller car, where they are more likely to roll onto the bonnet and hit their head with less blunt force.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/four-reasons-suvs-are-less-safe-and-worse-for-the-environment-than-a-regular-car-183780">Four reasons SUVs are less safe and worse for the environment than a regular car</a>
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<p>A recent <a href="https://www.vias.be/fr/newsroom/des-voitures-plus-lourdes-plus-hautes-et-plus-puissantes-pour-une-securite-routiere-a-deux-vitesses-/">report from the Vias Institute</a> in Brussels found that if a ute hits a pedestrian or cyclist, “the risk of fatal injuries [increases] by nearly 200%”.</p>
<p>The same report showed ute occupants are 65% less likely than other vehicle type occupants to suffer a serious or fatal injury in a crash. Safety is one of the main reasons SUV and ute owners cite for buying a larger vehicle. </p>
<p>Conversely, the risk of serious or fatal injury for occupants of smaller cars that collide with utes increases by 50%.</p>
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<h2>Problems with a technological fix</h2>
<p>SUV and ute manufacturers have recognised the increased danger blind spots pose to vulnerable road users. New technology has been added to the vehicles, including proximity sensors, 360-degree cameras and automatic emergency braking (AEB).</p>
<p>The technology is geared primarily to avoid collisions with other vehicles and improve safety for vehicle occupants. Studies have shown it can reduce vehicle-to-vehicle collisions by up to 25%.</p>
<p>The record with pedestrians and cyclists is less clear. But one obvious problem is the inability of the technology to function when the vehicle is turning, operating in adverse weather conditions, or at a very slow speed.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/70-years-of-road-based-policies-created-todays-problems-does-nationals-transport-plan-add-up-210696">70 years of road-based policies created today's problems – does National’s transport plan add up?</a>
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<p>A <a href="https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/suvs-other-large-vehicles-often-hit-pedestrians-while-turning">recent study</a> from the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety showed fatal collisions with crossing pedestrians were more likely when a vehicle is turning than when it was not.</p>
<p>The rates were about twice as high for SUVs, nearly three times as high for vans and minivans, and nearly four times as high for pickups as they were for cars.</p>
<p>The Ford Ranger’s AEB system “<a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.ancap.com.au/app/public/assets/6b58e0fa84417a73fa0210996d8c4be84e86603b/original.pdf?1685495896">does not react to pedestrians in turning scenarios</a>”, according a safety testing report from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), the independent vehicle-testing organisation used by Australia and New Zealand. The Toyota Hilux and Mitsubishi Triton have no ANCAP data on turning.</p>
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<h2>Danger and discouragement</h2>
<p>Utes and SUVs also tend to have more blind spots than smaller cars when reversing. In New Zealand, five children are killed every year in driveway “backover” incidents.</p>
<p>As far back as 2011, before the big shift to larger vehicles, a <a href="https://media.starship.org.nz/download-safekids-position-paper-child-driveway-run-over-injuries-2011%3E%3E/Safekids_NZ_Position_Paper_Child_Driveway_Run_Over_Injuries_FINAL_Web.pdf">Safekids New Zealand report</a> on child driveway injuries found: </p>
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<p>Cars run over more children than any other type of vehicle, but light trucks, commercial vans, four-wheeled drive and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) are consistently identified as being over-represented in the numbers of vehicles involved.</p>
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<p>According to ANCAP safety tests, none of the four top-selling SUVs and utes in New Zealand have AEB systems tested or operated in backover scenarios.</p>
<p>Pedestrians and cyclists are over-represented in road deaths. Last year was particularly deadly for vulnerable road users, with cyclists making up <a href="https://www.transport.govt.nz/statistics-and-insights/safety-road-deaths/">5% of all road deaths</a> despite accounting for only about <a href="https://www.transport.govt.nz/statistics-and-insights/household-travel/sheet/how">1% of all trips</a>.</p>
<p>The sad irony is that the dominance of SUVs and utes <a href="https://theconversation.com/ever-larger-cars-and-trucks-are-causing-a-safety-crisis-on-us-streets-heres-how-communities-can-fight-back-206382">reduces the ability</a> of communities to create safer streets that would encourage more walking and cycling. If the new government reverses transport policies aimed at encouraging walking and cycling and reducing the prevalence of large vehicles, those efforts will be set back even further.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215983/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Timothy Welch does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>With the Clean Car Discount under threat, more large, polluting and dangerous vehicles will hit New Zealand roads. That will further discourage walking and cycling.Timothy Welch, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata RauLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2159922023-10-25T03:54:46Z2023-10-25T03:54:46ZNational road-user charges are needed – and most people are open to it, our research shows<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555716/original/file-20231025-23-x7jo6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C5501%2C3667&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/law/2023/oct/18/why-the-high-court-struck-out-victorias-ev-tax-and-the-ripple-effects-of-the-decision#:%7E:text=Victoria%20introduced%20a%20distance%2Dbased,2.3c%20for%20each%20kilometre.">High Court</a> ruled last week that Victoria’s road-user charge for electric vehicle (EV) drivers is unconstitutional. Because the court decided it’s an excise, only the <a href="https://eresources.hcourt.gov.au/downloadPdf/2023/HCA/30">Commonwealth</a> can now impose such a tax. </p>
<p>The Victorian government introduced the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-27/ombudsman-victoria-electric-vehicle-road-user-charge-unfair/102905834">controversial</a> distance-based charge in 2021. The court decision will likely derail similar <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/environment/sustainability/electric-vehicle-court-ruling-ups-pressure-for-federal-approach-20231018-p5ed55.html">plans by other states</a>. </p>
<p>Current road taxes are blunt instruments that don’t reflect the <a href="https://fbe.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/why-we-should-be-taxing-australian-drivers-differently">true costs of driving to society</a>. The fuel excise does not properly account for traffic congestion or emissions. It makes no allowance for people’s ability to pay. Car registration fees are also not related to the amount of travel, congestion or emissions produced by driving. </p>
<p>Hence the need for road-user charges. To understand public attitudes to such charges in Australia, we surveyed more than 900 people in Melbourne and Sydney. The results of <a href="https://imoveaustralia.com/education/phd-student-profile/tariq-munir/">this research</a> showed a good appetite for road taxation reform in the nation’s two largest cities. </p>
<p>Only about a third of respondents opposed road-user charges to reduce traffic congestion in their cities. And support increased when they were told the revenue would be used to improve traffic infrastructure and public transport. The findings offer insights into how road-user charging could be rolled out successfully across the nation.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1714840040088490178"}"></div></p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/its-good-the-high-court-overturned-victorias-questionable-ev-tax-but-theres-a-sting-in-the-tail-215985">It's good the High Court overturned Victoria's questionable EV tax. But there's a sting in the tail</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<h2>What do people think about road-user charges?</h2>
<p>For our research, we surveyed a representative sample of 929 people (373 in Melbourne and 556 in Sydney) in April 2022 (Melbourne) and November 2022 (Sydney). </p>
<p>A majority of respondents (70% in Sydney and 65% in Melbourne) supported the introduction of measures to reduce traffic congestion in their respective cities. </p>
<p>When specifically asked if they would support road-user charges, only 32% of respondents in both cities opposed the idea. Around 29% of respondents in Sydney and 34% of respondents in Melbourne were undecided. </p>
<p>They were then told the revenue raised would be used to improve all forms of transport infrastructure and services. Levels of opposition and uncertainty fell. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555728/original/file-20231025-23-8y2az3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Stacked bar chart showing percentages supporting, opposing or undecided about road-user charges depending on where revenue is invested." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555728/original/file-20231025-23-8y2az3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555728/original/file-20231025-23-8y2az3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555728/original/file-20231025-23-8y2az3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555728/original/file-20231025-23-8y2az3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555728/original/file-20231025-23-8y2az3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555728/original/file-20231025-23-8y2az3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555728/original/file-20231025-23-8y2az3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<p>In particular, respondents in both cities were most supportive of road-user charges if the revenue raised was used to improve public transport. Opposition fell to 20% in Sydney and to 23% in Melbourne. The percentage of undecided respondents fell to 24% in Sydney and to 30% in Melbourne. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555731/original/file-20231025-19-xutsw1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Pie charts show percentage of respondents supporting, opposing or undecided about road-user charges if revenue is spent on improving public transport" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555731/original/file-20231025-19-xutsw1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555731/original/file-20231025-19-xutsw1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555731/original/file-20231025-19-xutsw1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555731/original/file-20231025-19-xutsw1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555731/original/file-20231025-19-xutsw1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555731/original/file-20231025-19-xutsw1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555731/original/file-20231025-19-xutsw1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<p>Around 96% of respondents in Melbourne owned a private car, compared to 90% in Sydney. These cars were the main means of transport for most respondents (75% Melbourne, 64% Sydney). Average vehicle occupancy was 1.25 people per vehicle in Melbourne and 1.27 in Sydney. </p>
<p>Sydney had a higher proportion of public transport users (27% Sydney, 16% Melbourne). Around 7% of respondents in both cities preferred walking and <a href="https://theconversation.com/banning-tiny-vehicles-would-deny-us-smarter-ways-to-get-around-our-cities-113111">micro-mobility</a>, such as bikes and scooters, as their main means of getting around.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555739/original/file-20231025-29-rz5mbp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Horizontal bar chart showing preferred forms of transport (by percentage of respondents) in Melbourne and Sydney" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555739/original/file-20231025-29-rz5mbp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555739/original/file-20231025-29-rz5mbp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555739/original/file-20231025-29-rz5mbp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555739/original/file-20231025-29-rz5mbp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555739/original/file-20231025-29-rz5mbp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555739/original/file-20231025-29-rz5mbp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555739/original/file-20231025-29-rz5mbp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=516&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-high-court-decision-on-electric-vehicles-will-make-charging-for-road-use-very-difficult-216107">The High Court decision on electric vehicles will make charging for road use very difficult</a>
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</em>
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<h2>Savings affect willingness to pay road-user charges</h2>
<p>We found willingness to pay a road-user charge varies with the level of expected savings. </p>
<p>Around 66% of respondents in both cities were willing to pay a road-user charge if it saved them up to $800 a year on registration fees and fuel taxes. Another 13% of respondents in Sydney and 11% in Melbourne were willing to pay the charge if savings exceeded $800 a year. </p>
<p>Around 55% of respondents in Sydney and 46% in Melbourne would be willing to pay a congestion charge if it cut their total daily travel times by 10 to 30 minutes. Another 18% of respondents in both cities would pay the charge if it cut travel times by more than 30 minutes. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Jonas Eliasson, architect of Stockholm’s congestion pricing scheme, explains how subtly nudging just a small percentage of drivers to stay off major roads can end traffic jams.</span></figcaption>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/will-drivers-who-paid-victorias-electric-vehicle-tax-be-able-to-get-their-money-back-216021">Will drivers who paid Victoria's electric vehicle tax be able to get their money back?</a>
</strong>
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<hr>
<h2>Why oppose road-user charges?</h2>
<p>Many <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/21/12048">factors</a> influence public opposition to road-user charging. These include <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0965856419313175">distrust</a> in governments, uncertainty about <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0967070X10000326">benefits</a>, and concerns over <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11116-013-9459-4">equity</a>. Other barriers include <a href="https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jat/2020/4242964/">understanding</a> how the scheme works, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0967070X19307450">complexity</a> of implementation, and uncertainty about how <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0967070X10000326">revenues</a> will be used.</p>
<p>In our survey, the undecided respondents said they needed more information to better understand the user-pays approach and its benefits. International <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/21/12048">studies</a> have reported the same response. </p>
<p>Information campaigns to demystify road-user charging and highlight its benefits can win over undecided people. </p>
<h2>Road tax system is broken</h2>
<p>The road taxes in place today – which include fuel excise and motor vehicle ownership taxes – are near <a href="https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/no-choice-broken-taxes-must-be-fixed-20220210-p59vc7">breaking point</a>, according to political, policy and business leaders. <a href="https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-news/australias-best-selling-electric-cars-so-far-in-2023">Soaring electric vehicle sales</a> will hasten the decline in fuel excise revenues. </p>
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<p>Victoria’s <a href="https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/bills/zero-and-low-emission-vehicle-distance-based-charge-bill-2021">levy</a> of 2.8 cents for each kilometre travelled (2.3 cents for plug-in hybrids) was intended to raise revenue from drivers who don’t pay fuel excise. The High Court decision has prompted <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/18/victoria-ev-tax-australia-state-taxes--revenue-electric-vehicles-cars-states-high-court-ruling">warnings</a> of major hits to state coffers.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.afr.com/politics/tax-review-rudd-cautioned-on-road-user-charges-20100113-iw75b">Tax reviews</a>, peak bodies such as <a href="https://www.infrastructurevictoria.com.au/project/research-transport-network-pricing/">Infrastructure Victoria</a> and experts have long called for road-user charges to replace current road taxes. </p>
<p>Aside from the decline in revenue, another problem with fuel excise is that drivers with different travel patterns pay the same tax. There will be drivers who travel in regional Victoria or in an outer suburb of Sydney for local shopping or school drop-offs who pay the same excise as a driver who travels into the city centre or other congested areas. This means fuel excise is less effective for reducing traffic congestion and emissions than road-user charges.</p>
<p>But to be effective and fair, these must be applied to all vehicles as part of a holistic national approach. It will help to manage travel demand, cut emissions and raise revenue to maintain transport infrastructure.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/distance-based-road-charges-will-improve-traffic-and-if-done-right-wont-slow-australias-switch-to-electric-cars-150290">Distance-based road charges will improve traffic — and if done right won't slow Australia's switch to electric cars</a>
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<h2>The road ahead</h2>
<p>The High Court decision has placed road taxation reform squarely on the national agenda. But any road-user charging scheme that targets <a href="https://www.drive.com.au/news/treasurer-electric-car-tax-fuel-excise-revenue/">only electric vehicles</a> would be a missed opportunity for <a href="https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/worlds-worst-ev-policy-scrapped-by-high-court/">meaningful reform</a>.</p>
<p>Our survey findings show Australia is ready for a rational and transparent discussion about road-user charging on all vehicles, not only electric vehicles. </p>
<p>The findings show a majority of people would support such charges if they are transparent, equitable and replace or reduce other road taxes. Support would increase if the public is assured the revenue will be used to improve all transport infrastructure, not only roads. </p>
<p>If well planned and implemented, a national approach to road-user charges can raise enough revenue to replace the fuel excise tax. It will also ease congestion, promote sustainable transport and help achieve Australia’s targets for cutting transport emissions.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215992/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hussein Dia receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the iMOVE Cooperative Research Centre, Transport for New South Wales, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, Victorian Department of Transport and Planning, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, and Beam Mobility Holdings.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hadi Ghaderi receives funding from the iMOVE Cooperative Research Centre, Transport for New South Wales, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, Victorian Department of Transport and Planning, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, IVECO Trucks Australia limited, Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre, Victoria Department of Education and Training, Bondi Laboratories, Australian Meat Processor Corporation, 460degrees and Passel.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tariq Munir acknowledges the financial support received in the form of a PhD scholarship from Swinburne University and the government of Pakistan. He also acknowledges the PhD top-up scholarship received from the iMOVE CRC and supported by the Cooperative Research Centres program, an Australian government initiative.</span></em></p>Support for road-user charging strengthens when people are assured that revenue goes into reducing traffic congestion, maintaining transport infrastructure, improving public transport.Hussein Dia, Professor of Future Urban Mobility, Swinburne University of TechnologyHadi Ghaderi, Associate Professor in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Swinburne University of TechnologyTariq Munir, PhD Candidate, Centre for Sustainable Infrastructure and Digital Construction, Swinburne University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2122602023-08-31T20:01:04Z2023-08-31T20:01:04ZFewer of us are cycling – here’s how we can reverse the decline<p>Rates of cycling are falling in Australia, a national <a href="https://www.cwanz.com.au/national-walking-and-cycling-participation-survey-2023/">report</a> released today shows. More people started riding bikes early in the pandemic, but that hasn’t lasted. The percentages of people who cycle are lower now than in 2011.</p>
<p>Less than one in six Australians report riding a bicycle weekly. Just over one in three have ridden in the past year. </p>
<p>During the time of pandemic restrictions, when there was less other traffic on the road, people perhaps felt safer to ride. Creating streets that are less busy, noisy and easier to ride on and cross safely encourages more people to cycle and walk.</p>
<iframe title="Rates of cycling in Australia, 2011–2023" aria-label="Interactive line chart" id="datawrapper-chart-N1d95" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/N1d95/3/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border: none;" width="100%" height="400" data-external="1"></iframe>
<p>Most people want to walk and ride more. <a href="https://irp.cdn-website.com/541aa469/files/uploaded/What_Australia_Wants_Report_.pdf">Two-thirds</a> of people want more transport funding to go into walking, cycling and public transport. </p>
<p>Even if you’re not interested in riding a bike, you should be worried about this decline. Walking and cycling are part of the solution to several of the most pressing issues facing our cities.</p>
<h2>The decline isn’t surprising</h2>
<p>The decline in cycling probably shouldn’t surprise us. In the past 40 years, the percentage of children who walk or ride to school has dropped from <a href="https://www.transport.wa.gov.au/mediaFiles/active-transport/AT_P_Declining_Rate_walking_cycling_to_school_in_Perth.pdf">75% to 25%</a>. </p>
<p>Furthermore, cycling receives only about <a href="https://theconversation.com/cycling-and-walking-are-short-changed-when-it-comes-to-transport-funding-in-australia-92574">2%</a> of transport budgets. The United Nations Environment Program <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/17030/globalOutlookOnWalkingAndCycling.pdf">recommends 20%</a> of transport funding should go to “non-motorised transport”. </p>
<p>Most of our transport funding goes into building wider and longer roads, embedding car dependency. However, making it easier to drive leads to more driving and ultimately more congestion, an effect known as <a href="https://www.atap.gov.au/tools-techniques/travel-demand-modelling/3-model">induced demand</a>. The problem even featured in <a href="https://twitter.com/BrentToderian/status/1192568535009988608?s=20">an episode</a> of the TV show Utopia. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cycling-and-walking-can-help-drive-australias-recovery-but-not-with-less-than-2-of-transport-budgets-142176">Cycling and walking can help drive Australia's recovery – but not with less than 2% of transport budgets</a>
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<h2>Short trips by car – everyone loses</h2>
<p>Most car journeys in Australian cities are <a href="https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/vista/viz/VISTA-TripsDraft/Trips-methodoftravel">short</a>. Two-thirds of these trips could be done by bike in <a href="https://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/map/perth-active-transport-improvements">15 minutes or less</a>. </p>
<p>So, for example, of the 4.2 million daily car trips in Perth, <a href="https://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/map/perth-active-transport-improvements">2.8 million are less than 5km</a>. In Victoria, about <a href="https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/vista/viz/VISTA-TripsDraft/Trips-methodoftravel">half of all trips under 2km</a> are driven – that’s more than 2 million a day. </p>
<p>These short car trips – such as the school drop-off, the short drive to the shops or the local park – are bad for public health, emissions and climate change, road safety and congestion. Walking and cycling can help solve all these problems. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545706/original/file-20230831-26-jv0mnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Venn diagram showing intersection of cycling and walking with the problems of road safety, congestion, emissions and public health" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545706/original/file-20230831-26-jv0mnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/545706/original/file-20230831-26-jv0mnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545706/original/file-20230831-26-jv0mnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545706/original/file-20230831-26-jv0mnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545706/original/file-20230831-26-jv0mnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545706/original/file-20230831-26-jv0mnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/545706/original/file-20230831-26-jv0mnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How cycling and walking intersect with the issues of road safety, congestion, emissions and public health.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author supplied (data from: 1. DCEEW, 2. AIHW, 3&4. Infrastructure Australia, 5. ISPAH).</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Urban sprawl and car use have a high cost</h2>
<p>Urban sprawl makes it less appealing to walk and cycle to our destination, further entrenching car dependency. </p>
<p>Urban sprawl costs governments too. Last week, the New South Wales Productivity Commission <a href="https://www.productivity.nsw.gov.au/building-more-homes-where-infrastructure-costs-less">reported</a> building homes closer to the city centre, rather than in outer suburbs, can save up to A$75,000 in infrastructure costs. </p>
<p>The extra costs of building farther away include providing schools, roads, parks, water and wastewater infrastructure. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1696099433648382171"}"></div></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/urban-sprawl-is-not-a-dirty-word-if-the-priority-is-to-meet-all-kids-needs-it-should-be-208670">Urban sprawl is 'not a dirty word'? If the priority is to meet all kids' needs, it should be</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>3 transport priorities</h2>
<p>For people to walk and cycle, we need to provide so-called <a href="https://www.healthystreets.com/">healthy streets</a>: not too noisy, easy to cross, with clean air and where people feel safe. </p>
<p>In 2022, the <a href="https://aspactivity.org/">Asia-Pacific Society for Physical Activity</a> and cycling advocacy group <a href="https://www.weride.org.au/who-we-are/">We Ride Australia</a> proposed <a href="https://aspactivity.org/three-transport-priorities/">three transport priorities</a> for Australia supported by a national alliance of 13 public health, transport, education and climate organisations.</p>
<p><strong>1. Safer default speed limits</strong></p>
<p>The current default speed limit of 50km/h in built-up areas is unsafe and leads to many deaths and injuries each year. </p>
<p>Default 30km/h speed limits in built-up areas are an immediate <a href="https://theconversation.com/busted-5-myths-about-30km-h-speed-limits-in-australia-160547">low-cost</a> way to increase road safety.</p>
<p>Other countries are showing it can be done. For example, this month <a href="https://www.gov.wales/seven-things-you-may-not-know-about-wales-new-20mph-default-speed-limit">Wales</a> is set to adopt a default speed limit of 20 miles an hour (32km/h). </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/busted-5-myths-about-30km-h-speed-limits-in-australia-160547">Busted: 5 myths about 30km/h speed limits in Australia</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>2. 1,500m school zones</strong></p>
<p>Most students live <a href="https://www.activehealthykids.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/australia-report-card-progress-report-2015.pdf">within 3km</a> of their school. That’s less than a 10-minute bike ride or a 30-minute walk. </p>
<p>However, to boost walking and cycling to school, parents need to feel it’s safe for their children to do so. The solution is to create safe walking and cycling routes with <a href="https://bubblecane.wordpress.com/2021/02/06/priority-crossings-what-are-they/">pedestrian priority crossings</a> within 500–1,500m of schools. Streets along these routes are easy to cross and not too busy or noisy.</p>
<p><strong>3. E-bike subsidies</strong></p>
<p>Cutting carbon emissions to limit climate change and air pollution requires us to reduce private car use. Focusing <a href="https://www.whichcar.com.au/news/electric-vehicle-incentives-australia">purchase incentives</a> solely on electric cars in Australia is slowing down the race to zero emissions. Indeed, research shows cycling is <a href="https://theconversation.com/cycling-is-ten-times-more-important-than-electric-cars-for-reaching-net-zero-cities-157163">ten times</a> more important than electric cars for achieving net-zero cities.</p>
<p>E-bikes assist the rider with pedalling, which makes them slightly faster than a regular bike. Typically e-bike users ride <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259019821930017X">greater distances</a> than regular push-bike users. </p>
<p>However, the upfront price of e-bikes is one of the main barriers to buying one.
Providing incentives for people to buy an e-bike would increase their uptake. Research shows a return on investment of <a href="https://www.weride.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/WeRide_e-Bike_Subsidy_Report_FINAL-lores.pdf">$2–$3</a> for every $1 spent on these incentives. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1639981043590545413"}"></div></p>
<h2>What else can we do?</h2>
<p>As well as the <a href="https://aspactivity.org/three-transport-priorities/">three transport priorities</a>, we can of course take many more actions that would help increase walking and cycling. These measures include: boosting <a href="https://theconversation.com/urban-sprawl-is-not-a-dirty-word-if-the-priority-is-to-meet-all-kids-needs-it-should-be-208670">housing density</a>, <a href="https://www.streetlevelaustralia.org/">beautifying</a> our neighbourhoods, programs to build people’s confidence and skills to walk and cycle, such as <a href="https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/talks-courses-workshops/cycling-courses">beginners bike tours</a>, and more frequent public transport. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/12-best-ways-to-get-cars-out-of-cities-ranked-by-new-research-180642">12 best ways to get cars out of cities – ranked by new research</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>By prioritising walking and cycling for short trips, Australia can reduce the national combined cost of $67 billion a year of <a href="https://www.nrspp.org.au/resources/summary-report-cost-road-trauma-australia/#:%7E:text=the%20total%20cost%20of%20road%20trauma%20is%20estimated%20at%20%2422.2,by%20road%20injury%20was%20%24239%2C000">traffic injuries and deaths</a>, <a href="https://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-08/Urban%20Transport%20Crowding%20and%20Congestion.pdf">traffic congestion</a>, <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?id=cce3914b-82a3-433b-97f6-be0642f692f6&subId=658630#:%7E:text=Air%20pollution%20is%20already%20a,to%20%2424%20billion%20per%20year">air pollution</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31390112/">physical inactivity</a>. </p>
<p>Here are four actions you can take to help boost walking and cycling in your area:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>look for opportunities where you can walk, wheel or cycle short journeys</p></li>
<li><p>join a community-led coalition, such as <a href="https://www.betterstreets.org.au/">Better Streets</a></p></li>
<li><p>score your local neighbourhood for walkability using this <a href="https://walking.heartfoundation.org.au/uploads/pdf-files/Neighbourhood-walkability-checklist.pdf">tool</a></p></li>
<li><p>write to your local MP asking for the <a href="https://aspactivity.org/three-transport-priorities/">three transport priorities</a> to be adopted.</p></li>
</ol><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/212260/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew 'Tepi' Mclaughlin receives research funding from the Australian Government's Medical Research Future Fund and The Government of Western Australia's Healthway. He also receives salary support through the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course. He is a member of the Asia-Pacific Society for Physical Activity and a member of the Active Transport Advisory Group of Westcycle. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter McCue receives an Australian Postgraduate Research Award to study a PhD. He is a member of the Executive Committee and Chair of the Advocacy Committee of the Asia-Pacific Society for Physical Activity.</span></em></p>Early in the pandemic, when there was much less traffic on the roads, people took to their bikes. But since then, fewer people are cycling, with rates now lower than in 2011.Matthew Mclaughlin, Adjunct Research Fellow, The University of Western AustraliaPeter McCue, PhD Candidate, School of Population Health, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2105062023-08-27T13:32:46Z2023-08-27T13:32:46ZBike and EV charging infrastructure are urgently needed for a green transition<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/bike-and-ev-charging-infrastructure-are-urgently-needed-for-a-green-transition" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The green transition is happening too slowly. We are in a climate emergency and it is clear that we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by transitioning to more sustainable transportation.</p>
<p>However, without sufficient infrastructure to enable electric vehicles (EVs) or cycling for <a href="https://www.burnhamnationwide.com/final-review-blog/bike-infrastructure-key-to-healthier-cities-reduced-emissions">commuting</a>, these options will remain too inconvenient or unsafe for most. Canada’s <a href="https://unfccc.int/news/climate-plans-remain-insufficient-more-ambitious-action-needed-now">climate obligations</a> will not be met without these infrastructure changes.</p>
<p>We just experienced the hottest July <a href="https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/july-2023-set-be-hottest-month-record">on record</a>. We cannot burn more carbon, no matter the remaining <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/chapter-2/">carbon budget</a>. Climate <a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/photos-extreme-weather-events-2023-climate-change/">disasters around the world today</a> are dictating timelines now. Meanwhile, gas cars are needlessly on city streets, adding to traffic congestion and pollution while urban sprawl means gas <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2022/aug/31/how-car-culture-colonised-our-thinking-and-our-language">car driving habits</a> expand.</p>
<p>Canada requires urgent investment in transport infrastructure and incentives to reverse this trend.</p>
<h2>Policy breakdowns</h2>
<p>Here in Toronto, a recent mayoral election provided a platform for two candidates who made election promises to close down <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/traffic-congestion-byelection-campaign-trail-1.6883005">cycling lanes</a>. Meanwhile, a lack of high-quality cycling infrastructure in the city incentivizes travel by car to the <a href="https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2020/cities-and-happiness-a-global-ranking-and-analysis/">detriment of the city’s happiness</a> and carbon budget.</p>
<p>This stands in stark contrast to a city like Copenhagen, Denmark where <a href="https://cyclingmagazine.ca/advocacy/over-60-per-cent-of-people-in-copenhagen-commute-to-work-or-school/">62 per cent of people commute by cycling</a>. A city which, by some metrics, <a href="https://www.earthtrekkers.com/copenhagen-happiest-destination-europe">may also be the happiest in the world</a>. </p>
<p>Closer to home, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-canadas-first-national-cycling-map-will-benefit-both-riders-and-public-planners-208347">cycling infrastructure remains poor</a> and bike theft rose by <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/bicycle-thefts-in-canada-soar-by-429-per-cent-during-summer-months-report-1.6467265">429 per cent in Canada this summer</a>. However, the solutions to this problem, such as bicycle lockers, are not widely enough installed and where they do exist, they are only for regular users and require a <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/streets-parking-transportaon/cycling-in-toronto/bicycle-parking/bicycle-lockers/">reservation and monthly payments</a>. </p>
<p>Solutions such as an <a href="https://www.translink.ca/news/2021/june/translink%20launches%20new%20on-demand%20bike%20lockers">on-demand bicycle storage system</a> being piloted in Vancouver and the <a href="https://thebicyclevalet.ca/our-locations">Vancouver City Centre Bike Valet</a> show promise for nation-wide implementation but will require effort to implement at scale.</p>
<h2>Nowhere to charge</h2>
<p>Likewise, a recent survey says that <a href="https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/two-thirds-of-canadian-drivers-unlikely-to-buy-an-electric-vehicle-1.6462200">Canadians are not switching</a> to cleaner EVs partly because of a lack of charging infrastructure. In a climate emergency, bike and electric vehicle infrastructure should have been installed long ago. </p>
<p>Toronto’s mandate is to reach <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/musservices-payments/water-environment/environmentally-friendly-city-initiatives/transformto/">net zero by 2040</a>, but its efforts pale in comparison to the actions of other cities in Canada and around the world.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-far-to-the-next-electric-vehicle-charging-station-and-will-i-be-able-to-use-it-heres-how-to-create-a-reliable-network-209222">How far to the next electric vehicle charging station – and will I be able to use it? Here's how to create a reliable network</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>A variety of <a href="https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/global-ev-policy-explorer">incentives and legislation</a> are accelerating an EV transition including fee exemptions, grants and mandated targets. Brazil is proposing that all gas stations offer EV charging. </p>
<p>Ireland’s <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/oireachtas/2022/07/13/all-car-sales-will-have-to-be-electric-by-2030-to-reach-climate-targets-oireachtas-committee-told/">zero emissions office</a> is aiming for 100 per cent of new car sales to be EVs by 2030. France supports EV purchases with funding and bonuses for low income individuals. Ecuador’s public transport will be 100 per cent electric by 2025 and Sweden’s government fleet will be electrified by 2035. Colombia and South Africa are setting EV charging infrastructure minimums.</p>
<p>There are notable Canadian EV initiatives in <a href="https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/global-ev-policy-explorer">Québec and British Columbia</a>. Québec has ambitious electrification plans including expanding EV charging, funding further vehicle electrification across the province. B.C. is improving upon the Canadian national mandate by installing more EV charging stations and planning a changeover to clean vehicles. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/right-to-charge-laws-bring-the-promise-of-evs-to-apartments-condos-and-rentals-206721">Right-to-charge laws bring the promise of EVs to apartments, condos and rentals</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In contrast, Ontario and Toronto are without any unique innovations in electric vehicle infrastructure or policy.</p>
<h2>An electric future</h2>
<p>EVs are already addressing local air pollution around the world and reducing <a href="https://aafa.org/asthma/asthma-triggers-causes/air-pollution-smog-asthma/">health issues such as asthma</a>. Higher EV sales are also associated with higher <a href="https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/human-development-index#/indicies/HDI">human development indexes</a> (HDI). An HDI is a national measure of wealth, and a good reflection of standard of living, including health and education. Countries with higher EV sales also tend to lead worldwide in the development of environmental inventions. Healthier inventions make a <a href="https://hdr.undp.org/">better life</a>.</p>
<p>Perhaps in Sweden, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Norway and certain Canadian provinces such as Québec and B.C., the connection is clearer between switching to cleaner technologies and increasing levels of personal health and <a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/happiest-countries-in-the-world">happiness</a>. Improving <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/climate-solutions/education-key-addressing-climate-change">education</a> is a catalyst for change. </p>
<p>If Canada is to meet its climate commitments, it has to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. Infrastructure investments, such as for EVs and cycling, improve our quality of life and the <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/articles/markets/080816/can-infrastructure-spending-really-stimulate-economy.asp">economy</a> at the same time. Building infrastructure is a classic approach to boosting an economy. It is also a green economic opportunity if the right choices are made.</p>
<p>Canada can start by applying well-known policy solutions and rapidly installing infrastructure nationwide. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.114961">Studies have validated this recommendation</a> and additional phased-in electrical grid capacity is neither controversial nor impractical. Emissions reductions with EVs as compared to gas cars, no matter the energy fuel source, ultimately validate EVs green utility over gas powered cars. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/batteries-in-electric-vehicles-have-more-mileage-in-city-driving-rather-than-highway-driving-206564">Batteries in electric vehicles have more mileage in city driving rather than highway driving</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Around the world, such as in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.8b05264">China</a> where they have energy mix variations <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-021-02209-6">across regions</a> including coal, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2022.122063">EVs make sense</a>. Emissions reductions for Ontario have been calculated at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b01519">around 80 per cent</a> when EVs are driven. </p>
<p>The International Energy Agency offers a <a href="https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/global-ev-policy-explorer">comprehensive policy database of worldwide examples</a> for places like Toronto that are lagging on clean transportation transition policy and change. Beyond benchmarking, Canada could strive for leadership on the world stage by investing in university research and applying ambitious initiatives across the country. </p>
<p>Canada has an opportunity that should not be missed to stimulate its economy by investing in sustainable transportation infrastructure to accelerate the green transition.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210506/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Deborah de Lange receives funding from SSHRC and ESRC. </span></em></p>Canada should invest in sustainable transportation infrastructure to accelerate the green transition.Deborah de Lange, Associate Professor, Global Management Studies, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2079282023-08-07T04:10:53Z2023-08-07T04:10:53ZDo I have the right bicycle helmet and how can I tell if it’s any good? A bike helmet researcher explains<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532339/original/file-20230616-27-f1f5xs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C21%2C7200%2C5065&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/group-of-cyclist-on-road-2373200/">Pexels/Nishant Aneja</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you ride a bike and want to cut your risk of traumatic head injury, you should wear a helmet. A major Australian <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyw153">review</a> of 40 different studies and 64,000 injured cyclists worldwide showed wearing a bicycle helmet reduces the risk of serious head injury by nearly 70%.</p>
<p>But there’s a bewildering array of designs out there. How do you know if yours is up to scratch or when it’s time to replace it?</p>
<p>I’m a head injury biomechanics researcher who has researched on bicycle helmet designs. Here’s what you need to know about choosing a bike helmet.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539875/original/file-20230728-21-sabxi0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man sitting next to his bike, wearing a helmet." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539875/original/file-20230728-21-sabxi0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539875/original/file-20230728-21-sabxi0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539875/original/file-20230728-21-sabxi0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539875/original/file-20230728-21-sabxi0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539875/original/file-20230728-21-sabxi0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539875/original/file-20230728-21-sabxi0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539875/original/file-20230728-21-sabxi0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pick a helmet that fits comfortably yet firmly on your head and can’t be tilted for more than an inch in any direction.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-sitting-beside-bicycle-2270328/">Pexels/Dó Castle:</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/over-the-top-policing-of-bike-helmet-laws-targets-vulnerable-riders-125228">Over-the-top policing of bike helmet laws targets vulnerable riders</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The parts of the helmet</h2>
<p>A typical bicycle helmet consists of a plastic shell, foam-like liner and the straps that keep it on your head. </p>
<p>The shell prevents any sharp penetration. The liner – usually made of expanded polystyrene foam or expanded polypropylene – absorbs the impact energy that would otherwise be colliding dangerously with your head.</p>
<p>In Australia, bicycle helmets must be certified to the mandatory Australian and New Zealand standard (the technical name for this standard is “<a href="https://www.productsafety.gov.au/product-safety-laws/safety-standards-bans/mandatory-standards/bicycle-helmets">AS/NZS 2063 — Bicycle helmets</a>”).</p>
<p>This is a very robust safety regulation, and means the helmet has to be tested for:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>impact attenuation (how well it absorbs impact),</p></li>
<li><p>load distribution (how well force is spread out over a larger area, so as to reduce the risk),</p></li>
<li><p>strength, and</p></li>
<li><p>effectiveness of the strap retention system (how well the helmet stays on your head).</p></li>
</ul>
<p>So check your helmet to see if it says “AS/NZS 2063” on it somewhere (usually on a sticker inside it).</p>
<p>However, it’s worth noting these tests mostly look at the helmet’s ability to reduce the translational force (a force which causes an object to move in a single direction) of a direct impact. </p>
<p>They don’t properly consider the damage done by what’s called “rotational forces” – when the head is hit at an angle, causing it to shift abruptly.</p>
<p>This can cause the brain to rotate inside the skull, leading to severe and irreversible <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/traumatic-brain-injury#:%7E:text=Diffuse%20axonal%20injury%20is%20the,different%20parts%20of%20the%20brain.">brain damage</a>.</p>
<h2>Bike helmet technology is always changing</h2>
<p>A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijimpeng.2022.104317">recent review</a> by colleagues and I at Swinburne University of Technology looked at bicycle helmet design technologies that may reduce the risk caused by rotational forces.</p>
<p>The best known one is called a “multi-directional impact protection system” (sometimes abbreviated as MIPS). This design allows the helmet shell to rotate around the inner liner, so the helmet absorbs some of the angular forces that would otherwise be transmitted to your head. </p>
<p>You can tell whether a helmet is MIPS-equipped by looking for a small yellow MIPS logo from the outside or a thin yellow liner beneath the pads on the inside. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539877/original/file-20230728-25-vxf17x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539877/original/file-20230728-25-vxf17x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539877/original/file-20230728-25-vxf17x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539877/original/file-20230728-25-vxf17x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539877/original/file-20230728-25-vxf17x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539877/original/file-20230728-25-vxf17x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539877/original/file-20230728-25-vxf17x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539877/original/file-20230728-25-vxf17x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A MIPs-equipped helmet will usually be labelled as such.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another fancy helmet technology is called an “omni-directional suspension system” (ODS), which has double liner layers connected by special rubbery materials. If you want this feature, look for a white, red and black ODS logo on the helmet shell.</p>
<p>Then there are “shearing pads inside” helmets (also known as SPIN helmets), which features silicone-injected pads in a structure that moves inside the shell.</p>
<p>These help redirect rotational forces when the rider’s head is hit in an accident. Helmets with this feature usually have a SPIN logo on the helmet shell or blue strips on the inside.</p>
<p>A few bicycle helmets use special collapsible liners to reduce the stiffness of shearing in the helmet. Helmets that feature this technology may have words like AIM (which stands for angular impact mitigation), WaveCel and HEXR on them.</p>
<p>My team at Swinburne is developing a bio-inspired flexible structure which can potentially be used as a bicycle helmet liner, and we are currently conducting tests in our Impact Engineering Laboratory. We’re also working on a <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering8110173">helmet design</a> featuring an inflatable airbag in a traditional bike helmet.</p>
<h2>How to pick a helmet</h2>
<p>When choosing a helmet in the shop, pick one that fits comfortably yet firmly on your head and can’t be tilted for more than an inch in any direction. </p>
<p>It should be snug but not annoyingly tight; you’re less likely to wear it if it’s uncomfortable.</p>
<p>Ensure the helmet complies with the national or international bicycle helmet standards, which should be stated on the label inside the helmet.</p>
<p>You may consider buying a helmet featuring one of the advanced protection technologies mentioned earlier (things like AIM, MIPS, SPIN or ODS), as these can help mitigate rotation-induced traumatic brain injury if your head gets hit at an angle.</p>
<p>Pick a helmet with a thicker liner, as long as it’s still comfortable enough to wear properly when riding. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-019-02328-8">Thicker liners</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0924-0136(02)00047-X">tend</a> to absorb more impact energy because they have a longer crushing zone (a bit like how a car with a longer hood in the front has a longer crush zone before the impact hits the driver).</p>
<p>Ideally, choose one just firm enough to minimise impact forces without “bottoming out” (where the impact crushes and flattens the liner). </p>
<p>Denser foams resist very hard impacts better before crushing to their ultimate limit. Once a foam reaches its crush limit, the remaining impact energy is transmitted to your head. Softer foams compress or crush more easily in lighter impacts, giving better protection against milder injuries. </p>
<p>You never know what kind of accident you will have, so it’s better to choose a helmet with both dense and soft foam layers in the liner.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539878/original/file-20230728-17-moflih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman tried on a helmet in a bike shop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539878/original/file-20230728-17-moflih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539878/original/file-20230728-17-moflih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539878/original/file-20230728-17-moflih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539878/original/file-20230728-17-moflih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539878/original/file-20230728-17-moflih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539878/original/file-20230728-17-moflih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539878/original/file-20230728-17-moflih.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Your helmet should be snug but not annoyingly tight.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Should you replace your helmet every few years anyway?</h2>
<p>The US Consumer Product Safety Commission says it might be prudent replace your bike helmet between <a href="https://www.cpsc.gov/safety-education/safety-guides/sports-fitness-and-recreation-bicycles/which-helmet-which-activity">five and ten years</a> after you bought it. </p>
<p>But an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) spokesperson told The Conversation the lifespan of a bicycle helmet is not set by time alone; it depends on its use pattern. </p>
<p>The ACCC suggests a bicycle helmet should be replaced if:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>it’s showing obvious signs of wear and tear (a helmet that is used more often is likely to show more wear and tear sooner)</p></li>
<li><p>it’s showing sign of damage (cracks, pieces missing, compression of the foam, frayed straps)</p></li>
<li><p>it has been involved in an accident and has received a severe blow (even if it appears undamaged, you should destroy and replace it).</p></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-what-bike-sharing-programs-need-to-succeed-85969">Here's what bike-sharing programs need to succeed</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207928/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kwong Ming Tse receives funding from the Australian government and from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>Ensure your helmet complies with the national or international bicycle helmet standards, which should be stated on the label inside the helmet.Kwong Ming (KM) Tse, Senior lecturer in Department of Mechanical Engineering and Product Design Engineering, Swinburne University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2083472023-07-25T20:32:27Z2023-07-25T20:32:27ZHow Canada’s first national cycling map will benefit both riders and public planners<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/534702/original/file-20230628-17-it0n73.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C5%2C1280%2C841&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">With more and more Canadians cycling, it is crucial we have up-to-date information on what cycling infrastructure exists and where to find it.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Callista Ottoni)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/how-canadas-first-national-cycling-map-will-benefit-both-riders-and-public-planners" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Cycling in Canada has been <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2021.1914900">experiencing a great boom in recent years</a> and a national map of cycling infrastructure is critical to allow Canadians to determine where they have access to safe and comfortable facilities and routes. </p>
<p>Yet, there has historically been no consistent and complete way to measure or communicate cycling infrastructure. Until now: <a href="https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=c6d2917c4a7d4fb4a8e7a615369b68d5">Canada’s first national cycling map</a>.</p>
<p>In 2019, we developed the <a href="https://doi.org/10.24095/hpcdp.40.9.04">Canadian Bikeway Comfort and Safety Classification system (Can-BICS)</a> to classify cycling infrastructure by comfort and safety. Low comfort infrastructure is painted bike lanes, medium comfort is multi-use paths and high comfort are cycle tracks, bike-only paths, or local street bikeways. </p>
<p>We developed Can-BICS using the most current infrastructure design guides and cycling safety evidence. The same <a href="https://www.tac-atc.ca/en/publications-and-resources/geometric-design-guide-canadian-roads">design guides</a> are often used by city staff to develop cycling infrastructure.</p>
<p>The Can-BICS project not only provides a useful tool for Canadian cyclists, it also provides a clear window into the current state of Canadian cycling infrastructure.</p>
<h2>How we built a national dataset</h2>
<p>As researchers specializing in the links between the built environment and cycling, we often found ourselves piecing together datasets from different Canadian cities. Cycling infrastructure projects are typically co-ordinated by individual municipal or regional governments, with data held locally. For many projects, it’s too time consuming to compile data shared independently by multiple cities.</p>
<p>Another issue was that complete and up-to-date data are not even available for all municipalities in Canada. </p>
<p>While many larger cities may have staff dedicated to keeping their maps and databases up to date, other communities do not have the same capacity. Further complicating matters is the inconsistent use of terminology for bicycle facilities. For example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.24095/hpcdp.40.9.04">we found over 100 (often overlapping) terms</a> in use in different cities across Canada. </p>
<p>And importantly, not all bike facilities are equal in comfort and safety. A national map needs to indicate different types of facilities, as not everyone is willing to cycle alongside motor vehicles. </p>
<p>To obtain infrastructure data that was consistent across Canada, we decided to use <a href="https://openstreetmap.org">OpenStreetMap</a> (OSM) — a crowdsourced map of the world. Like a Wikipedia for maps, <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/8/5/232">OSM is constantly being updated and improved for accuracy for commercial interests and by data enthusiasts around the world</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/23998083231159905">We developed algorithms that apply the Can-BICS classification to the OSM data</a>. Using Google Street View, we checked over two thousand reference points from OSM for classification accuracy and bias. These points were taken from five small, five medium and five large cities. We then used these algorithms to classify cycling infrastructure across Canada. </p>
<p>The result is the <a href="https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=c6d2917c4a7d4fb4a8e7a615369b68d5">first-ever national dataset of cycling infrastructure in Canada</a>.</p>
<h2>Cycling infrastructure mapped across Canada</h2>
<p>With the national dataset in place, we identified nearly 23,000 km of cycling infrastructure meeting Can-BICS standards across Canada. </p>
<p>However, over twice this distance (49,000 km) did not meet the safety and comfort standards. These might include gravel paths, suggested cycling routes, quiet residential streets with no specific cycling supports or sharrows on busy roads. (Sharrows are bike decals painted on the road surface to indicate that cycling is allowed, but there is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijtst.2018.12.003">no evidence that they improve safety or preference for cyclists</a>.)</p>
<p>We found that in Canada, multi-use paths are the most common infrastructure type by length (16.6 per cent of all cycling infrastructure detected), followed by painted bike lanes (11 per cent). High-comfort infrastructure (cycle tracks, bike-only paths and local street bikeways) made up only 4.3 per cent of all detected cycling infrastructure.</p>
<p>Our results suggest that there is work to be done to support Canadians who are ready to make the switch to riding a bicycle. Cities aspire to meet climate goals and improve healthy transportation options for their residents. Yet, many Canadians are still without access to safe and comfortable options for cycling, especially in small- and medium-sized cities. </p>
<h2>Harnessing data</h2>
<p>The national cycling infrastructure dataset can support local, regional and federal governments in deciding where to invest in cycling infrastructure. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-get-more-women-on-bikes-better-biking-infrastructure-designed-by-women-202147">How to get more women on bikes? Better biking infrastructure, designed by women</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The <a href="https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=c6d2917c4a7d4fb4a8e7a615369b68d5">dataset is open</a> for use by other researchers and planning practitioners interested in relating cycling infrastructure to other nationally available metrics such as census data. International researchers may be interested in our methodology to develop datasets of cycling infrastructure in their own jurisdictions. </p>
<p>We intend this dataset to become a reliable tool to facilitate comparison between cities. With the open code, it could be updated annually. This would allow users to monitor investments in high-quality cycling infrastructure over time.</p>
<p>Our work provides the first national map of cycling infrastructure available to Canadians. It allows researchers and practitioners to determine how individual infrastructure projects fit into the national landscape, determine gaps in the existing conditions and work to ensure safe and comfortable cycling is an option for all.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208347/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Meghan Winters has received funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada and Canadian Institutes of Health Research for this work. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Colin Ferster and Karen Laberee do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Cycling in Canada has been experiencing a great boom in recent years. Yet, there was no consistent and complete way to measure cycling infrastructure, until now.Meghan Winters, Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser UniversityColin Ferster, Research assistant, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser UniversityKaren Laberee, Research manager, CHATR lab, Simon Fraser UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2064322023-06-23T14:49:09Z2023-06-23T14:49:09ZAre low-traffic neighbourhoods greenwashing? Here’s what the evidence says<p>Since the pandemic, a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jun/12/low-traffic-neighbourhoods-ltn-may-lead-people-drive-less-london">series of low-traffic neighbourhoods</a> (LTNs) have been installed across the UK. LTNs are designed to curtail car use in residential streets and promote active modes of travel such as walking, cycling and travelling by wheelchair. They aim to create a more pleasant environment for pedestrians and cyclists by using cameras, planting boxes or bollards to restrict motor vehicle traffic.</p>
<p>The initiative aims to address <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/egnmj/">three public health issues</a> directly associated with rampant car use in urban areas: air pollution, road deaths and physical inactivity. Human-made air pollution – which is worse in congested cities – is linked to between <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/air-pollution-applying-all-our-health/air-pollution-applying-all-our-health#:%7E:text=The%20annual%20mortality%20of%20human,and%2036%2C000%20deaths%20every%20year.">28,000 and 36,000 deaths</a> in the UK each year. </p>
<p>The concept of LTNs in the UK can be traced back to the 1970s when a <a href="http://hackneycyclist.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-history-behind-filtered.html">similar scheme</a> (although not referred to as an LTN at the time) was introduced in the London borough of Hackney. Many of the UK’s more recent LTNs are concentrated in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966692321002477?via%3Dihub">deprived areas of London</a>, with low rates of car ownership. </p>
<p>By contrast, similar schemes have been more widely adopted <a href="https://journals.open.tudelft.nl/ejtir/article/view/3000/3187">in the Netherlands</a>, where active travel has been separated from car traffic consistently since the 1970s.</p>
<p>But LTNs have become controversial in the UK. Critics have even gone as far as <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/low-traffic-zones-just-greenwashing-says-lobby-group-jvck33c69">accusing the government</a> of greenwashing. They <a href="https://freedomfordrivers.blog/2023/02/23/new-petition-remove-ltns-and-greenwash-traffic-schemes/">argue that</a> LTNs cause more congestion and air pollution on boundary roads (usually larger roads around the perimeter of an LTN), longer emergency response times and increased travel times for disabled people or carers. </p>
<p>Since most LTNs are relatively recent and have been predominantly installed in London, there is limited information on their long-term effects and impacts beyond the capital. </p>
<p>Yet the existing evidence still offers a clearer understanding of how LTNs can positively impact various aspects of urban life. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A queue of traffic." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533704/original/file-20230623-25-llyph0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533704/original/file-20230623-25-llyph0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533704/original/file-20230623-25-llyph0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533704/original/file-20230623-25-llyph0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533704/original/file-20230623-25-llyph0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533704/original/file-20230623-25-llyph0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533704/original/file-20230623-25-llyph0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Critics argue that LTNs cause congestion on surrounding roads.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/blackfriars-london-uk-11th-june-2014-597895856">Lenscap Photography/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Fewer cars, more active travel</h2>
<p>Some studies suggest that LTNs are effective in reducing car usage. <a href="https://findingspress.org/article/75470-the-impact-of-2020-low-traffic-neighbourhoods-on-levels-of-car-van-driving-among-residents-findings-from-lambeth-london-uk">Recent research</a> on four LTNs in the south London borough of Lambeth that was co-authored by one of us (Jamie Furlong), found that the annual distance residents within these LTNs drove decreased by 6% compared to control areas.</p>
<p>This finding supports <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/13Nsm_GFdH6CpIpPpOZ7hbhLZScgqCAP7ZGI0xi4qDqA/edit">previous research</a> commissioned by climate action charity, Possible, that examined traffic data from 46 LTNs across 11 London boroughs. The analysis revealed a substantial reduction in motor traffic within LTNs compared to the expected background changes. Importantly, there was no evidence of traffic being systematically displaced onto boundary roads. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4133090">separate study</a> by researchers from Imperial College London on three LTNs in the London borough of Islington showed notable improvements in air quality after their installation. On average, levels of nitrogen dioxide (a harmful car exhaust pollutant) decreased by 5.7% within the LTNs and 8.9% on boundary roads. </p>
<p>LTNs have demonstrated several other benefits beyond reduced car usage. In London, they have even been associated with decreased car ownership and <a href="https://findingspress.org/article/25633-impacts-of-2020-low-traffic-neighbourhoods-in-london-on-road-traffic-injuries">improved road safety</a>. Between 2015 and 2019, rates of car ownership in outer London LTNs <a href="https://findingspress.org/article/18200-the-impact-of-low-traffic-neighbourhoods-and-other-active-travel-interventions-on-vehicle-ownership-findings-from-the-outer-london-mini-holland-progr">reduced by 6%</a> relative to control areas.</p>
<p>Evidence on the shift to active travel prompted by LTNs is more limited. However, a <a href="https://findingspress.org/article/21390-the-impact-of-low-traffic-neighbourhoods-on-active-travel-car-use-and-perceptions-of-local-environment-during-the-covid-19-pandemic">study funded by Transport for London</a> on LTNs that pre-dated COVID in London’s Waltham Forest, found a 1-2 hour increase per person in weekly active travel compared to the control area. </p>
<h2>What about the concerns?</h2>
<p>One criticism of LTNs relates to the <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/traffic-calming-zones-london-delay-fire-crews-xmplwxp38">potential delays</a> they can cause for emergency services. Videos have surfaced online showing fire engines and ambulances unable to get past bollards or planting boxes. </p>
<p>However, the <a href="https://findingspress.org/article/18198-the-impact-of-introducing-a-low-traffic-neighbourhood-on-fire-service-emergency-response-times-in-waltham-forest-london">only published academic study</a> on the topic, which examined the impact of LTNs on fire service emergency response times in Waltham Forest, found no negative effects. In fact, response times even improved slightly on some boundary roads. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A fire engine driving down a road." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533694/original/file-20230623-29-lpm05q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533694/original/file-20230623-29-lpm05q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533694/original/file-20230623-29-lpm05q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533694/original/file-20230623-29-lpm05q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533694/original/file-20230623-29-lpm05q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533694/original/file-20230623-29-lpm05q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533694/original/file-20230623-29-lpm05q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Concerns have been raised about the delays LTNs cause to emergency services.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-uk-september-30-2019-emergency-1519146149">olesea vetrila/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Learning from Barcelona</h2>
<p>How residents feel about LTNs and their streets is crucial to the success of these schemes. In both <a href="https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/london-council-scraps-seven-low-traffic-neighbourhoods-after-public-backlash/">Ealing</a> (a district of west London) and <a href="https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/23600038.low-traffic-neighbourhood-westy-will-removed/">Warrington</a> (a town in northern England), councils removed LTNs after the objection of residents.</p>
<p>The fact that relatively few of the UK’s more recent LTNs have <a href="https://twitter.com/hackneycouncil/status/1554765517843570689">altered street layouts</a> to encourage new uses by, for example, widening pavements and turning car parking spaces into public seating may be part of the issue. If LTNs were implemented with a stronger focus on urban design and physical changes to the streetscape, they could have a potentially transformative effect on how people feel about and use residential streets.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/superilles/en/">“superblocks”</a> initiative (city blocks where pedestrians and cyclists are prioritised over motorised vehicles) in Barcelona is a good example of such an approach. Following the implementation of the city’s Sant Antoni superblock, <a href="https://bcnroc.ajuntament.barcelona.cat/jspui/handle/11703/129164">research</a> found a 33% reduction in nitrogen dioxide emissions, an 82% reduction in traffic within the superblock and a 28% increase in public space to walk and play in. </p>
<p>During trial phases, various features were incorporated into Barcelona’s neighbourhoods, including coloured pavements, mobile tree planters and pop-up playgrounds. In the <a href="https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/superilles/ca/content/poblenou">Poblenou superblock</a>, the final design of street changes resulted from two weeks of <a href="https://bcnroc.ajuntament.barcelona.cat/jspui/handle/11703/129164">laboratories and debates</a> involving residents, council officers, political representatives and more than 200 students and teachers from different schools of architecture.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A low-traffic neighbourhood with curbside seating and colourful decoration." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533121/original/file-20230621-16-9mq8gq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533121/original/file-20230621-16-9mq8gq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533121/original/file-20230621-16-9mq8gq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533121/original/file-20230621-16-9mq8gq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533121/original/file-20230621-16-9mq8gq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533121/original/file-20230621-16-9mq8gq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533121/original/file-20230621-16-9mq8gq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Sant Antoni superblock, Barcelona.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jamie Furlong</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the UK, the future of LTNs hangs in the balance due to a <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/05/19/low-traffic-neighbourhoods-no-government-money/">shaky funding base</a>. But this development is accompanied by a climate emergency that demands swift and decisive action. </p>
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<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
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<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206432/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Jamie Furlong receives funding from TfL for a related project analysing behaviour change and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods. He also receives funding, as part of a team at Westminster University, from the National Institute for Health and Care Research for a project examining the effects of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in London.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ersilia Verlinghieri, as part of a team at Westminster University, receives funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research for a project examining the effects of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in London.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Harrie Larrington-Spencer, as part of a team at Westminster University, receives funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research for a project examining the effects of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in London.</span></em></p>LTNs were introduced to UK cities to create a more pleasant environment for pedestrians and cyclists - but they’ve become controversial.Jamie Furlong, Research Fellow in Active Travel Interventions, University of WestminsterErsilia Verlinghieri, Senior Research Fellow at the Active Travel Academy, University of WestminsterHarrie Larrington-Spencer, Research Fellow in the Active Travel Academy, University of WestminsterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1965842023-06-01T14:38:50Z2023-06-01T14:38:50ZCycling could be a boon for Lagos – but people fear for their safety on bikes<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529420/original/file-20230531-29-8f7ght.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A cyclist participates in World Car Free Day in Lagos.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Adekunle Ajayi/NurPhoto via Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>With an estimated <a href="https://www.macrotrends.net/cities/22007/lagos/population">16 million residents</a>, Lagos is the most densely populated state in Nigeria. It’s under <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920922000360">immense pressure</a> to transport its huge population. According to a global ranking of mobility in cities, <a href="https://theconversation.com/lagoss-chequered-history-how-it-came-to-be-the-megacity-it-is-today-124306">Lagos</a> was ranked <a href="https://www.oliverwymanforum.com/mobility/urban-mobility-readiness-index/ranking.html">worst</a> out of 60 cities across the world in 2022. Famous for its <a href="https://businessday.ng/the-bridge/article/businesses-commuters-suffer-as-lagos-traffic-worsens/#:%7E:text=Businesses%20and%20commuters%20in%20Lagos,by%20heavy%20rains%20and%20flooding.">traffic jams</a>, Lagos has <a href="https://www.internetgeography.net/topics/traffic-congestion-in-lagos/">40%</a> of all the cars registered in Nigeria.</p>
<p>Transport service quality is known to drive the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2212571X20301633">public attitude to and image of a city</a>, which is important to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-a-failed-johannesburg-project-tells-us-about-mega-cities-in-africa-112420">marketing</a> of a city as a destination or place for <a href="https://theconversation.com/africas-free-trade-area-offers-promise-for-cities-but-only-if-theres-investment-187177">investment</a>. Cycling is one of the cheapest modes of transport. It can ease traffic gridlock and its associated pollution and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23800127.2020.1723385">environmental impacts</a>, making the city more attractive as a destination. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-challenges-of-governing-lagos-the-city-that-keeps-growing-175753">The challenges of governing Lagos, the city that keeps growing</a>
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<p>Yet cycling continues to be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/S2044-9941(2012)0000001010">marginalised</a> in developing countries. This has stimulated <a href="https://www.google.co.za/books/edition/The_Politics_of_Cycling_Infrastructure/iZ_LDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0">academic research</a> to understand the adoption of cycling infrastructure. But how well can cycling work in a highly urbanised state like Lagos? </p>
<p>As an <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emmanuel-mogaji-1217677">academic researcher</a> with a focus on transport, education and financial services, I teach the marketing and advertising of these services. To market cycling as a sustainable mode of transport, I need to understand the challenges, opportunities and prospects facing consumers. </p>
<p>As <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JSM-04-2022-0145/full/html">part</a> of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2089">my</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2022.103206">ongoing</a> <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1361920921002807">research</a>, I set about <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2022.100608">studying</a> the attitudes of cyclists and non-cyclists in Lagos to understand why cycling is a challenging mode of transport despite its obvious benefits. </p>
<p>I found that numerous fears and social pressures are holding back the uptake of cycling – yet even so there are growing groups of Lagosians championing the bicycle.</p>
<h2>The study</h2>
<p>My <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2022.100608">research</a> involved ethnographic fieldwork, observations and interviews with cyclists and non-cyclists in Lagos. </p>
<p>I interviewed 28 members of cycling clubs and 67 non-cycling participants. The research also collected photographic evidence of transport infrastructure, various activities organised to encourage cycling, and the business operations of cycling clubs and start-ups. </p>
<p>Thematic analysis of the data revealed three key challenges for establishing a culture of cycling in Lagos.</p>
<h2>Three key findings</h2>
<p><strong>Personal fears:</strong> This is about the ability and willingness to cycle. I found that many adults don’t know how to ride a bike and can’t imagine themselves cycling in Lagos. Some were very reluctant to learn and many felt it was unsafe and wouldn’t even encourage their children to cycle. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2022.103506">Gender discrimination</a> was a significant concern – women are often harassed and unfairly treated on the road. Road users in Lagos can be very impatient, putting cyclists at risk.</p>
<p><strong>Social issues:</strong> These are broader challenges that hinder the adoption of cycling. A lack of awareness of the benefits of cycling is compounded by societal marginalisation – many people still feel rich people drive and poor people cycle. Cyclists may have no place to shower or to safely store their bicycles. However, it’s important to recognise the growing numbers of cycling clubs in Lagos that provide a safe cycling environment and network and schedule group rides for budding cyclists. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CityCyclersNG/">City Cyclers</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGsSoaZpcpE">Bikaholics</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/people/Green-House-Bikers-Club/100083076435187/?paipv=0&eav=AfYFVJ8MypRavdI3jspDkI8h0ibJfnp-EmG1u2nEs3MiTVDVdCgWQLV5eeRAHFNCE30&_rdr">Greenhouse Bikers</a>, <a href="https://www.cycology.com.ng/">Cycology</a> and <a href="https://cyclotron.com.ng/">Cyclotron</a> are some of the bigger cycling clubs in the state. There are also charities, foundations and initiatives – like <a href="https://ludi.org.ng/girl-bike-club-lagos-island/">Girls Bike Club</a> – supporting the growth of cycling.</p>
<p><strong>Structural limitations:</strong> These challenges most often place responsibilities on government to support cycling infrastructure. The security of cyclists in Lagos is put at risk because of a lack of cycle lanes, parking and routes.</p>
<h2>Why cycling matters</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2011.01299.x">health benefits</a> of cycling have been well recognised. Lagos needs to promote cycling as a contributor for better population health. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529515/original/file-20230601-23207-w5p0c2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A group of people chat, on or next to their bicycles, wearing cycling gear and helmets." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529515/original/file-20230601-23207-w5p0c2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/529515/original/file-20230601-23207-w5p0c2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529515/original/file-20230601-23207-w5p0c2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529515/original/file-20230601-23207-w5p0c2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529515/original/file-20230601-23207-w5p0c2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529515/original/file-20230601-23207-w5p0c2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/529515/original/file-20230601-23207-w5p0c2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Bicycle riders gather during World Car Free Day in Lagos.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Adekunle Ajayi/NurPhoto via Getty Images</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Then there are the economic benefits of cycling in a congested state like Lagos. According to the former permanent secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Transport, Lagos is set to <a href="https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-west/549418-traffic-congestion-lagos-to-lose-21-billion-monthly-by-2030-expert.html?tztc=1">lose US$21 billion monthly by 2030</a> due to time spent stuck in traffic. Fewer cars on the roads would allow people to be more productive. </p>
<p>Finally, cycling benefits the environment. Road transport in Lagos – with the abundance of old vehicles and high sulphur content in imported fuels – is a significant contributor to air pollution. The World Bank <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2022/06/03/afw-making-lagos-a-pollution-free-city-solving-the-threat-one-solution-at-a-time#:%7E:text=It%20is%20estimated%20that%20at%20least%2030%2C000%20people,die%20every%20year%20in%20Lagos%20due%20to%20pollution.">estimates</a> that at least 30,000 people die every year in Lagos due to pollution – <a href="https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/980031575616020127/the-cost-of-air-pollution-in-lagos">11,200</a> of them premature deaths.</p>
<p>People are increasingly conscious of how their environment affects their wellbeing. With Lagos excluded from the comprehensive <a href="https://cityratings.peopleforbikes.org/">world ranking</a> of bike-friendly cities, it needs to improve its brand positioning. The mega city could help change its image as a place where people struggle to move around by investing in sustainable modes of transportation. </p>
<h2>What should be done</h2>
<p>Awareness of cycling should be promoted, alongside increased availability of bicycles for people to use. With rental services like <a href="https://awabike.com">Awa Bike</a> providing bike sharing across educational campuses and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/p/ThinkBikes-Limited-100086658639617/">Thinkbikes</a> offering electric bicycles, there are business opportunities for increasing the number of bicycles in Lagos. State government can also consider financial support for those who may want to buy their own bicycles, like the <a href="https://www.bike2workscheme.co.uk/">Bike2Work Scheme</a> in the UK.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/johannesburgs-bike-lanes-are-not-well-used-heres-why-75068">Johannesburg's bike lanes are not well used. Here's why</a>
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<p>Road users should be made aware of the rights of cyclists on the roads. Ensuring that streets have safe, continuous space for pedestrian movement and dedicated cycle tracks is an essential component of a complete cycle network.</p>
<p>By increasing cycling uptake and reducing the use of motorised vehicles, the Lagos brand could help attract more visitors who are keen to explore the state.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196584/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emmanuel Mogaji is affiliated with Centre for Multidisciplinary Research and Innovation (CEMRI), Abuja, Nigeria. This is a non-government organisation in Nigeria. <a href="http://www.cemri.org">www.cemri.org</a></span></em></p>Lagos is famous for its congested traffic. Cycling could help change this image.Emmanuel Mogaji, Associate Professor in Marketing, Keele UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2021472023-03-27T03:26:57Z2023-03-27T03:26:57ZHow to get more women on bikes? Better biking infrastructure, designed by women<p>The number of women riding bikes has increased dramatically in cities globally, including a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/sep/22/cycling-trips-made-by-women-in-england-rose-50-in-2020-study-finds">50% rise in London</a> during the COVID lockdown, and <a href="https://road.cc/content/news/6-10-users-pop-bike-lanes-paris-new-cycling-280681">near-equal gender participation in Paris</a> after pop-up bike lanes were put in place. </p>
<p>In Australia, however, cycling remains a male dominated and male-designed activity, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2021.1915898">where men outnumber women by two to one</a>.</p>
<p>Despite low numbers, our research has found three in four women in one state (Victoria) are <a href="https://theconversation.com/3-in-4-people-want-to-ride-a-bike-but-are-put-off-by-lack-of-safe-lanes-172868">interested in riding their bikes</a>, which raises the question, what is stopping them?</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136984782300061X">new study</a>, published over the weekend, found that women experience gendered barriers to riding a bike compared with men. This includes a lack of supportive infrastructure, such as bike paths or protected lanes, to make them feel safer in traffic.</p>
<p>We found involving women in decisions about implementing new bike infrastructure, as well as expanding the use of e-bikes through financial incentives, are key to getting more women on the road.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/3-in-4-people-want-to-ride-a-bike-but-are-put-off-by-lack-of-safe-lanes-172868">3 in 4 people want to ride a bike but are put off by lack of safe lanes</a>
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<h2>Women face substantial barriers to bike riding</h2>
<p>Our study involved a survey and in-depth interviews with over 700 people across Melbourne. Women in the study described a lack of confidence about bikes, from buying and maintaining them to riding them. </p>
<p>When trying to buy one, for instance, women described being treated as “just a girlie with a bike”, often leaving shops with a bike insufficient for their needs. </p>
<p>We found that inclusive community groups such as <a href="https://www.wheelwomenaustralia.com/">Wheel Women</a> and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-17/chicks-who-ride-bikes-app-for-group-rides/101861342">Chicks Who Ride Bikes</a> can play a key role in tackling this by empowering women to ride. </p>
<p>Many women in the study also expressed a desire to ride more, but said lighting on bike paths was non-existent, inadequate or turned off after hours, leading them to fear for their personal safety. This limited how much they were willing to ride their bikes in winter, or for other trips outside of daylight hours.</p>
<p>To compound this, women reported bike paths often detouring into dark underpasses. While underpasses protect bike riders and walkers from overhead traffic, they often feel hidden from public view and have inadequate lighting and limited escape routes.</p>
<p>There are ways to address this, too, such as reflective surfaces, <a href="https://www.kingscross.co.uk/kings-cross-tunnel">gentle turns to improve visibility</a> and <a href="https://www.monash.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/2640405/D20_476116__Merri_Creek_Safety_Report_XYX_Lab_-_Final_-_November_2020.pdf">encouraging greater community use of the spaces</a>.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-challenge-for-chauffeur-mums-navigating-a-city-that-wasnt-planned-for-women-193392">The challenge for 'chauffeur mums': navigating a city that wasn't planned for women</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<h2>Including women in planning decisions</h2>
<p>Women take <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/gec3.12461">different kinds of trips</a> and ride different bikes from men. Women also have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2016.1200156">different preferences</a> for biking infrastructure that makes them feel safe and comfortable. </p>
<p>And yet, when it comes to creating spaces for people to bikes in cities, women do not have a clear seat at the table. </p>
<p>In Australia, the majority of biking infrastructure is implemented by transport engineers, of which <a href="https://aclca.org.au/qld-docs/women-in-engineering-report.pdf">only 15% are women</a>. </p>
<p>Our study highlights the critical importance of protected bike lanes to encourage more women to ride a bike. Protected bike lanes limit interactions between bikers and car drivers, <a href="https://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/19/5/303">minimising risk of injury</a> and potential harassment from motorists. Despite these benefits, a 2018 study found that <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/78qgf/">99% of all bike lanes on Melbourne roads remain unprotected</a>. </p>
<p>Women with children described wanting to make trips by bike in their local areas, but had concerns about “missing links” between bike paths, leaving them vulnerable to motor vehicle traffic. </p>
<p>Building protected bike lanes across cities is a difficult task, but there are other options. For instance, Australian cities could design networks of protected bike lanes that stitch together <a href="https://theconversation.com/lower-speed-limits-dont-just-save-lives-they-make-nz-towns-and-cities-better-places-to-live-194448">30km/h speed zones</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/cars-have-taken-over-our-neighbourhoods-kid-friendly-superblocks-are-a-way-for-residents-to-reclaim-their-streets-187276">low-traffic neighbourhoods</a>.</p>
<h2>E-bikes are out of reach for many</h2>
<p>Over half of the women in our study were concerned about collisions with motor vehicles. And significantly more women reported concerns about their physical ability to ride a bike. They described feeling like they could not “keep up” with traffic or worried about their physical fitness to escape tricky situations.</p>
<p>E-bikes allow women to <a href="https://activetravelstudies.org/articles/10.16997/ats.991/">transport children</a> without worrying about their physical ability and can allay concerns about keeping up with cars. Despite the benefits, however, <a href="https://www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/22137-health-and-health-inequality-impacts-of-electric-scooters-and-electric-bikes/31810">the cost of e-bikes remains out of reach for many</a>.</p>
<p>E-bike financial incentives, such as tax rebates and car trade-in schemes are common <a href="https://ridereview.com/incentives">all over the world</a>, but do not yet exist anywhere in Australia. Such incentives are critical to enabling a greater number and diversity of women to ride a bike.</p>
<p>As we move toward net-zero-emission cities, <a href="https://theconversation.com/cycling-is-ten-times-more-important-than-electric-cars-for-reaching-net-zero-cities-157163">the shift to sustainable and active modes of transport is essential</a>. Empowering women to drive the conversation about what they need to be able to ride a bike – and increasing the number of women designing and planning biking infrastructure – is crucial to ensure women aren’t left behind.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202147/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lauren Pearson receives funding from the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ben Beck receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Federal Office of Road Safety, the Federal Department of Health, the Transport Accident Commission, the Victorian Department of Health, VicHealth, RACV, Transport for New South Wales, and the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Canada.</span></em></p>Men outnumber women by two-to-one on bikes in Australia. It’s time more women were involved in planning new bike paths and protected lanes to feel safer on the road.Lauren Pearson, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Monash UniversityBen Beck, Associate Professor and Head of Sustainable Mobility and Safety Research, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2008232023-03-12T01:48:52Z2023-03-12T01:48:52ZForget the conspiracies, 15-minute cities will free us to improve our mental health and wellbeing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514595/original/file-20230310-24-w8o94i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C172%2C4616%2C3061&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The idea of the 15-minute city, according to its originator <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/carlos_moreno_the_15_minute_city?language=en">Carlos Moreno</a>, is that people are no more than a 15-minute walk or bike ride away from all the services they need to live, learn and thrive. </p>
<p>The idea is appealing in its simplicity: it puts people and the environment at the centre of urban planning. It involves building new urban centres and restructuring existing ones to ensure the services people need for work, food, health, education, culture and leisure are all close by – a walk or bike ride from home. Key elements are: the proximity of necessities; local participation and decision-making; community solidarity and connection; and green and sustainable urban living.</p>
<p>This re-imagining of local living is quickly going global. Its proponents are many and growing, and the idea is being applied on <a href="https://www.c40.org/what-we-do/scaling-up-climate-action/urban-planning/">big city stages</a>. Most notably, the 15-minute city was a feature of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s successful re-election <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/07/paris-mayor-unveils-15-minute-city-plan-in-re-election-campaign">campaign</a> in 2020.</p>
<p>The United Nations has hailed the 15-minute city as a means by which cities can <a href="https://unfccc.int/blog/the-15-minute-city">emerge from COVID</a>, as well as reduce the damaging dependence on cars. The potential to promote mental health and wellbeing is significant. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/were-at-a-fork-in-the-road-do-we-choose-neighbourhoods-to-live-work-and-play-in-138949">We're at a fork in the road: do we choose neighbourhoods to live, work and play in?</a>
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<h2>Enter the conspiracists</h2>
<p>In 2023, though, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-27/the-15-minute-city-conspiracy/102015446">conspiracy theories</a> and <a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/wild-15minute-city-conspiracy-explodes/news-story/c176cadfbb4ec055829fb5686dce0418">protests</a> have threatened to drown out the discussion of such positives.</p>
<p>How did that happen? By finding itself sitting at the centre of debates about COVID living, climate change and car-centric societies, the 15-minute city has become a focal point of attention for those who imagine more sinister motives are at work. Conspiracists have spouted misdirected fears of the forced loss of cars, the creation of locked urban zones people cannot leave, and government surveillance and control. </p>
<p>These notions were even <a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk//Commons/2023-02-09/debates/306A686A-9B53-42BE-9367-C12AB4771504/BusinessOfTheHouse#contribution-94431A3F-FEB8-4A2C-B979-1EE81B5F1FFF">raised recently</a> in the UK parliament. Conservative MP Nick Fletcher called the 15-minute city an “international socialist concept” that “will cost us our personal freedom”.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/15-minute-cities-how-to-separate-the-reality-from-the-conspiracy-theory-200111">15-minute cities: how to separate the reality from the conspiracy theory</a>
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<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1632721404020834306"}"></div></p>
<h2>A chance to improve mental health and wellbeing</h2>
<p>In fact, personal and community freedom, by way of giving people back meaningful time currently lost to commuting and other travel, is exactly what Moreno and proponents of 15-minute cities are focused on. In their drive to grow, cities tend to push people, the environment and their health to the periphery. Through their sprawl, Moreno argues, cities take away freedom by taking time and disconnecting their inhabitants from services and each other. </p>
<p>Importantly, these effects increase the risks to people’s mental health. Moreno wants us to move away from fracturing our living into “inhuman bigness”, and towards planning that focuses on what access to services, local connection and community means for the wellbeing of people and communities. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/people-love-the-idea-of-20-minute-neighbourhoods-so-why-isnt-it-top-of-the-agenda-131193">People love the idea of 20-minute neighbourhoods. So why isn't it top of the agenda?</a>
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</p>
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<p>This is why the 15-minute city presents a great opportunity for better mental health. Long commuting times and the stressors of traffic congestion, road conditions and punctuality are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214367X22000151">linked</a> to declines in subjective measures of mental health and wellbeing for workers. The benefits of reducing these stressors could be immediate. </p>
<p>Physical activities like walking and cycling are also widely understood to benefit mental health, as does exposure to natural, green spaces. Creating local spaces for leisure and play is vital for children and parents alike. </p>
<p>But, deeper than that, we need cities and urban spaces purposefully designed to promote mental health in ways that are <a href="https://www.who.int/teams/mental-health-and-substance-use/world-mental-health-report">globally recognised</a> as impactful and essential. This process involves improving a range of social and environmental factors for individuals and community.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="children riding bikes and people picnicking and walking in a park" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514157/original/file-20230308-16-3jo6fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514157/original/file-20230308-16-3jo6fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514157/original/file-20230308-16-3jo6fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514157/original/file-20230308-16-3jo6fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514157/original/file-20230308-16-3jo6fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514157/original/file-20230308-16-3jo6fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514157/original/file-20230308-16-3jo6fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Easy access to a local park improves individuals’ health and community wellbeing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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</figure>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/1-in-4-australians-is-lonely-quality-green-spaces-in-our-cities-offer-a-solution-188007">1 in 4 Australians is lonely. Quality green spaces in our cities offer a solution</a>
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<hr>
<h2>COVID sharpened the focus on wellbeing</h2>
<p>Lessons learned from COVID lockdowns have sharpened global understanding of the mental health crises and harm done to people’s wellbeing by loneliness, social isolation and disconnectedness. These conditions damage the wellbeing of communities too, by fostering stigma and promoting exclusion. </p>
<p>We need to move quickly towards ways of living that promote connection, inclusion and healthy communities and environments. We can achieve these goals through participation, local decision-making and sustainable ecologies. </p>
<p>Imagine cities with accessible housing, work and education. Imagine cities with mental health service where the focus is on inclusion, participation, connection and equitable access. Where health workers and essential services are local and available, with minimal obstacles. Imagine mental health service that is threaded through the community in meaningful, impactful ways – where every square metre is considered for its potential to improve health and wellbeing. </p>
<p>Mental health, wellbeing and recovery require social connection, inclusion and accessible health services. These are, without doubt, key factors in achieving better mental health. And the 15-minute city could be the template for its delivery.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/greening-the-greyfields-how-to-renew-our-suburbs-for-more-liveable-net-zero-cities-187261">Greening the greyfields: how to renew our suburbs for more liveable, net-zero cities</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/200823/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A big reason the idea is gaining momentum globally is that the benefits for the health of individuals, communities and the environment are clear and almost immediate.Christopher Patterson, Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing, University of WollongongLance Barrie, Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, University of WollongongLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1932212023-02-08T23:16:03Z2023-02-08T23:16:03ZCan beetroot really improve athletic performance?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502267/original/file-20221220-12-uv9t4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=34%2C317%2C4566%2C2855&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/two-glasses-beetroot-juice-on-white-1518235694">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Beetroot is gaining <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/discover/beet-root-performance-improver">popularity</a> as a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/beet-juice-gains-traction-as-an-evidence-based-aid-for-athletes/2019/03/22/8e93b1cc-45a2-11e9-90f0-0ccfeec87a61_story.html">performance-enhancer</a> for athletes and those wanting to gain a competitive advantage in running and cycling. </p>
<p>Some people juice beetroot, some eat it, others mix up a drink from the powdered form. But will it make a noticeable difference on how quickly we run a race or cycle up a hill?</p>
<h2>Small benefits for some</h2>
<p>A large <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7494956/">systematic review in 2020</a> included 80 clinical trials, in which the included studies had participants randomly assigned to consume beetroot juice or not. It found consuming beetroot juice provided performance benefits for athletes. </p>
<p>In sports where every second or centimetre counts, this can be a significant improvement. In a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21471821/">16.1 kilometre cycling time trial</a> the gains linked to beetroot consumption were equivalent to 48 seconds. </p>
<p>But when the authors analysed subgroups within these studies they found beetroot juice wasn’t effective for women or elite athletes – though this could be because there were too few study participants in these groups to draw conclusions.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Man runs" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502265/original/file-20221220-22-tq0w6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502265/original/file-20221220-22-tq0w6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502265/original/file-20221220-22-tq0w6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502265/original/file-20221220-22-tq0w6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502265/original/file-20221220-22-tq0w6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502265/original/file-20221220-22-tq0w6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/502265/original/file-20221220-22-tq0w6h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Beetroot juice may provide a small performance benefit.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-in-green-t-shirt-and-black-shorts-running-on-the-park-5037354/">Ketut Subiyanto/Pexels</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another large systematic review in 2021 of 73 studies that looked at <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1186/s12970-021-00450-4">endurance athletes</a> (who run, swim or cycle long distances) found similar results. Supplementation with beetroot (and other vegetables rich in nitrate) improved their time to exhaustion by an average of 25.3 seconds and the distance travelled by 163 metres. </p>
<p>This improvement was seen in recreational athletes, but not in elite athletes or sedentary people. This analysis didn’t look specifically at women.</p>
<h2>What is it about beetroot?</h2>
<p>Beetroots are rich in nitrate and <a href="https://theconversation.com/were-told-to-eat-a-rainbow-of-fruit-and-vegetables-heres-what-each-colour-does-in-our-body-191337?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=bylinetwitterbutton">anthocyanins</a>. Both provide health benefits but it’s primarily the nitrates that give the performance benefits.</p>
<p>Once ingested, the nitrate is converted in the mouth by the local bacteria into nitrite. In the acidic conditions of the stomach, the nitrite is then <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4863140/">converted</a> to nitric oxide, which is absorbed into the bloodstream. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1089860316300015?via%3Dihub">Nitric oxide</a> dilates blood vessels, which delivers oxygen more quickly to the muscles, so energy can be burned to fuel the exercising muscles. </p>
<p>The result is that less energy is used for performance, which means it takes longer to tire. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-nitrates-and-nitrites-in-processed-meats-are-harmful-but-those-in-vegetables-arent-170974">Why nitrates and nitrites in processed meats are harmful – but those in vegetables aren’t</a>
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</em>
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<hr>
<h2>How can I use beetroot juice?</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ais.gov.au/nutrition/supplements/group_a">Australian Institute of Sport</a> (AIS) has assessed beetroot and classified it as a Group A supplement. This means there is strong scientific evidence for use in specific situations in sport.</p>
<p>The AIS <a href="https://www.ais.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/1001102/Beetroot-juice-Infographic-2pg.pdf">advises</a> beetroot supplementation can be beneficial for exercise, training and competitive events that lasts 4–30 minutes and in team sports with intermittent exercise.</p>
<p>For performance benefits, the AIS advises the beetroot product (be it juice, powder or food) should have between 350–600mg of inorganic nitrate in it. Check the label. There are several concentrated juices available on the market. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212267211019484?via%3Dihub">Beetroot contains about 250mg per 100g</a> of nitrate, so you need to consume at least 200g of baked beetroot to get the same effect. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Roasted beetroot and garlic in a pan" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507278/original/file-20230131-26-40xau8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507278/original/file-20230131-26-40xau8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507278/original/file-20230131-26-40xau8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507278/original/file-20230131-26-40xau8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507278/original/file-20230131-26-40xau8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507278/original/file-20230131-26-40xau8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507278/original/file-20230131-26-40xau8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">You need to consume a large portion of beetroot to have the same effect.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/roasted-beetroots-cast-iron-skillet-on-668286019">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To give the nitrates time to be converted to nitric oxide and absorbed into your bloodstream, you need to <a href="https://www.ais.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/1001102/Beetroot-juice-Infographic-2pg.pdf">consume</a> the product 2–3 hours before training or competition. You may get added benefits drinking beetroot juice for several days leading up to training or competition.</p>
<p>However, don’t use antibacterial products like mouthwashes, chewing gums or lollies. These will kill the bacteria in your mouth needed to convert the nitrate to nitrite.</p>
<h2>Are there any downsides?</h2>
<p>Your urine will turn red, and this will make it difficult to determine if you are <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-i-wake-up-thirsty-183731">dehydrated</a>. Your poo may also turn red.</p>
<p>Some people may experience an upset stomach when consuming beetroot juice. So try drinking it while training to determine if you have any problems. You don’t want to find this out on competition day.</p>
<h2>What about nitrate from the rest of your diet?</h2>
<p>While it’s difficult to consume enough nitrate to boost your athletic performance directly from vegetables before an event, consuming five serves of vegetables a day will help keep the nitric oxide levels elevated in your blood.</p>
<p>Vegetables higher in nitrate include celery, rocket, spinach, endive, leek, parsley, kohlrabi, Chinese cabbage and celeriac. There isn’t clear evidence about the effect of cooking and storage on nitrate levels, so it’s probably best to eat them in the way you enjoy the most.</p>
<p>However, it’s best to avoid <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/dec/27/too-much-nitrite-cured-meat-brings-clear-risk-of-cancer-say-scientists">cured meats with added nitrate</a>. The additive is used to stop the growth of bacteria and adds flavour and colour, but the resulting sodium nitrite can increase the risk of cancer.</p>
<p>While beetroot may give you a small performance boost, don’t forget to tailor the rest of your training as well. Ensure you have enough carbohydrates and protein, and that you drink enough water. You may need to consult an exercise scientist and an accredited practising sports dietitian to get the best outcome.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/do-athletes-really-need-protein-supplements-92773">Do athletes really need protein supplements?</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193221/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Evangeline Mantzioris is affiliated with Alliance for Research in Nutrition, Exercise and Activity (ARENA) at the University of South Australia. Evangeline Mantzioris has received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, and has been appointed to the National Health and Medical Research Council Dietary Guideline Expert Committee.</span></em></p>Some people juice beetroot, some eat it, others mix up a drink from the powdered form. Here’s how it might affect your athletic performance.Evangeline Mantzioris, Program Director of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Accredited Practising Dietitian, University of South AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1975802023-02-01T06:12:05Z2023-02-01T06:12:05ZI’ve spent years studying happiness – here’s what actually makes for a happier life<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506104/original/file-20230124-12-si7r66.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=100%2C60%2C6609%2C4406&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/search/happy%20people/">Pexels/ajay donga</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s one thing to know what makes people happy, but quite another to live a happy life oneself. I didn’t get a true taste of happiness until I quit my decade-long career as a happiness academic, packed all I’d need for many months onto a bicycle, and began <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-i-quit-my-day-job-researching-happiness-and-started-cycling-to-bhutan-105531">meandering my way around the world</a> to Bhutan.</p>
<p>For those unfamiliar with Bhutan, it’s a small Himalayan kingdom, famed for basing <a href="https://weall.org/resource/bhutan-gross-national-happiness-index">all its national policy decisions on happiness</a>.</p>
<p>Quite the destination, quite the journey.</p>
<p>And I would learn more about happiness than I did as an academic. That’s not to dismiss knowledge acquired through books and letters. Yet there’s a lot to be said for actually getting direct experience in life. </p>
<p>Below are <a href="https://journeyforhappiness.co.uk/shop/">some of the important things</a> I learned on a journey for happiness.</p>
<h2>For sustained happiness, go deep</h2>
<p>When people talk about happiness <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/frank-furedi-be-afraid-here-come-the-happiness-police-5329919.html">some dismiss it</a> as a viable societal goal because happiness policy can be misconstrued as being about people smiling and laughing all the time.</p>
<p>Yet pleasant as smiling and laughing are, doing them all the time is neither realistic nor desirable. Difficult emotions are a natural part of life. These days I love a cry – it’s <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-crying-good-for-you-2021030122020#:%7E:text=Researchers%20have%20established%20that%20crying,both%20physical%20and%20emotional%20pain.">an important release</a>. And anxiety, which I’m prone to, is something I’ll be open and curious about rather than hide from.</p>
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<img alt="Quarter life, a series by The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of Quarter Life</a></strong>, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.</em></p>
<p><em>You may be interested in:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/houseplants-dont-just-look-nice-they-can-also-give-your-mental-health-a-boost-186982">Houseplants don’t just look nice – they can also give your mental health a boost</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-philosophy-behind-the-japanese-art-form-of-kintsugi-can-help-us-navigate-failure-193487?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">How the philosophy behind the Japanese art form of kintsugi can help us navigate failure</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-spend-time-wisely-what-young-people-can-learn-from-retirees-189340">How to spend time wisely – what young people can learn from retirees</a></em></p>
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<p>The kind of <a href="https://people.acciona.com/organizational-culture/human-flourishing/?_adin=02021864894">happiness I value is deeper</a> – grounded in connection, purpose and hope, yet has room for sadness and anxiety too. Indeed, it’s this kind of happiness that a country like <a href="https://ophi.org.uk/policy/gross-national-happiness-index/">Bhutan aspires to</a>, and I think more countries (and people) should, too.</p>
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<img alt="Woman with dog." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Happiness can be found in the everyday.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-smiling-woman-petting-black-dog-2124882/">Pexels/Gabriela Cheloni</a></span>
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<h2>Have goals but prepare to let them go</h2>
<p>Goals can be helpful. They give direction in our day-to-day lives. But it’s easy to get wrapped up in attaining an outcome, believing our happiness depends on it. </p>
<p>Rather than being in what psychologists call <a href="https://www.headspace.com/articles/flow-state">flow</a> – an immersive, in-the-moment state of being – we might doggedly push on towards a goal. Even though achieving our goals <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90318268/why-reaching-your-goals-wont-make-you-happier">won’t always bring us happiness</a>.</p>
<p>When I was cycling to Bhutan, I let go of the idea of ever reaching Bhutan many times, and through doing so I ensured my journey remained purposeful and enjoyable. And, when I did arrive, beautiful as Bhutan was, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2cHuUflGZg">exhaustion and homesickness dominated</a>. If we’re not happy along the way, then we ought to question whether it’s worth going at all.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Bridge covered in flags with hills in the background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Iron Chain Bridge of Tamchog Lhakhang Monastery, Paro River, Bhutan.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/iron-chain-bridge-tamchog-lhakhang-monastery-667317535">Shutterstock/Sabine Hortebusch</a></span>
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<h2>Don’t be misled by stories</h2>
<p>There are many stories about what a happy life entails, but they’re not always backed up by reliable evidence. An example would be the “when I achieve this, I will be happy” story described above. Another popular story is that money buys happiness. I spent much of my research career examining <a href="https://theconversation.com/however-you-spend-it-money-isnt-the-key-to-happiness-25289">this</a> (and travelling humbly for 18 months).</p>
<p>What is clear is that having more money (beyond the point of meeting basic needs) is inconsequential when compared with having good quality relationships, looking after our mental and physical health, and living meaningfully in line with our beliefs and values. Yet, sadly, these things often get sacrificed in pursuit of more. </p>
<p>These stories persist because they support an economic system that is designed to <a href="https://journeyforhappiness.co.uk/2021/06/03/does-money-buy-happiness-thats-a-question-of-ideological-belief-rather-than-science/">increase GDP</a> rather than improve the wellbeing of people and the planet.</p>
<h2>Allow others to give</h2>
<p>Warm and loving relationships are <a href="https://hms.harvard.edu/magazine/sleep/good-life">essential for living a happy life</a>. Yet that doesn’t mean these are easy to come by.</p>
<p>As an academic, I saw how important relationships were for happiness in the data. But like many, I had a difficult time realising them in my own life. We’re not taught that way and often think people will only love us when we meet certain criteria, rather than unconditionally for who we are.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People dancing on rooftop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Enjoy your time with others and let them be there for you.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-dancing-on-the-street-7502601/">Pexels/Rodnae Productions</a></span>
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<p>What shocked me most on my cycle journey was people’s kindness and generosity. People would invite me into their lives, offering me food or a place to stay, even when they owned little. When I set off, I was either suspicious of this generosity or racing too quickly onwards to consider stopping. But with time, I learned to let people in, and this led to deeper connections and more happiness.</p>
<h2>You can get through a crisis</h2>
<p>I wouldn’t have been able to reach Bhutan on a bicycle without facing a crisis or two. We will all face a crisis at some point. We might lick our wounds and get back in the saddle, but to find our way through a crisis psychologically, we need support from others. We also need to give ourselves time to make sense of what has happened and to ensure we move forward purposefully. These are all essential for resilience, and what helped me on my journey. </p>
<h2>You can’t beat the million-star hotel</h2>
<p>Nothing beats lying under the stars after a full day’s cycle through the mountains. Humans are of nature, yet we spend so much of our time indoors in built-up, often contrived, social spaces that do not meet fundamental needs. <a href="https://www.local.gov.uk/thriving-nature-people-and-planet">Nature is essential for our wellbeing</a> – not just to feel calm and peaceful in the moment, but to sustain human life for generations to come.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197580/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher Boyce is affiliated with BiGGAR Economics, an independent economics consultancy, and Health in Mind, a mental health charity. </span></em></p>What I’ve learned on the journey to happiness.Christopher Boyce, Honorary Research Associate at the Behavioural Science Centre, University of StirlingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1960782023-01-29T18:34:37Z2023-01-29T18:34:37ZChildren and teens aren’t doing enough physical activity - new study sounds a health warning<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/505850/original/file-20230123-14-iwjhhc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Regular physical activity helps to prevent and manage many chronic diseases.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Amorn Suriyan/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Physical inactivity is the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140673612608988?via%3Dihub">fourth leading cause of death</a> worldwide. It’s also associated with chronic illness and disability. Recent <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(22)00464-8/fulltext">research</a> estimates that the world could see close to half a billion new cases of major chronic diseases by 2030 if people don’t get more active. Regular physical activity helps to prevent and manage many chronic diseases. Popular ways to be physically active include walking, cycling, and playing sports. </p>
<p>The World Health Organization (WHO) <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity">recommends</a> that children and adolescents (5-17 years old) get an average of at least 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity. This should incorporate vigorous aerobic activities, as well as those that strengthen muscle and bone, at least three days a week. It’s also recommended that children spend no more than two hours a day on recreational screen time. These recommendations aim to improve children’s physical and mental health, as well as cognitive outcomes. </p>
<p>Before the COVID-19 pandemic, physical activity among children and adolescents was already below the recommended levels. In 2016, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352464219303232?via%3Dihub">81%</a> of adolescents around the world aged 11-17 were considered physically inactive. Girls were less active than boys. </p>
<p>The pandemic has made matters worse. Physical inactivity in children and adolescents has become a global public health priority. It is now included in global action plans. </p>
<p>For example, using 2016 as baseline, the WHO through its Global Action Plan on Physical Activity <a href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/272722/9789241514187-eng.pdf#page=21">targeted</a> a 15 percentage point reduction in prevalence of physical inactivity among adolescents by 2030. This call to action also implored other international organisations and governments to help track progress in physical activity promotion among children and adolescents. </p>
<p>In response to this global physical inactivity crisis, the international call to action, and the need to systematically collect comparable data, the <a href="https://www.activehealthykids.org">Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance</a> recently published a major <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/JPAH.2022-0456">study</a>, the first to provide a comprehensive assessment of physical activity among children and adolescents. Published in October 2022, the study included data that were collected before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We were among the 682 experts who assessed 10 common physical activity indicators for children and adolescents around the world. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2022-0456">study</a> shows physical activity among children and adolescents has not gotten better. About one-third of children and adolescents globally were sufficiently physically active while a little over one-third met the recreational screen time recommendation for better health and well being. These findings indicate that a significant proportion of children and adolescent who do not meet recommended physical activity guidelines are at an increased risk of negative outcomes as well as developing related chronic diseases at a much earlier age. </p>
<h2>COVID effect</h2>
<p>Most of the experts involved in our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2022-0456">study</a> agree that the childhood physical inactivity crisis is an ongoing public health challenge and the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have made it worse. When surveyed, more than 90% of the experts reported that COVID-19 had a negative impact on children’s sedentary behaviours, organised sport and physical activity. Our findings are supported by numerous studies. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-how-much-kids-need-to-move-play-and-sleep-in-their-early-years-107024">Here's how much kids need to move, play and sleep in their early years</a>
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<p>Lockdowns imposed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic led to school shutdowns and closures of public parks, which hampered children’s levels of physical activity. Research <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2794075">suggests</a> that children’s moderate-to-vigorous physical activity decreased by 17 minutes per day during the pandemic. That represents a reduction of almost one-third of the recommended daily activity. Another <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214109X22003618?via%3Dihub">global study</a> representing 187 countries showed a collective 27.3% decrease in the daily step counts of individuals after 30 days of COVID-19 related restrictions.</p>
<h2>Our study</h2>
<p>Four African countries participated in our study –<a href="https://www.activehealthykids.org/botswana/">Botswana</a>, <a href="https://www.activehealthykids.org/ethiopia/">Ethiopia</a>, <a href="https://www.activehealthykids.org/south-africa/">South Africa</a> and <a href="https://www.activehealthykids.org/zimbabwe/">Zimbabwe</a>.</p>
<p>The grading ranged from as high as A+ (large majority, 94%-100% of children and adolescents achieving recommended levels) to as low as F (less than 20% achieving recommended levels). </p>
<p>Children and adolescents from the four African countries were marginally more physically active than children from the rest of the world. They received C- (47%–53% of them met recommendations) for overall physical activity compared to the D (27%–33% met recommendations) for the rest of the world. More children and adolescents from the African countries used active transport (B-; 60%–66%), were less sedentary (C-; 40%–46%) and were more physically fit (C+; 54%–59%), compared to the rest of the world (C-, D+ and C-) respectively. </p>
<p>An important success story from this global comparison of grades is that despite the lack of infrastructure, average grades for individual behaviours were generally better for the African countries. This could be reflecting necessity, rather than choice. For example, children might be forced to walk to school because there’s no affordable transport. Nonetheless it shows that it is still possible to promote healthy lifestyles even when resources are limited.</p>
<p>Factors such as having supportive family and friends, safer communities, positive school environments and adequate resources are often associated with better participation in physical activity. Average grades for these sources of influence were generally lower for the four African countries than those of the rest of the world. These findings demonstrate the challenges related to community safety, a general lack of infrastructure, and funding to support healthy behaviours for children and adolescents in African countries. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/young-women-in-soweto-say-healthy-living-is-hard-heres-why-118198">Young women in Soweto say healthy living is hard. Here's why</a>
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<p>Overall, there wasn’t enough data to accurately grade all the indicators for the African countries. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2022-0456">Botswana</a> was the only country for which we were able to assign grades for each of the 10 common indicators. The other three countries had at least one incomplete grade each. Lack of representative data is a common and often recurring problem in many low- and middle-income countries. It also means that our findings must be interpreted with caution. For example, we can’t say with certainty that these findings are representative of all the children and adolescents from these four countries or the region as a whole. </p>
<h2>Way forward</h2>
<p>In many parts of Africa, the prevalence of infectious and other diseases justifiably demands attention and resources. These needs can out compete the messages about physical inactivity, whose negative impact may be silent but still detrimental to population health. </p>
<p>We need to persistently advocate for policies and practices, anchored in the African context, and promote equitable opportunities for children to engage in physical activity. These can include active school recesses and extracurricular programmes. Countries need to ensure access to safe, free public spaces, green spaces, playgrounds and sporting facilities. </p>
<p>Finally, researchers and public health practitioners must track the progress towards meeting the WHO’s targets.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196078/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Factors such as having supportive family and friends, safer communities, positive school environments and adequate resources, are often associated with more physical activity.Taru Manyanga, Assistant Professor-Physical Therapy, University of Northern British ColumbiaChalchisa Abdeta, PhD candidate, University of WollongongDawn Tladi, Senior Lecturer of Exercise Physiology, University of BotswanaRowena Naidoo, Associate Professor in Sport Science, University of KwaZulu-NatalLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1884842022-08-09T20:45:52Z2022-08-09T20:45:52ZCould cargo bike deliveries help green e-commerce?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478329/original/file-20220809-9831-e92enx.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1200%2C785&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A worker on an electric cargo-bike ferries goods in Strasbourg, France.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Frederick Florin/AFP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As the world moves toward decarbonization, every option for slashing humanity’s carbon footprint must be on the table. As it stands, transport represents <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/clima/eu-action/transport-emissions_en">almost a quarter of Europe’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions</a>, with the rise of e-commerce and on-demand, express deliveries worsening matters further.</p>
<p>Could ferrying parcels by bike rather than lorry help green our <a href="https://theconversation.com/amazons-bottomless-appetite-116017">seemingly bottomless appetite for e-commerce</a>? Basing ourselves on data from one of France’s largest freight transport companies, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357528729_Delivering_Paris_by_Cargo_Bikes_Ecological_Commitment_or_Economically_Feasible_The_Case_of_a_Parcel_Service_Company_-_TRB_2022">our research</a> shows two-thirds of its business to and from the city of Paris could be carried out by cargo bikes.</p>
<p>The results, which take into account the weight of the transported parcels, offer an interesting perspective for the freight transport sector, regularly denounced as a major emitter of greenhouse gases at <a href="https://ree.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/themes/defis-environnementaux/changement-climatique/emissions-de-gaz-a-effet-de-serre/article/panorama-des-emissions-francaises-de-gaz-a-effet-de-serre">14% of French GHG emissions</a>. Indeed this mode of transport is responsible for a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213624X16300414?via%3Dihub">host of other ills</a>, including congestion and noise pollution.</p>
<p>Despite this, road transport is still the leading means by which we delivery purchases in cities. In France, <a href="https://www.statistiques.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/donnees-sur-le-transport-routier-de-marchandises-trm-en-france-et-en-europe?rubrique=&dossier=1341">88% of goods</a> are carried by trucks. Although other long-distance transport options remain, such as by rail or river, cargo bikes currently represent the only sustainable solution to decarbonize the last mile – the most polluting one.</p>
<h2>The rise of e-commerce</h2>
<p>The challenge of decarbonization is twofold in terms of freight transport: it involves adapting the current model in favour of more virtuous practices (e.g. cargo bikes) while integrating constantly increasing flows. E-commerce, in particular, has a growing share in our consumption patterns (<a href="https://www.fevad.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/FEVAD_CHIFFRES-CLES_complet_vdef.pdf">+4% of retail share</a> between 2018 and 2020). This requires an increase in the fleet needed for urban logistics, with forecasts predicting a 36% increase in the distances travelled by trucks in major cities around the world by 2030 if no action is taken. This would have many negative effects such as a significant increase in congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dAXdeqcHBp4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">How Amazon receives your inventory.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Micro-hubs in the heart of cities</h2>
<p>We therefore need to ramp up the development of bicycle logistics. Nevertheless, the use of cargo bikes requires a specific organisation. The general location of sorting terminals on the outskirts of cities does not favour this mode of transport. Bike’s low transport capacity and reduced speed compared to a truck limit their range of action. The use of micro-hubs in the heart of cities, with cargo bikes operating in a hub-and-spoke pattern from these points, therefore seems essential. However, there are two constraints.</p>
<p>[<em>Nearly 70 000 readers look to The Conversation France’s newsletter for expert insights into the world’s most pressing issues. <a href="https://theconversation.com/fr/newsletters/la-newsletter-quotidienne-5">Sign up now</a>.</em>]</p>
<p>On the one hand, bicycle logistics requires the transformation of commercial real estate, traditionally occupied by stores, into logistics platforms. These new places also called dark stores (not open to the public) compete with the commercial fabric currently established in the heart of cities. On the other hand, the addition of a supplementary step in the logistics chain leads to additional costs (mainly the cost of land) that need to be compensated – for example, through a high density of activities in the catchment area of micro-hubs.</p>
<p>Thus, some geographical areas appear to be more suitable than others for the implementation of bicycle logistics. To overcome this additional cost, the use of containers or trucks acting as micro-hubs is currently being studied. Even though these solutions do not compete with the current commercial fabric, they still imply a property right-of-way in the public space.</p>
<h2>Is this the end of trucks in the city?</h2>
<p>Finally, bicycle logistics does not necessarily mean the end of trucks in the city. The latter are indeed necessary to supply the micro-hubs on a daily basis, which must themselves be connected to the sorting terminals located on city outskirts.</p>
<p>Moreover, it is currently impossible to operate heavy (maximum 250kg) or voluminous parcels by cargo bike – this means transporting them by truck. The operators are therefore moving toward a mixed fleet.</p>
<p>In conclusion, if bicycle logistic represents a way to green logistics, it also raises some challenges that call for vigilance. Among others, the development of dark stores in the heart of cities which could harm the commercial fabric in the long run.</p>
<p>Finally, let’s not forget that the consumer is behind demand for e-commerce and its associated flows. Modifying consumer behaviour in favour of a less instantaneous demand remains the most relevant course of action to reduce the impact of logistics on the environment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188484/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>On paper, swapping gas-guzzling trucks for bikes may sound like an appealing option for greening e-commerce. However, there are sizeable obstacles to implementing this in cities.Antoine Robichet, Doctorant en transport de marchandises, Université Gustave EiffelPatrick Nierat, Chercheur, Université Gustave EiffelLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1877252022-07-27T15:42:23Z2022-07-27T15:42:23ZTour de France: future heatwaves may make it untenable to hold the race in July<p>As the men’s Tour de France wraps up and the <a href="https://www.letourfemmes.fr/en">women’s race</a> begins, the European heat wave rages on. If you look closely, the heat can be seen in photos of the event: cooling towels around racers’ necks, water splashed over red faces, ice packs sticking out from under race jerseys.</p>
<p>Compounding the temperatures is the heat island effect created by roads which absorb and radiate heat. On the hottest days of the men’s race, with temperatures nearing 40°C, organisers even <a href="https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-organisers-deny-using-10000-litres-of-water-to-cool-roads/">watered some of the roads</a> to lower the surface temperature. And while this works, it also adds to the humidity – solving one problem but contributing to another. It also doesn’t account for the environmental implications of using that much water to hose down a road.</p>
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<p>The heatwave comes as no surprise to those who follow cycling. Mudslides, extreme heat, hail and a surprising amount of snow have interrupted stages of the Tour in recent years. </p>
<p>In 2019, for instance, a severe mudslide covered the whole road in stage 19 of the race, forcing the race to stop. Since athletes had no idea what was ahead of them, they spent several hours toiling on the course that day until the race director stopped the race and called in bulldozers to clear the debris.</p>
<p>The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has an <a href="https://assets.ctfassets.net/761l7gh5x5an/7MLz0Fo06hpqNvEvrlXaf2/b5ffbf462d47f4d559d90d2089d128ae/2-ROA-20220401-E.pdf">extreme weather protocol</a> to guide race organisers in their response to such weather events. The policy calls for the convening of a meeting between the race doctor, chief of security, representatives for riders and teams, and representatives from the UCI when extreme weather conditions are anticipated prior to the start of a stage. No policy exists for inclement weather that crops up when a race is already in motion.</p>
<p>Conspicuously absent from the policy is any regard for whether the policy could be activated by specific thresholds for <a href="https://www.popsci.com/environment/wet-bulb-globe-temperature/">wet-bulb globe temperature</a> – a measure which includes temperature, humidity and wind speed, and which is taken in direct sunlight and so closely matches how hot it actually feels for the cyclists. It’s left up to the named stakeholders to determine what constitutes “extreme weather” and the lines on this are blurry. </p>
<p>The policy is also limited in the actions it permits for combating inclement conditions. These include:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>take no action</p></li>
<li><p>change the location or time of the start or finish</p></li>
<li><p>change the course or neutralisation of a section of the stage/race</p></li>
<li><p>reinforce safety arrangements for the course and organisation</p></li>
<li><p>any other corrective measure or action adopted by the stakeholders in compliance with the UCI Regulations</p></li>
<li><p>cancel the stage/race.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Historically the UCI has acted on its extreme weather protocol to address snow or extreme cold, not heat. For example, the 2016 Tour De Suisse saw the final stage shortened to just 57.3km due to snowy conditions. </p>
<p>But as the peloton raced across the finish line at Champs-Elysées on Sunday, temperatures hovered around 30°C, five degrees warmer than average Parisian temperatures in July, offering a final glimpse of the race under increasingly common strenuous conditions.</p>
<h2>Heatwave hotspot</h2>
<p>France sits in the middle of a western European region which has emerged as a heatwave hotspot, with the number of heatwaves increasing <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-31432-y">roughly three-to-four times faster</a> compared to the rest of the northern mid-latitudes over the past four decades. The heat has caused health concerns for athletes. This year, Alexis Vuillermoz <a href="https://cyclingtips.com/2022/07/alexis-vuillermoz-leaves-in-an-ambulance-after-collapsing-at-stage-9-finish/">collapsed at the finish line </a> of the ninth stage, was taken to hospital to treat heat illness, and later pulled out of the Tour. </p>
<p>The heat also brings a suite of indirect impacts like drought and wildfires along the route. This summer, France has seen some of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/25/wildfires-continue-to-burn-across-france-and-spain">worst wildfires in its history</a>, burning more than 41,000 hectares and requiring the evacuations of more than 36,000 people. It’s a stroke of luck that the Tour escaped the flames. </p>
<p>Though riders came within 100km of the blaze as they rode through one affected region, Gironde, the route didn’t go through any town that was evacuated and no changes were needed. But timing is everything: Villandraut, which was on the 2021 route, was evacuated <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/23/tour-de-france-heat-wave-climate-change/">during this year’s race</a>.</p>
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<p>Ironically, this year’s race was only disrupted by climate protesters who chained themselves together to block the roads in two stages. But if climate trends continue apace, it’s only a matter of time before larger structural changes will be needed to safely host this event. Specifically, the Tour may not be tenable in July anymore, which doesn’t bode well for other summer events in France, namely the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187725/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Madeleine Orr's research has received funding from GRID Arendal. She is affiliated with The Sport Ecology Group.</span></em></p>This year’s Tour was marked by near-40°C temperatures, roads cooled with water, and heatstroke.Madeleine Orr, Lecturer in Sport Business and Program Director for Sustainable Sport Business, Loughborough UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1860662022-07-06T12:48:07Z2022-07-06T12:48:07ZTour de France: why we celebrate suffering in sport<p>The <a href="https://www.letour.fr/en/">Tour de France</a> is one of the hardest sporting events in the world. This year 176 cyclists have started the Tour, attempting to race for 3,328km over 21 stages to the scheduled finish in Paris on July 24. The riders will push themselves to their limits up mountains and often carry on through pain and injury. This might lead us to question why anyone would voluntarily put themselves through such an arduous event. What’s more, why do we celebrate those who suffer in this way? </p>
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<p>The first question is easier to answer. For the very best cyclists, there is the glory and honour associated with winning, alongside the financial and reputational rewards. For the rest, there is the great satisfaction that comes with competing, facing adversity, and completing the course. This is a central motivation for many cyclists, amateur as well as professional.</p>
<p>And such thinking isn’t confined to endurance cycling. For very many of us, facing difficulty and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00948705.2019.1615837">overcoming adversity</a> is an important part of doing satisfying, fulfilling things: mountain climbing, gaming, playing a musical instrument or renovating a house.</p>
<p>The second question is more difficult to answer. Supposing that we are not sadists, why do we enjoy watching watching riders in the Tour de France suffer, endure and (hopefully) overcome? </p>
<p>One answer is that the Tour follows a certain familiar <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-quest-851677">story or narrative</a>. It is a competition or quest, where there are winners and losers, heroes and sometimes villains, good fortune and bad luck, and eventually triumph and disappointment. We derive great satisfaction from following such stories to their conclusion. </p>
<p>However, this doesn’t get to the heart of our fascination with, and celebration of, the suffering involved. A better answer can be found if we delve a little deeper into the motives of those who engage in arduous activity.</p>
<p>In psychology, there is a distinction between what are called proximate causes and distal or <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/animal-social-behaviour/The-how-and-why-of-social-behaviour">ultimate causes</a>. Proximate causes are ones that are closely related to some event, and might be thought of as the direct cause of what happens. So the proximate cause of my craving a pie is that it tastes good. </p>
<p>Distal causes, on the other hand, can be thought of as the ultimate or real reason why something happened. The distal cause might have a historical or social origin, as in the case of people <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/05/history-wristwatch-apple-watch/391424/">wearing watches on wrists</a> because it was safer in wartime to look quickly at your wrist rather than fish out a pocket watch. </p>
<p>Alternatively, it might be found far back in our evolution. A tendency to like fatty foods gave my ancestors an evolutionary advantage over those who lacked this tendency. That is the distal cause for my desire for pie.</p>
<h2>Communicating virtue</h2>
<p>For cyclists in the Tour de France, the proximate cause of their facing adversity might well be things like the desire for glory and a sense of personal satisfaction. The distal cause, though, is arguably something in our social or evolutionary past that gave those who tended to embrace suffering an advantage over those who didn’t. </p>
<p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12879700/">Some scholars think</a> that communicating pain through facial expressions and other bodily actions gives an evolutionary advantage, because it can be used to signal a need for help. But it can be argued that the facial and bodily <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2014-06689-002">communication of pain and suffering</a> also gives another advantage. It can <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00948705.2019.1615837?journalCode=rjps20">signal to others</a> that the person suffering possesses a certain set of virtues or excellences – such as courage, fortitude, stamina and commitment.</p>
<p>Possessing traits such as courage and stamina is typically an advantage. Those who have these qualities can better attain their goals as a result. Communicating that you have qualities like this to others is also important. It means that other people know who can be relied upon to be courageous, honest or wise in future. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02691728.2012.727193">Knowledge like this</a> is likely to help a social group to flourish. </p>
<p>In addition, suffering through adversity can enhance a person’s social reputation for virtue, and so enable them to have higher status – an <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1754073909354627">evolutionary benefit</a>. </p>
<p>Our interest in and celebration of suffering in the Tour de France might well, then, be the result of a psychological impulse to find out who has the virtues of courage, fortitude and stamina, and a subsequent tendency to be satisfied when we have gathered this information. Ultimately, our fascination may be the result of an evolutionary trait that benefits our social groups.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186066/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Brady does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The answer could lie in evolution.Michael Brady, Professor of Philosophy and Head of the School of Humanities, University of GlasgowLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1861622022-06-30T19:55:40Z2022-06-30T19:55:40ZTour de France: analysing what makes cycling’s premier race exciting<p>In 2019, the Tour de France changed its rules so that teams consisted of eight riders instead of nine. Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour, justified the decision by citing safety issues (fewer riders, therefore less risk of crashes) and the dynamism of the race (fewer riders, therefore fewer locked-in stages). The change was <a href="https://www.granfondoguide.com/Contents/Index/3196/uci-to-reduce-team-sizes-to-eight-in-grand-tours-">initially proposed in 2017</a> by the International Cycling Union (UCI), and other major races such as the Tour d’Italie (the Giro) et the Tour d’Espagne (the Vuelta) also followed suit.</p>
<p>While the change <a href="https://www.velonews.com/news/road/explainer-team-size-debacle/">was controversial</a>, major sporting events often adjust their rules to improve safety, spectacle, fairness or possible economic interests; Formula 1 is a classic example.</p>
<p>With the 109th edition of the Tour de France starting on 1 July in Copenhagen, Denmark, how does the future look for <em>La Grande Boucle</em>?</p>
<h2>Slipping interest from spectators – but also a rebound</h2>
<p>Commentators and viewers of the Tour de France are entranced with its storied past, and many assert that it was better “before” – there was more uncertainty, more spectacle, fewer locked-in races. The thought is that cycling epics of the past were because technological had not yet taken over from the human factor, and the striking <a href="https://www.eurosport.fr/cyclisme/grand-et-puissant-comme-le-cyclisme-en-noir-et-blanc_sto7819066/story.shtml">black-and-white images</a> of the classic battles bring the idea home. Philosopher Roland Barthes called the Tour de France a <a href="http://gravillon.net/le-tour-au-rang-des-mythologies/">“modern myth”</a> and linked it to the importance of collectively held beliefs built in the past.</p>
<p>Technology such as radio headsets that relay orders from team managers and components that measure riders’ power are regularly accused of dulling the Tour de France. A decade ago, we were already paying attention to the <a href="https://aisel.aisnet.org/sim/vol12/iss3/3/">impact of radios on the course of the races</a>, and the debate is far from over.</p>
<p>While the Tour’s viewership has been <a href="https://sport-index.fr/2019/07/23/audience-en-hausse-pour-le-tour-de-france-2019/">steadily falling in recent years</a>, the 2021 edition had an overall audience of <a href="https://www.lequipe.fr/Medias/Actualites/42-4-millions-de-telespectateurs-ont-suivi-le-tour-sur-france-televisions/1271456">42.4 million</a>, a record. The creation of half-stages, time bonuses, the introduction of different jerseys, intermediate sprints and other measures have all been taken to make the race more dynamic, the last two editions of which were won by Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar.</p>
<p>Does this mean that such changes have helped the Tour de France become more interesting to follow?</p>
<h2>The value of the yellow jersey</h2>
<p>For the sake of consistency, our analysis will take as its starting point the 1969 tour, when <a href="https://www.lesechos.fr/2016/07/pourquoi-ny-a-t-il-plus-dequipes-nationales-sur-le-tour-de-france-213568">branded teams returned</a>, more than five decades’ worth of data.</p>
<p>Over the past 50 years, the average speed of the race has increased (nowadays, just under 41 km/h) while the total distance has decreased. The equipment is also better, the teams are more structured, and the preparation of the riders is even more serious. The proof is in that the <a href="https://www.francetvinfo.fr/sports/tour-de-france/pourquoi-y-a-t-il-de-moins-en-moins-d-abandons-sur-le-tour-de-france_988069.html">drop-out rate</a> in the Tour de France has been falling – more than ever, the presence of team members is essential right to the end.</p>
<p>The following figure shows the percentage of final drop-out rate and the average final speed.</p>
<p><iframe id="WwYif" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/WwYif/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>We can also see that there is a clear decrease in the average gaps between the final winner and the runners-up. The following figure shows, for the last five decades, the gap between the winner and his runner-up and between the winner and the third.</p>
<p>Could this be a sign of a race that is becoming more and more competitive? One should be wary of such an interpretation, as the gaps can be controlled while minimising the risk, thanks to the work of the team members who control the race. So what objective criteria allow us to think that a Tour de France is truly disputed and potentially interesting to follow?</p>
<p><iframe id="TYhjU" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/TYhjU/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Deliberately putting aside the jerseys or stage victories, the interest of the race is often linked to the “battle” for the yellow jersey (the first in the time classification). In other words, if control of the yellow jersey is uncertain, there should be a greater interest in following the race.</p>
<p>The uncertainty inherent in the control of the yellow jersey is based on two dimensions: the strong variation of the riders wearing it throughout the race and the weakness of the final gaps.</p>
<h2>The 2010s, the era of “controlled” Tours</h2>
<p>Based on the data collected on the website <a href="http://www.procyclingstats.com/">procyclingstats.com</a>, we made a series of measurements for each Tour concerning the number of different yellow jersey wearers, the number of days the final winner held the jersey, the number of the stage that saw the last yellow jersey change hands, and then, as seen above, the final gaps between the first three.</p>
<p>An analysis allows us to position and rank the 51 Tours de France since 1969 as shown in the following diagram. (Note that while the US rider Lance Armstrong’s seven victories were withdrawn due to doping, the data has been retained for statistical analysis.)</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353128/original/file-20200817-22-oem397.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353128/original/file-20200817-22-oem397.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=547&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353128/original/file-20200817-22-oem397.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=547&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353128/original/file-20200817-22-oem397.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=547&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353128/original/file-20200817-22-oem397.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=687&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353128/original/file-20200817-22-oem397.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=687&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353128/original/file-20200817-22-oem397.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=687&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Positioning of the Tours de France according to the size of the gaps and the variation in yellow jerseys.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">author</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The top-left quadrant (in red) corresponds to the Tours that are strongly dominated (large gaps and few different yellow jerseys). We will call them “locked” races, and they’re often the least interesting to follow. We will find a good number of Tours from the 1970s with the domination of the Belgian champion Eddy Merckx. The last “locked” Tour was in 2014 with the victory of Italian Vincenzo Nibali when several favourites abandoned.</p>
<p>The top-right quadrant (in orange) corresponds to Tours where the number of riders wearing the yellow jersey has varied greatly, but the final gap is significant. This is a classic pattern during the 1980s when large gaps were created. These are “open and then closed” Tours.</p>
<p>The bottom-left quadrant (in blue) shows Tours where the final gaps are smaller but the control of the yellow jersey is higher. These are the “controlled” Tours, the basic trend of the 2010s with the victories of the British team Sky with Bradley Wiggins, Christopher Froome and Geraint Thomas.</p>
<p>The racing patterns of Spain’s Miguel Indurain in the 1990s are linked to this category. With the strength of his team and his domination of the time trial, the winner does not need to open up a big gap. It is a scientific management of the race where the “marginal gains” prove decisive and the suspense is short-lived.</p>
<p>The bottom-right quadrant corresponds to the most interesting Tours de France – in our opinion – because the final gap is small and there was a strong variation in the yellow jersey holders. They include 1983 (the first victory of Laurent Fignon, with 20 different stage winners), 1987 (Irishman Stephen Roche and his neck-and-neck race with Spanish rival Pedro Delgado), 1989 (which ended with American Greg LeMond winning by a mere 8 seconds over Laurent Fignon) and 1990 (also won by LeMond). The 2019 Tour de France, with the victory of Colombian Egan Bernal and the pugnacity of France’s Julian Alaphilippe, was a pleasant surprise.</p>
<p>Our results clearly indicate the advent of races where the gaps are small but where the final winner emerges very early on; these “controlled” Tours are dominant in the recent past (2010s).</p>
<h2>Technology does not explain everything</h2>
<p>Yes, the cycling authorities are right to change the rules of the races to encourage more dynamism, but the Tours back in the “glory days” were not necessarily more exciting. Certainly, the reduction in the gaps between the frontrunners suggests that the latest Tours de France show a greater control of the race: the winner, without failing, keeps his opponents at a close distance. The banning of technology (earpieces, power meters, GPS) may make sense, but the recent trend is similar to that of the 1970s, which were devoid of such informational tools.</p>
<p>Technology does not explain everything, and regulation of team composition seems more sensible than a ban on technology used in racing (like the <a href="https://www.rtl.fr/sport/autres-sports/tour-de-france-2009-les-equipes-refusent-d-abandonner-l-oreillette-5564657">2009 attempt</a>).</p>
<p>The question of the viewer’s perception of the race also seems to be crucial to better understand the problem. Historically, the Tour has been a race magnified by the written press and then by the radio, which have capitalised on a few race facts to tell what the audience could not see.</p>
<p>The stages are now covered in full, with cameras more important than pens, GPS transponders placed on the bikes and the real-time processing of data indicate to everyone the precise position of the riders.</p>
<p>Uncertainty, in economic theory, is based on an absence of information. The viewer is less and less in a state of uncertainty and this changes his or her perception of the race. As a result, a moderating effect may appear, which indicates that races without a real battle will be perceived as much more boring, whereas races with a lot of action will be more appreciated. This effect amplifies the relationship between the actual event and the viewer’s perception of it, will continue to grow with the technologies available to the viewers and the media.</p>
<p>It is therefore even more crucial that the rules be modified, possibly in a heuristic way, to encourage the appearance of exciting race events. It’ll be interesting to see how the 2022 Tour turns out, to find which quadrant it ends up in.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186162/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gaël Gueguen ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>Technology is often blamed for “locking down” major bike races and making them predictable. Yet data analysis shows that Tours in the “classic era” weren’t always thrill rides.Gaël Gueguen, Professeur en Stratégie et en Entrepreneuriat, TBS EducationLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1860972022-06-30T12:23:47Z2022-06-30T12:23:47ZTour de France: How many calories will the winner burn?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/471704/original/file-20220629-22-qb8z5u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4132%2C3229&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Tour de France is one of the most physically taxing sporting feats imaginable.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/team-uae-emirates-tadej-pogacar-of-slovenia-wearing-the-news-photo/1233993203?adppopup=true">Phillippe Lopez/AFP via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407956/original/file-20210623-21-1kl10a5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407956/original/file-20210623-21-1kl10a5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407956/original/file-20210623-21-1kl10a5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407956/original/file-20210623-21-1kl10a5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407956/original/file-20210623-21-1kl10a5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407956/original/file-20210623-21-1kl10a5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407956/original/file-20210623-21-1kl10a5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">CC-BY-ND.</span>
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<p>Imagine you begin pedaling from the <a href="https://www.letour.fr/en/stage-12">start of Stage 12</a> of <a href="https://www.letour.fr/en">this year’s Tour de France</a>. Your very first task would be to bike approximately 20.6 miles (33.2 km) up to the peak of <a href="https://www.cyclinglocations.com/col-du-galibier-alps/">Col du Galibier</a> in the French Alps while gaining around 4,281 feet (1,305 m) of elevation. But this is only the first of three big climbs in your day. Next you face the peak of <a href="https://climbfinder.com/en/climbs/col-de-la-croix-de-fer">Col de la Croix de Fer</a> and then end the 102.6-mile (165.1-km) stage by taking on the famous <a href="https://climbfinder.com/en/climbs/alpe-d-huez">Alpe d'Huez</a> climb with its 21 serpentine turns. </p>
<p>On the fittest day of my life, I might not even be able to finish Stage 12 – much less do it in anything remotely close to the five hours or so the winner will take to finish the ride. And Stage 12 is just one of 21 stages that must be completed in the 24 days of the tour.</p>
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<p><em>You can listen to more articles from The Conversation, narrated by Noa, <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/audio-narrated-99682">here</a>.</em></p>
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<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=eHzYy_EAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">I am a sports physicist</a>, and I’ve <a href="http://johnericgoff.blogspot.com/">modeled the Tour de France</a> for nearly two decades using terrain data – like what I described for Stage 12 – and the laws of physics. But I still cannot fathom the physical capabilities needed to complete the world’s most famous bike race. Only an elite few humans are capable of completing a Tour de France stage in a time that’s measured in hours instead of days. The reason they’re able to do what the rest of us can only dream of is that these athletes can produce enormous amounts of power. Power is the rate at which cyclists burn energy and the energy they burn comes from the food they eat. And over the course of the Tour de France, the winning cyclist will burn the equivalent of roughly 210 Big Macs.</p>
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<h2>Cycling is a game of watts</h2>
<p>To make a bicycle move, a Tour de France rider transfers energy from his muscles, through the bicycle and to the wheels that push back on the ground. The faster a rider can put out energy, the greater the power. This rate of energy transfer is often measured in watts. Tour de France cyclists are capable of generating enormous amounts of power for incredibly long periods of time compared to most people.</p>
<p>For about 20 minutes, a fit recreational cyclist can consistently put out <a href="https://www.roadbikerider.com/average-wattage-cycling/">250 watts to 300 watts</a>. Tour de France cyclists can produce <a href="https://www.bicycling.com/racing/a20041587/cool-things-we-learned-from-tour-de-france-strava-files/">over 400 watts for the same time period</a>. These pros are even capable of <a href="https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/539/how-much-better-are-pro-cyclists">hitting 1,000 watts</a> for short bursts of time on a steep uphill – <a href="https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6l981y">roughly enough power</a> to run a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orders_of_magnitude_(power)">microwave oven</a>.</p>
<p>But not all of the energy a Tour de France cyclist puts into his bike gets turned into forward motion. Cyclists battle air resistance and frictional losses between their wheels and the road. They get help from gravity on downhills but they have to fight gravity while climbing. </p>
<p>I incorporate all of the physics associated with cyclist power output as well as the effects of gravity, air resistance and friction <a href="http://johnericgoff.blogspot.com/">into my model</a>. Using all that, I estimate that a typical Tour de France winner needs to put out an average of about 325 watts over the roughly 80 hours of the race. Recall that most recreational cyclists would be happy if they could produce 300 watts for just 20 minutes!</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407960/original/file-20210623-21-fn773v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A pile of hamburgers." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407960/original/file-20210623-21-fn773v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407960/original/file-20210623-21-fn773v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407960/original/file-20210623-21-fn773v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407960/original/file-20210623-21-fn773v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407960/original/file-20210623-21-fn773v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407960/original/file-20210623-21-fn773v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407960/original/file-20210623-21-fn773v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Racers in the Tour de France need to eat three to four times as many calories as a person does normally.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/close-up-of-stack-against-black-background-royalty-free-image/1208752640?adppopup=true">Pietro Agliata/EyeEm via Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>Turning food into miles</h2>
<p>So where do these cyclists get all this energy from? Food, of course! </p>
<p>But your muscles, like any machine, can’t convert 100% of food energy directly into energy output – muscles can be anywhere between <a href="https://www.pearson.ch/HigherEducation/Pearson/EAN/9780139228162/Mechanics-Heat-and-the-Human-Body">2% efficient when used for activities like swimming and 40% efficient in the heart</a>. In my model, I use an average efficiency of 20%. Knowing this efficiency as well as the energy output needed to win the Tour de France, I can then estimate how much food the winning cyclist needs.</p>
<p>Top Tour de France cyclists who complete all 21 stages burn about 120,000 calories during the race – or an average of nearly 6,000 calories per stage. On some of the more difficult mountain stages – like this year’s Stage 12 – racers will burn close to 8,000 calories. To make up for these huge energy losses, riders eat delectable treats such as <a href="https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/tour-de-france/this-is-what-you-have-to-eat-to-compete-in-the-tour-de-france-182775">jam rolls, energy bars and mouthwatering “jels” so they don’t waste energy chewing</a>. </p>
<p>Tadej Pogačar won both the 2021 and 2020 Tour de France and <a href="https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider/tadej-pogacar">weighs only 146 pounds</a> (66 kilograms). Tour de France cyclists don’t have much fat to burn for energy. They have to keep putting food energy into their bodies so they can put out energy at what seems like a superhuman rate. So this year, while watching a stage of the Tour de France, note how many times the cyclists eat – now you know the reason for all that snacking.</p>
<p>[<em>You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=youresmart">You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p><em>This is an updated version of a story originally published on June 24, 2021.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186097/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Eric Goff does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Riders in the 2022 Tour de France will ride more than 2,100 miles (3,400 km) over the 21 flat and mountainous stages of the race. And they will burn an incredible amount of energy while doing so.John Eric Goff, Professor of Physics, University of LynchburgLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1854022022-06-29T19:55:40Z2022-06-29T19:55:40ZWhen driving near a cycle lane, do you speed up or slow down? Where you’re from may influence your answer<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469725/original/file-20220620-20-nvsrpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4904%2C3257&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There are clear <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-believe-the-backlash-the-benefits-of-nz-investing-more-in-cycling-will-far-outweigh-the-costs-181053">economic</a>, <a href="https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/21/6/738/493197?login=true">environmental</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/road-safety-switch-to-cycling-to-keep-others-safe-131964">safety</a> and <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j1456">health benefits</a> to getting people cycling more, but <a href="https://theconversation.com/3-in-4-people-want-to-ride-a-bike-but-are-put-off-by-lack-of-safe-lanes-172868">research</a> shows would-be cyclists are reluctant to start without good cycle paths.</p>
<p>The problem for planners and policymakers is many Australians oppose cycle lanes, believing they’ll only force drivers to drive more slowly and extend travel times. </p>
<p>But our new <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0001457522001580">study</a>, published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention, suggests not everyone around the world sees cycle lanes this way.</p>
<p>We found people in the United Kingdom and Australia typically misunderstand the impact cycle lanes have on speed limits – wrongly believing the addition of a cycle lane means cars would inevitably need to go more slowly.</p>
<p>To be clear, nobody is suggesting you should hit the accelerator and drive aggressively fast near cyclists. But if there is a safe cycle path that affords good distance between cars and bikes, there’s no reason the addition of a cycle path should necessarily slow down traffic. </p>
<p>Misunderstanding around this issue may be fuelling avoidable opposition to cycling infrastructure.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470157/original/file-20220622-17-6gz9m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Aerial view of pedestarians crossing roaad and a bike lane next to pedestrian crossing" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470157/original/file-20220622-17-6gz9m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470157/original/file-20220622-17-6gz9m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470157/original/file-20220622-17-6gz9m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470157/original/file-20220622-17-6gz9m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470157/original/file-20220622-17-6gz9m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470157/original/file-20220622-17-6gz9m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470157/original/file-20220622-17-6gz9m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Misunderstanding around speed limits may be fuelling avoidable opposition to cycling infrastructure.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/melbourne-vicaustraliaapril-4th-2018-pedestrians-walking-1061752019">Shutterstock</a></span>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/3-in-4-people-want-to-ride-a-bike-but-are-put-off-by-lack-of-safe-lanes-172868">3 in 4 people want to ride a bike but are put off by lack of safe lanes</a>
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<h2>Speed limits: a matter of perception</h2>
<p>Our study involved 1,591 participants in the Netherlands, the UK and Australia. These three countries have similar speed limits in urban areas (50km/h), but the Netherlands has lower speed limits of 30km/h in residential areas.</p>
<p>First, we showed the study participants 15 pictures of streets without cycle lanes and asked them to estimate what the speed limit would be in these streets. </p>
<p>Interestingly, participants from the Netherlands always estimated much lower speeds for these pictures than their UK or Australian counterparts did.</p>
<p>This is important because <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0386111218300876">previous research</a> has shown that the higher speed limits are perceived, the faster drivers intend to drive. And higher speeds are the <a href="https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/downloads/road_safety_strategy.pdf">main contributor</a> to road accidents (even more than drugs and fatigue). </p>
<p>Previous research has <a href="https://barrosdool.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/ACRS-journal-Vol28.3-e-edition-extract.pdf">also shown</a> 30km/h speed limits on local residential streets could reduce the Australian road death toll by 13%.</p>
<p>So, for our study, it was significant the Dutch participants always estimated the speed limit would be lower than the UK and Australian respondents did. It suggests Dutch drivers already view roads in a way that is safer for other road users (including cyclists).</p>
<h2>What about when cycle lanes are added into the picture?</h2>
<p>We then showed the participants pictures of the very same streets but after cycle lanes had been built on them (but showed them in a way that meant our participants wouldn’t realise these were the same streets). </p>
<p>In other words, we first showed them the streets <em>without</em> the cycle lanes and then the same street <em>with</em> cycle lanes (some of the cycle lanes were separated lanes, featuring a physical barrier dividing cyclists from cars; others were painted-on bike lanes with no physical barrier).</p>
<p>As we showed these new pictures, we asked the participants again to estimate the speed limit in these streets.</p>
<p>Study participants from Australia and the UK tended to believe cycle lanes would necessitate lower speed limits for drivers. In other words; they saw cycle lanes are a symbol of a slow commute, which would presumably therefore drive down support from drivers. </p>
<p>On the other hand, respondents in the Netherlands (where cycling is more common) perceived cycle lanes would not necessitate lower speed limits for drivers. </p>
<p>In fact, these participants tended to think cycle lanes might even suggest traffic could go faster because the cyclists are in a separate lane (and not mixed in with car traffic).</p>
<p>In short, our research found cycle lanes are usually misinterpreted as meaning “drivers, slow down!” in places where they are not common.</p>
<h2>Where to from here?</h2>
<p>Lower speed limits and cycle lanes are contested issues. Opposition usually comes from drivers who believe lower speed limits will significantly increase their journey times.</p>
<p>But this isn’t always the case. One <a href="https://trid.trb.org/view/1485212">2017 study</a> found “the generic impact of introducing 30km/h in urban residential streets is almost negligible in terms of travel time, ie. 48 seconds for a 27-minute trip, or less than 3%”.</p>
<p>In short, lower speed limits and cycle lanes will not necessarily make your driving time longer. Our study shows that people’s support of cycle lanes is influenced by familiarity with cycle lanes and perceptions of how driver speed limits will be affected by cycling infrastructure.</p>
<p>Australia can <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-australia-can-learn-from-bicycle-friendly-cities-overseas-144283">learn from other cities</a>. Support for the implementation of lower speed limits and cycle lanes will make travelling safer, faster and more sustainable.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cycle-lanes-blamed-for-urban-congestion-heres-the-reality-173388">Cycle lanes blamed for urban congestion – here's the reality</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185402/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We found people from the UK and Australia usually misunderstand the impact cycle lanes have on speed limits – wrongly believing addition of a cycle lane means cars would inevitably need to go slower.Miguel Loyola, PhD Candidate on the Implementation of Sustainable Policies, ITLS, University of SydneyJohn Nelson, Professor of Public Transport, ITLS, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1830742022-06-01T20:50:33Z2022-06-01T20:50:33ZWill the bicycle help us address pressing social issues?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466106/original/file-20220530-26-k52u9x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2991%2C1997&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">With the rising cost of gas, commuting via bicycle is a viable solution.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>World Bicycle Day is celebrated on June 3 in support <a href="https://www.un.org/en/observances/bicycle-day">of the idea</a> that bicycles “contribute to cleaner air and less congestion and makes education, health care and other social services more accessible to the most vulnerable populations.”</p>
<p>The bicycle <a href="https://theconversation.com/physical-distancing-is-here-for-a-while-over-100-experts-call-for-more-safe-walking-and-cycling-space-137374">plays a massive role</a> in physical activity. This was especially evident during the pandemic, as bicycle purchases <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/bicycle-boom-industry-turmoil-covid-19-1.5956400">skyrocketed</a>. Amid lockdown measures, cycling remained a crucial alternative to public transportation, while offering the benefit of <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-the-city-cycling-boom-survive-the-end-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-155913">outdoor and socially distanced physical activity</a>. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/bespoke/made-on-earth/the-great-bicycle-boom-of-2020.html">But even before the pandemic started</a>, people’s interest in bikes was growing. </p>
<p>Cycling could be the answer to more than just our physical activity and pandemic woes. It could offer public officials a way to address convergent crises in public health, transportation and climate. At the same time, increased bicycle use can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14413523.2021.1899721">generate new economic opportunities</a>, like offering low-cost bicycles for sustainable transport and mechanical training to local communities to create jobs.</p>
<p>And as gas prices continue to rise due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/europe-prepared-for-russias-gas-blackmail-eu-chief-says-as-it-happened/a-61602729">governments are urging citizens to consider the bicycle</a>. What’s clear is that the bicycle’s capacity to respond to pressing social issues has inspired both intrigue and optimism, especially in the context of COVID-19.</p>
<h2>Bicycles for development</h2>
<p>We are a group of researchers interested in the social and environmental dimensions of sport, physical activity and health with a focus — for the work described here — on the perceived role of development in the emergent cycling boom. </p>
<p>So far our research has attempted to map out the <a href="https://bicyclesfordevelopment.ca/">bicycles for development</a> movement, which considers the bicycle a powerful technology that holds notable <a href="https://sdgs.un.org/goals">implications for social change and development objectives</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A dirt covered street with many cyclists." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466107/original/file-20220530-16-sp8qe2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466107/original/file-20220530-16-sp8qe2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466107/original/file-20220530-16-sp8qe2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466107/original/file-20220530-16-sp8qe2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466107/original/file-20220530-16-sp8qe2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466107/original/file-20220530-16-sp8qe2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466107/original/file-20220530-16-sp8qe2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A street is pictured in Soroti, Uganda.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690220904921">Our research</a> shows that this movement is driven largely by the work of non-governmental organizations delivering bicycles to communities across the globe. </p>
<p>These initiatives can be entirely local, although they often cross international lines — organizations collecting used bicycles in one place sometimes ship them elsewhere. Bicycles that are delivered to communities often come from donations, micro-financing initiatives or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2021.2020634">social entrepreneurial ventures, like those led by women in rural Uganda</a>.</p>
<p>Over the past six years our research in Canada, Nicaragua and Uganda has highlighted key ways that bicycles for development initiatives seem to have positive effects. For example, bicycle access can foster mobility, which can lead to various opportunities (like accessing educational opportunities and local markets to sell goods), and may help promote a sense of social inclusion or economic development.</p>
<h2>Creating a temporary solution</h2>
<p>In Canada, we conducted research with communities in Toronto and Vancouver. Our studies in Toronto showed how bicycles are being taken up by <a href="https://www.bikebrigade.ca/">mutual aid organizations</a> to respond to increasing food insecurity <a href="https://cyclingmagazine.ca/advocacy/this-group-of-volunteer-cyclists-delivers-food-to-vulnerable-communities/">during the pandemic</a>. Through focusing on the experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ and racialized cyclists, we highlighted the ways in which diverse cyclists challenge systems of racialized and gendered oppression using the bicycle to dismantle stereotypes about who can participate in cycling. </p>
<p>However, while the bicycle has positive potential, our research also demonstrated that providing bicycles to women and girls is, in some ways, filled with tensions and challenges. For example, in our most recent research in Uganda, some women explained that prior to receiving the bicycle, they were mainly responsible for caregiving and other domestic tasks like cooking. </p>
<p>Upon receiving the bicycle, they now also have to engage in economic activities — meaning more labour-focused expectations for women in rural communities. This often leads to an extension of existing inequalities between men and women.</p>
<p>There <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690220904921">was also a concern</a> over the quality of bicycles donated. For example some of the bicycles donated required specific unavailable spare parts meaning they were of little use once they broke down. But programs like <a href="https://worldbicyclerelief.org/the-bike/">World Bicycle Relief’s “Buffalo Bicycle”</a> are geared towards addressing this problem.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People on bikes fill a street" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466108/original/file-20220530-20-8tweyn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/466108/original/file-20220530-20-8tweyn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466108/original/file-20220530-20-8tweyn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466108/original/file-20220530-20-8tweyn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466108/original/file-20220530-20-8tweyn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466108/original/file-20220530-20-8tweyn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/466108/original/file-20220530-20-8tweyn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Crowds at Mercado la Terminal market in Leon, Nicaragua.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The fact that bicycle-driven aid may have unintended and sometimes negative consequences aligns with a wealth of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83867-863-020211001">research in the sport for development field, and in development studies more broadly</a>.</p>
<p>We refer to these unintended negative outcomes of development-focused interventions as forms of “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.26.1.155">ironic activism</a>.”</p>
<p>While our research revealed the positive potential of bicycle access, our findings also steered us in other directions: bicycles might empower people and communities but they may also reflect or exacerbate existing problems and inequalities. Bicycle-based development programs can have both intended and unintended consequences. </p>
<p>While the optimism for World Bicycle Day is welcome, it is important to remember that with all of their potential, bicycles cannot solve our overlapping contemporary crises on their own.</p>
<p><em>Janet Otte, Patrick Eyul and Lidieth del Soccorro Cruz Centeno co-authored this article. Janet has experience managing development projects on refugees, women’s rights and clinical research in Uganda. Patrick is a social scientist who works with development and research organizations in Uganda. Lidieth is the director of the Asociación Movimiento de Jóvenes de Ometepe in Nicaragua.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183074/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lyndsay Hayhurst receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Canadian Heritage and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brad Millington receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brian Wilson receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeanette Steinmann receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and MITACS.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica Nachman receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship program, and MITACS.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mitchell McSweeney receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p>The bicycle’s capacity to respond to pressing social issues has inspired both intrigue and optimism, especially in the context of COVID-19.Lyndsay M.C. Hayhurst, Assistant Professor, School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, CanadaBrad Millington, Associate Professor, Sport Management, Brock UniversityBrian Wilson, Professor, School of Kinesiology, University of British ColumbiaJeanette Steinmann, PhD Student, Kinesiology, University of British ColumbiaJessica Nachman, Master's Student, School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, CanadaMitchell McSweeney, Postdoctoral Fellow, Kinesiology, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1810532022-05-24T01:56:17Z2022-05-24T01:56:17ZDon’t believe the backlash – the benefits of NZ investing more in cycling will far outweigh the costs<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464098/original/file-20220518-25-n2rgv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=143%2C242%2C5847%2C3610&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/Tanya NZ</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Dutch have long been recognised as <a href="https://dutchreview.com/culture/how-the-netherlands-became-a-cycling-country/">leaders in cycling</a>. Denmark is not far behind, with more bikes than cars in its capital Copenhagen. This is the result of many years of investment. Even the UK, with less of a cycling tradition, is investing and showing growth in cycling. </p>
<p>New Zealand is starting to follow suit. The <a href="https://environment.govt.nz/publications/aotearoa-new-zealands-first-emissions-reduction-plan/">Emissions Reduction Plan</a>, released last week, includes NZ$350 million to <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/467196/first-emissions-reduction-plan-spends-2-point-9b-from-emergency-response-fund">encourage walking, cycling and public transport</a>. </p>
<p>Investment in cycling is often motivated by the need to curb emissions and to increase rates of active transport. But the backlash can sometimes seem as large as the level of spending.</p>
<p>New Zealand spends around $5 billion per year on transport. On average, over the past decade, 41% was spent on maintaining existing roads, 38% on building new roads, 17% on public transport and 1.7% on walking and cycling. </p>
<p>Some critics argue cyclists do not pay for cycle infrastructure.
But transport funding comes from several sources, including central government funds such as fuel excise duty (paid on petrol purchased), road user charges (paid by diesel vehicle owners), vehicle registration and licensing, and local government funds from rates. One-off investments have come from the <a href="https://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/northern-pathway/">NZ Upgrade Programme</a> and the <a href="https://www.growregions.govt.nz/about-us/news/new-west-coast-trail-provides-tourism-boost-thanks-to-pdu-funding/">Provincial Growth Fund</a>. </p>
<p>Many of these sources come from general taxation, which cyclists pay. Most people who commute by bike usually also own a car and therefore pay for registration and licensing. </p>
<p>Increasing the number of cyclists will benefit the economy since research shows cities with more physically active people are more productive. The evidence for investing in cycle infrastructure is compelling. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="This graph shows the annual government spending on transport." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457527/original/file-20220411-18-2ldfjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457527/original/file-20220411-18-2ldfjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457527/original/file-20220411-18-2ldfjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457527/original/file-20220411-18-2ldfjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457527/original/file-20220411-18-2ldfjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=459&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457527/original/file-20220411-18-2ldfjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=459&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457527/original/file-20220411-18-2ldfjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=459&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Road building and maintenance take up most of transport funding, with less than 2% spent on cycling and walking infrastructure.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Health benefits from cycling</h2>
<p>Active commuting has been shown to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j1456">reduce the risk of disease</a> and to <a href="https://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/research/reports/675/">enhance mental health</a>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-014-9521-x">Research</a> has even found that cycling is the happiest way to travel.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Bike lanes separated from the main road." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464092/original/file-20220518-23-ixh8mx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/464092/original/file-20220518-23-ixh8mx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=799&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464092/original/file-20220518-23-ixh8mx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=799&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464092/original/file-20220518-23-ixh8mx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=799&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464092/original/file-20220518-23-ixh8mx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1004&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464092/original/file-20220518-23-ixh8mx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1004&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/464092/original/file-20220518-23-ixh8mx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1004&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cycling has benefits for physical and mental health.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A recent <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2309343-pedestrian-friendly-cities-have-lower-rates-of-diabetes-and-obesity/">review</a> of over 170 studies found places designed to encourage walking and cycling have lower rates of obesity and diabetes.</p>
<p>New Zealand <a href="https://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/research/reports/457/">research</a> confirms overseas findings that cyclists are exposed to healthier air than car drivers. Segregated cycle lanes, even a small distance from traffic, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2016.10.002">improve air quality</a>.</p>
<p>Some people raise concerns about the safety of cycling, with data showing injury and fatality rates are higher for cyclists for each kilometre travelled. However, the more people cycle, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/ip.9.3.205rep">safer it becomes</a> for all <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2019.03.004">road users</a>. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/will-the-budget-be-another-missed-opportunity-to-get-more-new-zealanders-out-of-their-cars-182428">Will the budget be another missed opportunity to get more New Zealanders out of their cars?</a>
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</p>
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<h2>Build it and they will come</h2>
<p>The standard tool to inform transport decisions is the benefit-cost ratio. A <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/economic-benefits-of-walking-and-cycling">UK government report</a> found the average benefit-cost ratio for walking and cycling projects delivers benefits 13 to 35 times the cost. </p>
<p>In New Zealand, transport planners estimate money spent on high-quality cycling infrastructure yields benefits between <a href="https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1307250">ten and 25 times the costs</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1480639497788219392"}"></div></p>
<p><a href="https://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/research/reports/449/">Research</a> clearly shows the biggest barrier to cycling is perceived safety. Segregated cycleways are key to feeling safe, and infrastructure should be a mix of separate cycling facilities along roads with heavy traffic and at intersections, combined with extensive <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01441640701806612">traffic calming</a> of residential neighbourhoods, coupled with lower speed limits. </p>
<p>The physical separation from traffic comes at a higher cost and these expensive projects tend to attract the headlines, such as the <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/127427327/nz-govt-to-spend-150m-on-abandoned-auckland-bike-bridge-alternative-crossing-options">proposed Auckland Harbour crossing</a>. </p>
<p>But many cycle routes use lower speeds and simple traffic management to create a cycle-friendly environment. Overall, cycleways are cheap compared with other transport infrastructure. </p>
<p>Evidence shows the number of people cycling is related to the quality and quantity of infrastructure provided. This has been <a href="https://doi.org/10.3141/1828-14">demonstrated in the US</a>, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-007593">UK</a>, <a href="https://ecf.com/news-and-events/news/new-danish-evidence-build-it-and-they-will-come-approach-works">Denmark</a> and most recently in a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2024399118">European study</a> which examined the impact of temporary cycle infrastructure “popping up” as a COVID transport solution. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/3-in-4-people-want-to-ride-a-bike-but-are-put-off-by-lack-of-safe-lanes-172868">3 in 4 people want to ride a bike but are put off by lack of safe lanes</a>
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<hr>
<h2>Registration for cyclists</h2>
<p>The issue of whether cyclists should be registered or licensed has generated debate. The arguments for registration include: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>some form of registration would provide legal accountability</p></li>
<li><p>registration could raise funds to pay for cycle infrastructure</p></li>
<li><p>the process would include a cycling test to improve cyclists’ safety. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>The arguments against include: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>complication and confusion deciding who and what to include (children, tricycles, people who never ride on the road etc)</p></li>
<li><p>creating a barrier to people on low incomes who use a bike because they cannot afford a car</p></li>
<li><p>cyclists already paying for cycle infrastructure through their taxes. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Ultimately, the main reasons against registration are bureaucracy and cost. The UK government concluded the cost and complexity of introducing such a system would significantly <a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2019-03-18/debates/E7840EBD-E0A1-49DA-BDB1-E5EEB0D331E7/Debate">outweigh the benefits</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/electric-cars-alone-wont-save-the-planet-well-need-to-design-cities-so-people-can-walk-and-cycle-safely-171818">Electric cars alone won’t save the planet. We'll need to design cities so people can walk and cycle safely</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Cycleways and business</h2>
<p>One frequent complaint is that when cycleways replace on-street parking, businesses suffer. But research does not support this. </p>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-13/every-study-ever-conducted-on-the-impact-converting-street-parking-into-bike-lanes-has-on-businesses">Bloomberg CityLab</a>, multiple studies have reached a similar conclusion: replacing on-street parking with a bike lane has little to no impact on local business, and in some cases might even increase business. </p>
<p>Evidence from the US suggests people who travel by bike spend more. A <a href="https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/media/documents/oexp-science/geography/community-engagement/geog-309/2015/Travel-modes-and-expenditure-patterns---South-Colombo.pdf">small New Zealand study</a> supports this. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209090">study in London</a> found “an increase in cycling trips significantly contributes to the emergence of new local shops and businesses”. In New Zealand, there is some evidence a growing number of businesses <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/127765906/the-business-leaders-who-love-cycleways-and-public-transport">appreciate the benefits of cycleways</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/electric-cars-alone-wont-save-the-planet-well-need-to-design-cities-so-people-can-walk-and-cycle-safely-171818">Electric cars alone won’t save the planet. We'll need to design cities so people can walk and cycle safely</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Safety is the main barrier</h2>
<p>Poor weather is a barrier for some people, but not one of the most significant ones. Rates of commuter cycling do not vary dramatically by season. Cycling rates in Christchurch in winter are only <a href="https://cyclingchristchurch.co.nz/2019/04/21/guest-post-nobody-rides-bikes-in-winter-right/">10% lower</a> than during other times of the year. </p>
<p>While <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2011.11.002">US research</a> has shown cycling declines in bad weather, a <a href="https://can.org.nz/resources/always-take-the-weather-with-you-effect-of-weather-on-cycling">New Zealand study</a> calculated that someone cycling to work every day in the main cities would only get wet six times a year.</p>
<p>What really stops some people hopping on a bike is that they don’t feel safe cycling in traffic. As Chris Boardman, an Olympic gold medallist cyclist and now commissioner for Active Travel England, said, we can tackle our biggest crisis and “all we have to do is make nicer places to live”.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181053/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Kingham is seconded to the New Zealand Ministry of Transport as their Chief Science Advisor</span></em></p>Transport planners estimate money spent on high-quality cycling infrastructure yields benefits between ten and 25 times the costs.Simon Kingham, Professor, University of CanterburyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1824282022-05-17T01:23:54Z2022-05-17T01:23:54ZWill the budget be another missed opportunity to get more New Zealanders out of their cars?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463472/original/file-20220516-26-4xwcif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=9%2C9%2C2994%2C1985&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It would be hard to find someone who’s visited Copenhagen or Amsterdam and complained about too many bikes. And you don’t tend to hear a lot of moaning about too much public transport in Singapore or Hong Kong. </p>
<p>Talk to someone after a trip to Los Angeles, Moscow, Rome or Mumbai, however, and you will almost certainly get an earful about the horrendous traffic.</p>
<p>The vast differences in such experience lie in how local and national governments invest their transportation funds. It always comes down to money, and the perennial question of how to spend limited resources while maximising the benefits and the returns on investment.</p>
<p>As this year’s budget approaches, and with the government’s first Emissions Reduction Plan (<a href="https://environment.govt.nz/publications/aotearoa-new-zealands-first-emissions-reduction-plan/">ERP</a>) just released, these questions are coming into sharper focus. And the biggest, perhaps, is how to reduce New Zealanders’ dependence on cars.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463473/original/file-20220516-18-4xwcif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463473/original/file-20220516-18-4xwcif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463473/original/file-20220516-18-4xwcif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463473/original/file-20220516-18-4xwcif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463473/original/file-20220516-18-4xwcif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463473/original/file-20220516-18-4xwcif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463473/original/file-20220516-18-4xwcif.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">No complaints: cyclists in Copenhagen benefit from sizeable state investment in bike infrastructure.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>On your bike</h2>
<p>The ERP contains NZ$350 million for measures to improve low-impact transport modes such as walking, cycling and public transport, including provision for at least 100km of urban cycleways. </p>
<p>At the same time, it offers even more subsidies for electric vehicles. With only 0.7% of New Zealand’s vehicle fleet being pure electric cars, the plan would likely have a bigger impact if it <a href="https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/pubhealthexpert/e-bikes-are-the-new-cars-why-dont-transport-policy-makers-treat-them-seriously/">subsidised e-bikes</a> and public transport.</p>
<p>The figures for cycling are particularly startling. New Zealand has <a href="https://www.transport.govt.nz/statistics-and-insights/road-transport/sheet/length-of-road">over 96,000km of roads</a> but <a href="https://fyi.org.nz/request/11898/response/45560/attach/html/7/OIA%206229%20response%20Rod%20Badcock.pdf.html">just 111km of separated cycleways</a> that protect cyclists from vehicles. That amounts to just 0.1% of roads with safe places for cyclists.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-calling-ordinary-kiwi-cyclists-elitist-just-doesnt-add-up-164856">Why calling ordinary Kiwi cyclists ‘elitist’ just doesn’t add up</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This lack of cycling infrastructure essentially matches transport spending. Urban cycleways received just 0.5% of the transportation budget last year, despite cycling comprising 1% of all trips nationally. </p>
<p>Compare this to the <a href="https://www.themayor.eu/en/a/view/danish-government-pedals-further-into-the-country-with-a-70-million-euro-bike-roads-budget-7244">€70 million</a> (just over NZ$116 million) Denmark has committed to building separated cycling roads. </p>
<p>By 2045, Denmark also plans to have spent €295 million building 45 cycle “superhighway” routes connecting the entire country. It’s <a href="https://www.c40knowledgehub.org/s/article/How-we-built-an-inter-municipal-cycle-superhighway-network-across-the-Capital-Region-of-Denmark?language=en_US">expected this will result</a> in one million fewer car trips and 40,000 fewer sick days each year. </p>
<p>For reference, New Zealand spent the equivalent of <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/transmission-gully-opens-builder-on-the-hook-for-26-million-worth-of-fines/QZEIIHCVSPSB3YWQCGC5YMU2VE/">more than €750 million</a> on the Transmission Gully motorway into Wellington. It’s clear we could significantly increase spending and make cycling attractive and feasible for many more people.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1525990227004731393"}"></div></p>
<h2>Safer streets</h2>
<p>Around 30% of urban car trips are under <a href="https://nzta.govt.nz/assets/resources/sustainable-urban-mobility-benchmarking/sustainable-urban-mobility-benchmarking-report.pdf">two kilometres in length</a> and could easily be replaced by walking. But the lack of footpaths, or their poor condition, can deter many people. </p>
<p>The transport budget should recognise the importance of enabling healthy and zero-carbon modes of transport by prioritising funding for better footpaths and safer streets. </p>
<p>Such a budget would allocate more funding to widening footpaths, repairing the existing footpath inventory, slowing vehicles, reducing the number of cars in cities and creating more on-street amenities.</p>
<p>Walking and cycling also have many co-benefits, <a href="https://www.nzta.govt.nz/assets/Walking-Cycling-and-Public-Transport/docs/benefits-of-investing-in-cycling/cyclelife-benefits-booklet.pdf">including better physical health</a>, which would have obvious beneficial effects on healthcare budgets.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/using-valuable-inner-city-land-for-car-parking-in-a-housing-crisis-that-just-doesnt-add-up-168745">Using valuable inner-city land for car parking? In a housing crisis, that just doesn’t add up</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Funding where it’s needed</h2>
<p>Much of the overall transport budget each year goes into long-term programmes with various aims. Of these, the National Land Transport Programme (<a href="https://www.nzta.govt.nz/planning-and-investment/national-land-transport-programme/2021-24-nltp/">NLTP</a>) is arguably the hardest done by. </p>
<p>Its purpose is to allocate funds to provide “a safe, accessible land transport system for Aotearoa now and in the future”. It’s tasked with delivering public transport services, implementing the wide-ranging <a href="https://www.transport.govt.nz/area-of-interest/safety/road-to-zero/">Road to Zero</a> programme (aimed at reducing the road death toll), and maintaining roads – yet consumes just under 1.6% of the annual transport budget. </p>
<p>Ideally, such an important programme would attract a much larger budget share. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/to-get-new-zealanders-out-of-their-cars-well-need-to-start-charging-the-true-cost-of-driving-166167">To get New Zealanders out of their cars we'll need to start charging the true cost of driving</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>For example, within the <a href="https://www.nzta.govt.nz/planning-and-investment/national-land-transport-programme/2021-24-nltp/nltp-funding/allocation-of-funds-to-activity-classes/?state=current">NLTP’s overall budget</a>, public transportation and transport infrastructure receive roughly the same funding as the Road to Zero programme. And Road to Zero itself commits almost as much money to policing roads as will be spent on providing all public transport services.</p>
<p>But funding programmes that reduce the total number of car trips – such as more extensive cycleways and better public transport options – would reduce that need to police roads. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1523349522700652546"}"></div></p>
<h2>Better roads for all</h2>
<p>Fewer cars equal safer roads, so putting more money into non-car modes is actually a win for drivers and non-drivers alike.</p>
<p>The apparent success of the recent <a href="https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/05/09/auckland-public-transport-numbers-highest-since-august-2021/">half-price fare scheme</a> for public transport has shown how making it more affordable encourages more trips. The budget should allocate funding to make these cuts permanent and increase the number of fare concessions.</p>
<p>Over time, fare reductions would be more than paid for by a reduction in road maintenance due to fewer cars. Currently, planned road maintenance is projected to cost more than $5 billion over the next four years. </p>
<p>Greater use of public transport would also reduce the pressure to expand roads. This falls under the overall transport budget’s “capital investment package”, of which nearly $3 billion has already been spent this year – 40% of all transport dollars.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/electric-cars-alone-wont-save-the-planet-well-need-to-design-cities-so-people-can-walk-and-cycle-safely-171818">Electric cars alone won’t save the planet. We'll need to design cities so people can walk and cycle safely</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Increase spending overall</h2>
<p>New Zealand can achieve more with its transport funding by just getting people out of their cars more often. In the same way that using trains, buses, bikes and feet is easier on personal finances, the national transport budget will benefit from less emphasis on the automobile. </p>
<p>But even if we don’t want to shift spending from one mode to many, there is another option – to spend more. </p>
<p>As a percentage of GDP, transportation spending has been declining ever since its <a href="https://www.victoria.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/1175083/Gibbons.pdf">peak in the 1950s</a>. We don’t have to treat the relationship between road, public transport and active travel (walking and cycling) as mutually exclusive. We can keep road funding at its current level and spend more on other modes. </p>
<p>That way, we could do the things we so admire in other counties and still satisfy those who demand a car. The better our cycling and public transport infrastructure, the less reliant we’ll be on cars, bringing us one step closer to breaking the vicious cycle of automobile dependence.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/182428/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Timothy Welch does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Tackling climate change is a budget priority, but will we see the major investment in cycling infrastructure and public transport that is one obvious solution?Timothy Welch, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata RauLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1806422022-04-14T11:46:42Z2022-04-14T11:46:42Z12 best ways to get cars out of cities – ranked by new research<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457758/original/file-20220412-58861-p0678w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=93%2C270%2C3013%2C1793&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A stretch of the Champs-Élysées around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris is due to be pedestrianised by 2030.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/traffic-jam-cars-paris-city-france-1028874577">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><iframe id="noa-web-audio-player" style="border: none" src="https://embed-player.newsoveraudio.com/v4?key=x84olp&id=https://theconversation.com/12-best-ways-to-get-cars-out-of-cities-ranked-by-new-research-180642&bgColor=F5F5F5&color=D8352A&playColor=D8352A" width="100%" height="110px"></iframe>
<p><em>You can listen to more narrated articles <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/audio-narrated-99682">here</a>.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Question: what do the following statistics have in common?</p>
<ul>
<li>The second-largest (and growing) source of <a href="https://theicct.org/transport-could-burn-up-the-eus-entire-carbon-budget/">climate pollution in Europe</a>.</li>
<li>The leading killer of children in both <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmsr1804754">the US</a> and <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2352-4642%2818%2930095-6">Europe</a>.</li>
<li>A principal cause of stress-inducing <a href="https://www.eea.europa.eu/signals/signals-2020/articles/noise-pollution-is-still-widespread">noise pollution</a> and life-shortening <a href="https://www.transportenvironment.org/discover/cities-where-chances-dying-transport-pollution-are-highest-are-all-europe/">air pollution</a> in European cities. </li>
<li>A leading driver of the widening <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-020-0579-8">gap between rich and poor</a> urban residents.</li>
</ul>
<p>Answer: the vehicles on our streets, primarily the not-so-humble passenger car.</p>
<p>Despite the (slow) migration to electric-powered cars, consumer trends are making driving even more wasteful and unequal. A <a href="https://www.iea.org/commentaries/global-suv-sales-set-another-record-in-2021-setting-back-efforts-to-reduce-emissions">recent analysis</a> found the emissions saved from electric cars have been more than cancelled out by the increase in gas-guzzling Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs). Around the world, <a href="https://www.iea.org/commentaries/global-suv-sales-set-another-record-in-2021-setting-back-efforts-to-reduce-emissions">SUVs alone</a> emit more carbon pollution than <a href="http://www.globalcarbonatlas.org/en/CO2-emissions">Canada or Germany</a>, and are causing a bigger increase in climate pollution <a href="https://www.iea.org/commentaries/global-suv-sales-set-another-record-in-2021-setting-back-efforts-to-reduce-emissions">than heavy industry</a>.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288776/original/file-20190820-170910-8bv1s7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
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<p><strong><em>This story is part of Conversation Insights</em></strong>
<br><em>The Insights team generates <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/insights-series-71218">long-form journalism</a> and is working with academics from different backgrounds who have been engaged in projects to tackle societal and scientific challenges.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>While cars are sometimes necessary for people’s mobility and social inclusion needs – not least <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d30896202a18c0001b49180/t/620bd77ea6a7065a0dec6fe1/1644943920058/Nobody+Left+Behind+Envisioning+inclusive+cities+in+a+low+car+future.pdf">those with disabilities</a> – car-centric cities particularly disadvantage the already-marginalised. In the UK, women, young and older people, those from minority communities and disabled people are concentrated in the lowest-income households, of which <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/784685/future_of_mobility_access.pdf">40% do not have a car</a>. In contrast, nearly 90% of the highest-income households own at least one car.</p>
<p>So the driving habits of a minority <a href="https://vtpi.org/distort.pdf">impose high costs on society</a>, and this is especially true in cities. Copenhagen, for example, <a href="https://cyclingsolutions.info/cost-benefit-of-cycling-infrastructure/">has calculated</a> that whereas each kilometre cycled benefits society to the tune of €0.64 (53 pence), each kilometre driven incurs a net loss of -€0.71 (-59p), when impacts on individual wellbeing (physical and mental health, accidents, traffic) and the environment (climate, air and noise pollution) are accounted for. So each kilometre travelled where a car is replaced by a bicycle generates €1.35 (£1.12) of social benefits – of which only a few cents would be saved by switching from a fossil-fuelled to an electric-powered car, according to this analysis.</p>
<h2>Reducing car use in cities</h2>
<p>Half a century ago, the Danish capital was dominated by cars. But following grassroots campaigns to change policies and streets, including replacing car parking with safe, separated bike lanes, Copenhagen has increased its biking share of all trips from <a href="https://gridchicago.com/2012/danish-history-how-copenhagen-became-bike-friendly-again/">10% in 1970</a> to 35% today. In 2016, for the first time, <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/10/what-makes-copenhagen-the-worlds-most-bike-friendly-city/">more bicycles</a> than cars made journeys around the city over the course of that year.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="View of central Copenhagen, Denmark" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457762/original/file-20220412-37887-5iu91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457762/original/file-20220412-37887-5iu91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457762/original/file-20220412-37887-5iu91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457762/original/file-20220412-37887-5iu91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457762/original/file-20220412-37887-5iu91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457762/original/file-20220412-37887-5iu91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457762/original/file-20220412-37887-5iu91.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bicycles rule the centre of Copenhagen following campaigns to replace parking with safe bike lanes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/editor/image/blurred-people-going-by-bike-copenhagen-344982284">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But while many other car-limiting initiatives have been attempted around the world, city officials, planners and citizens still do not have a clear, evidence-based way to reduce car use in cities. Our latest research, carried out with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-kuss/">Paula Kuss</a> at the <a href="https://www.lucsus.lu.se/about-lucsus">Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies</a> and published in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213624X22000281">Case Studies on Transport Policy</a>, seeks to address this by quantifying the effectiveness of different initiatives to reduce urban car use.</p>
<p>Our study ranks the 12 most effective measures that European cities have introduced in recent decades, based on real-world data on innovations ranging from the “carrot” of bike and walk-to-work schemes to the “stick” of removing free parking. The ranking reflects cities’ successes not only in terms of measurable reductions in car use, but in achieving improved quality of life and sustainable mobility for their residents.</p>
<p>In all, we have screened nearly 800 peer-reviewed reports and case studies from throughout Europe, published since 2010, seeking those that quantified where and how cities had successfully reduced car use. The most effective measures, according to our review, are introducing a congestion charge, which reduces urban car levels by anywhere from 12% to 33%, and creating car-free streets and separated bike lanes, which has been found to lower car use in city centres by up to 20%. Our full ranking of the top 12 car-reducing measures is summarised in this table:</p>
<iframe title="City car use reduction strategies ranked" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-NDMp4" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/NDMp4/12/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border: none;" width="100%" height="1215"></iframe>
<h2>The inequality of car use</h2>
<p>Cars are inherently inefficient and inequitable in their use of land and resources. On average, they spend <a href="https://www.reinventingparking.org/2013/02/cars-are-parked-95-of-time-lets-check.html">96%</a> of their time parked, taking up valuable urban space that could be put to more beneficial uses such as housing and public parks. In Berlin, car users on average take up <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01441647.2020.1762795">3.5 times more public space</a> than non-car users, primarily through on-street parking.</p>
<p>And it is <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-020-0579-8">overwhelmingly richer people</a> who drive the most: in Europe, <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/global-sustainability/article/unequal-distribution-of-household-carbon-footprints-in-europe-and-its-link-to-sustainability/F1ED4F705AF1C6C1FCAD477398353DC2">the top 1%</a> by income drive nearly four times more than the median driver, accounting for some 21% of their personal climate footprint. For these highest emitters, climate pollution from driving is second only to flying (which, on average, generates twice as many emissions).</p>
<p>Prioritising cars as a means of transport also favours suburban sprawl. City suburbs typically possess larger homes that generate higher levels of consumption and energy use. North American suburban households consistently have higher <a href="https://rael.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Jones-Kammen-EST_proof-NationalCarbonMap.pdf">carbon footprints</a> than urban ones: one study in Toronto found suburban footprints were <a href="https://ascelibrary.org/doi/epdf/10.1061/%28ASCE%290733-9488%282006%29132%3A1%2810%29">twice as high</a>.</p>
<p>It’s also clear that road traffic levels swell to <a href="https://www.wired.com/2014/06/wuwt-traffic-induced-demand/">fill the size of the roads built</a> – yet traffic planning <a href="https://journals.open.tudelft.nl/ejtir/article/view/2967/3155">routinely ignores</a> the fact that this “induced demand” exaggerates the benefits and underestimates the costs of building more roads. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-transformed-a-london-borough-into-a-game-to-get-fewer-people-travelling-by-car-heres-what-happened-171035">We transformed a London borough into a game to get fewer people travelling by car -- here's what happened</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Electric vehicles are necessary, but they’re not a panacea. Since cars tend to be on the road for a long time, the migration to electric vehicles is very slow. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261919307834">Some studies</a> anticipate relatively small emissions reductions over the coming decade as a result of electric vehicle uptake. And even if there’s nothing damaging released from an electric car’s exhaust pipe, the <a href="https://www.emissionsanalytics.com/news/pollution-tyre-wear-worse-exhaust-emissions">wear of car brakes and tyres</a> still creates toxic dust and microplastic pollution. However a car is powered, can it ever be an efficient use of resources and space to spend up to <a href="https://slate.com/business/2011/06/american-cars-are-getting-heavier-and-heavier-is-that-dangerous.html">95% of that energy</a> moving the weight of the vehicle itself, rather than its passengers and goods?</p>
<h2>COVID-19: a missed opportunity?</h2>
<p>Our study assesses urban mobility innovations and experiments introduced before the pandemic was declared. In response to COVID-19, travel habits (to begin with, at least) changed dramatically. But following <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-18922-7">large reductions in driving</a> during the spring of 2020, road use and the associated levels of climate pollution have since <a href="https://www.icos-cp.eu/gcp-covid19">rebounded</a> to near pre-pandemic levels. Indeed, in Sweden, while public transport use <a href="https://www.wsp.com/sv-SE/insikter/wsps-stora-mobilitetsstudie-2021">declined by around 42%</a> during the first year of the pandemic, car travel declined by only 7% in the same period, leading to an overall increase in the proportion of car use.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Commuter traffic in Stockholm" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457765/original/file-20220412-17-c5gkqt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457765/original/file-20220412-17-c5gkqt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457765/original/file-20220412-17-c5gkqt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457765/original/file-20220412-17-c5gkqt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457765/original/file-20220412-17-c5gkqt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457765/original/file-20220412-17-c5gkqt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457765/original/file-20220412-17-c5gkqt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Commuter traffic in Stockholm in November 2021. Sweden has seen an overall increase in its proportion of car use during the pandemic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/stockholm-sweden-nov-8-2021-commuter-2072347784">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While entrenched habits such as car commuting are hard to shift, times of disruption can offer an effective moment to <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aaad73">change mobility behaviour</a> – in part because people forced to try a new habit may discover it has unexpected advantages. For such behaviour to stick, however, also requires changes in the physical infrastructure of cities. Unfortunately, while European cities that added pop-up bike lanes during the pandemic <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2024399118">increased cycling rates by a stunning 11-48%</a>, we are now seeing a <a href="https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/spaces-people-end-summer-26520105">return to car-centric cities</a>, with extra car lanes and parking spaces once again displacing cycle lanes and space for pedestrians.</p>
<p>Overall, the opportunities to align pandemic recovery measures with climate targets have largely been squandered. <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/36991/EGR21_ESEN.pdf">Less than 20%</a> of government spending on pandemic measures globally were likely to also reduce greenhouse gas emissions.</p>
<p>The extent to which workers resume driving to their offices is another key issue determining future car use in cities. Thoughtful travel policies to reduce unnecessary travel, and opportunities for faraway participants to fully participate in meetings and conferences digitally, could slash emissions by <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-27251-2">up to 94%</a> – and save time to boot. Those who work remotely <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0965856422000738?via%3Dihub">three or more days per week</a> travel less overall than their peers. But long car commutes can quickly wipe out such emissions savings, so living close to work is still the best option. </p>
<h2>No silver bullet solution</h2>
<p>The research is clear: to improve <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091743514003144">health</a> outcomes, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-00921-7">meet climate targets</a> and create more <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29807292/">liveable cities</a>, reducing car use should be an urgent priority. Yet many governments in the US and Europe continue to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800921003943?via%3Dihub">heavily subsidise</a> driving through a combination of incentives such as <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02847-2">subsidies for fossil fuel production</a>, tax allowances for commuting by car, and incentives for company cars that promote driving over other means of transport. Essentially, such measures pay polluters while imposing the social costs on wider society. </p>
<p>City leaders have a wider range of policy instruments at their disposal than some might realise – from economic instruments such as charges and subsidies, to behavioural ones like providing feedback comparing individuals’ travel decisions with their peers’. Our study found that <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213624X22000281">more than 75%</a> of the urban innovations that have successfully reduced car use were led by a local city government – and in particular, those that have proved most effective, such as congestion charges, parking and traffic controls, and limited traffic zones.</p>
<p>But an important insight from our study is that narrow policies don’t seem to be as effective – there is no “silver bullet” solution. The most successful cities typically combine a few different policy instruments, including both carrots that encourage more sustainable travel choices, and sticks that charge for, or restrict, driving and parking.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457766/original/file-20220412-13-nb8ha0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457766/original/file-20220412-13-nb8ha0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457766/original/file-20220412-13-nb8ha0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457766/original/file-20220412-13-nb8ha0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457766/original/file-20220412-13-nb8ha0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457766/original/file-20220412-13-nb8ha0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=608&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457766/original/file-20220412-13-nb8ha0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=608&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457766/original/file-20220412-13-nb8ha0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=608&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.emmalijohansson.com/illustrations/">Illustration: Emma Li Johansson, LiLustrations</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So here are the 12 best ways to reduce city car use:</p>
<p><strong>1. Congestion charges</strong></p>
<p>The most effective measure identified by our research entails drivers paying to enter the city centre, with the revenues generated going towards alternative means of sustainable transport. London, an early pioneer of this strategy, has reduced city centre traffic by a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cstp.2018.06.002">whopping 33%</a> since the charge’s introduction by the city’s first elected mayor, Ken Livingstone, in February 2003. The fixed-charge fee (with exemptions for certain groups and vehicles) has been raised over time, from an initial £5 per day up to £15 since June 2020. Importantly, 80% of the revenues raised are used for public transport investments.</p>
<p>Other European cities have followed suit, adopting similar schemes after referenda in <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15568318.2015.1083638">Milan</a>, <a href="https://www.transportportal.se/swopec/CTS2014-7.pdf">Stockholm</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2015.03.011">Gothenburg</a> – with the Swedish cities varying their pricing by day and time. But despite congestion charges clearly leading to a significant and sustained reduction of car use and traffic volume, they cannot by themselves entirely <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213624X17302912">eliminate the problem of congestion</a>, which persists while the incentives and infrastructure favouring car use remain.</p>
<p><strong>2. Parking and traffic controls</strong></p>
<p>In a number of European cities, regulations to remove parking spaces and alter traffic routes – in many cases, replacing the space formerly dedicated to cars with car-free streets, bike lanes and walkways – has proved highly successful. For example, Oslo’s replacement of parking spaces with walkable car-free streets and bike lanes was found to have reduced car usage in the centre of the Norwegian capital by <a href="https://www.eltis.org/resources/case-studies/oslo-promoting-active-transport-modes">up to 19%</a>.</p>
<p><strong>3. Limited traffic zones</strong></p>
<p>Rome, traditionally one of Europe’s most congested cities, has shifted the balance towards greater use of public transport by restricting car entry to its centre at certain times of day to residents only, plus those who pay an annual fee. This policy has reduced car traffic in the Italian capital by <a href="https://civitas.eu/mobility-solutions/implementing-access-restrictions">20% during the restricted hours, and 10%</a> even during unrestricted hours when all cars can visit the centre. The violation fines are used to finance Rome’s public transport system.</p>
<p><strong>4. Mobility services for commuters</strong></p>
<p>The most effective carrot-only measure identified by our review is a campaign to provide mobility services for commuters in the Dutch city of Utrecht. Local government and private companies collaborated to provide free public transport passes to employees, combined with a private shuttle bus to connect transit stops with workplaces. This programme, promoted through a marketing and communication plan, was found to have achieved a <a href="https://civitas.eu/sites/default/files/measure_evaluation_results_4_1_mobility_management_policy.pdf">37% reduction</a> in the share of commuters travelling into the city centre by car.</p>
<p><strong>5. Workplace parking charges</strong></p>
<p>Another effective means of reducing the number of car commuters is to introduce workplace parking charges. For example, a large medical centre in the Dutch port city of <a href="https://trid.trb.org/view/1225595">Rotterdam</a> achieved a 20-25% reduction in employee car commutes through a scheme that charged employees to park outside their offices, while also offering them the chance to “cash out” their parking spaces and use public transport instead. This scheme was found to be around three times more effective than a more extensive programme in the UK city of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213624X19301063">Nottingham</a>, which applied a workplace parking charge to all major city employers possessing more than ten parking spaces. The revenue raised went towards supporting the Midlands city’s public transport network, including expansion of a tram line.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Norwich city centre, Norfolk." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457768/original/file-20220412-54572-2nsa6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457768/original/file-20220412-54572-2nsa6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457768/original/file-20220412-54572-2nsa6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457768/original/file-20220412-54572-2nsa6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457768/original/file-20220412-54572-2nsa6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457768/original/file-20220412-54572-2nsa6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457768/original/file-20220412-54572-2nsa6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Norwich reduced car commuters by nearly 20% with its workplace travel plan, including swapping car for bike parking.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/30th-april-2021-norwich-city-walk-1965395566">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>6. Workplace travel planning</strong></p>
<p>Programmes providing company-wide travel strategies and advice to encourage employees to end their car commutes have been widely used in cities across Europe. A major study, published in 2010, assessing <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0965856410000492">20 cities across the UK</a> found an average of 18% of commuters switched from car to another mode after a full range of measures were combined – including company shuttle buses, discounts for public transport and improved bike infrastructure – as well as reduced parking provision. In a different programme, Norwich achieved near-identical rates by adopting a comprehensive plan but without the discounts for public transport. These carrot-and-stick efforts appear to have been more effective than <a href="https://civitas.eu/sites/default/files/bhcc20school20travel20plans_20deliverable20report.pdf">Brighton & Hove’s</a> carrot-only approach of providing plans and infrastructure such as workplace bicycle storage, which saw a 3% shift away from car use.</p>
<p><strong>7. University travel planning</strong></p>
<p>Similarly, university travel programmes often combine the carrot of promotion of public transport and active travel with the stick of parking management on campus. The most successful example highlighted in our review was achieved by the University of Bristol, which reduced car use among its <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/media-library/sites/transportplan/0879%20UoB%20Staff%20Travel%20Survey%20Report%20FINAL.pdf">staff by 27%</a> while providing them with improved bike infrastructure and public transport discounts. A more ambitious programme in the Spanish city of San Sebastián targeted both staff and students at Universidad del País Vasco. Although it achieved a more modest <a href="https://civitas.eu/sites/default/files/arc_mert_83_f_dss_university_campus_annex.pdf">reduction rate of 7.2%</a>, the absolute reduction in car use was still substantial from the entire population of university commuters.</p>
<p><strong>8. Mobility services for universities</strong></p>
<p>The Sicilian city of <a href="https://www.eltis.org/resources/case-studies/you-study-you-travel-free">Catania</a> used a carrot-only approach for its students. By offering them a free public transport pass and providing shuttle connections to campus, the city was found to have achieved a 24% decrease in the share of students commuting by car.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Catania, Sicily" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457770/original/file-20220412-22029-u8x49x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457770/original/file-20220412-22029-u8x49x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457770/original/file-20220412-22029-u8x49x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457770/original/file-20220412-22029-u8x49x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457770/original/file-20220412-22029-u8x49x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457770/original/file-20220412-22029-u8x49x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457770/original/file-20220412-22029-u8x49x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Catania achieved a 24% decrease in the share of students commuting by car.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/catania-italy-december-16-2016-street-2135260221">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>9. Car sharing</strong></p>
<p>Perhaps surprisingly, car sharing turns out to be a somewhat divisive measure for reducing car use in cities, according to our analysis. Such schemes, where members can easily rent a nearby vehicle for a few hours, have showed promising results in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352146516302046?via%3Dihub">Bremen, Germany</a> and <a href="https://civitas.eu/sites/default/files/CARAVEL%20D5%20-%20GENOA%20MERS%2009.04.pdf">Genoa, Italy</a>, with each shared car replacing between 12 and 15 private vehicles, on average. Their approach included increasing the number of shared cars and stations, and integrating them with residential areas, public transport and bike infrastructure. </p>
<p>Both schemes also provided car sharing for employees and ran awareness-raising campaigns. But <a href="https://www.iges.or.jp/en/pub/15-degrees-lifestyles-2019/en">other studies</a> point to a risk that car sharing may, in fact, induce previously car-free residents to increase their car use. We therefore recommend more research into how to design car sharing programmes that truly reduce overall car use.</p>
<p><strong>10. School travel planning</strong></p>
<p>Two English cities, Brighton & Hove and Norwich, have used (and assessed) the carrot-only measure of school travel planning: providing trip advice, planning and even events for students and parents to encourage them to walk, bike or carpool to school, along with providing improved bike infrastructure in their cities. Norwich found it was able to reduce the share of car use for <a href="https://civitas.eu/sites/default/%20files/11-320norwich.pdf">school trips by 10.9%,</a> using this approach, while <a href="https://civitas.eu/sites/default/files/bhcc20school20travel20plans_20deliverable20report.pdf">Brighton’s</a> analysis found the impact was about half that much. </p>
<p><strong>11. Personalised travel plans</strong></p>
<p>Many cities have experimented with personal travel analysis and plans for individual residents, including <a href="http://epomm.eu/sites/default/files/files/EPOMM_strategy_book.pdf">Marseille in France</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0965856416306462">Munich in Germany</a>, <a href="https://www.eltis.org/discover/case-studies/maastricht-bereikbaar-integrated-mobility-management-targeting-employers-and">Maastricht in the Netherlands</a> and <a href="https://civitas.eu/sites/default/files/arc_mert_34_f_dss_personalisedtravelplans.pdf">San Sebastián in Spain</a>. These programmes – providing journey advice and planning for city residents to walk, bike or use (sometimes discounted) public transport – are found to have achieved modest-sounding reductions of 6-12%. However, since they encompass all residents of a city, as opposed to smaller populations of, say, commuters to school or the workplace, these approaches can still play a valuable role in reducing car use overall. (San Sebastián introduced both university and personalised travel planning in parallel, which is likely to have reduced car use further than either in isolation.)</p>
<p><strong>12. Apps for sustainable mobility</strong></p>
<p>Mobile phone technology has a growing role in strategies to reduce car use. The Italian city of Bologna, for example, developed an app for people and teams of employees from participating companies to track their mobility. Participants competed to gain points for walking, biking and using public transport, with local businesses offering these app users rewards for achieving points goals.</p>
<p>There is great interest in such gamification of sustainable mobility – and at first glance, the data from the Bologna app looks striking. <a href="https://www.eltis.org/resources/tools/eu-good-practices-sustainable-mobility-planning-and-sump">An impressive 73%</a> of users reported using their car “less”. But unlike other studies which measure the number or distance of car trips, it is not possible to calculate the reduction of distance travelled or emissions from this data, so the overall effectiveness is unclear. For example, skipping one short car trip and skipping a year of long driving commutes both count as driving “less”. </p>
<p>While mobility data from apps can offer valuable tools for improved transport planning and services, good design is needed to ensure that “smart” solutions actually decrease emissions and promote sustainable transport, because the <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-environ-012320-082424">current evidence is mixed</a>. For instance, a <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(20)31130-5">2021 study</a> found that after a ride-hailing service such as Uber or Lyft enters an urban market, vehicle ownership increases – particularly in already car-dependent cities – and public transport use declines in high-income areas.</p>
<h2>Cities need to re-imagine themselves</h2>
<p>Reducing car dependency is not just a nice idea. It is essential for the survival of people and places around the world, which the recent <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-ii/">IPCC report on climate impacts</a> makes clear hinges on how close to 1.5°C the world can limit global warming. Avoiding irreversible harm and meeting their Paris Agreement obligations requires industrialised nations such as the UK and Sweden to reduce their emissions by <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14693062.2020.1728209">10-12% per year</a> – about 1% <em>every month</em>. </p>
<p>Yet until the pandemic struck, transport emissions in Europe were steadily increasing. Indeed, current policies are predicted to deliver transport emissions in 2040 that are almost unchanged from <a href="https://www.eea.europa.eu/ims/greenhouse-gas-emissions-from-transport">50 years earlier</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457772/original/file-20220412-10942-qu7v7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457772/original/file-20220412-10942-qu7v7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457772/original/file-20220412-10942-qu7v7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457772/original/file-20220412-10942-qu7v7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457772/original/file-20220412-10942-qu7v7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457772/original/file-20220412-10942-qu7v7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457772/original/file-20220412-10942-qu7v7t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=489&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Local buses in the Swedish city of Lund, home of the Centre for Sustainability Studies.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/july-10-2021-lund-sweden-local-2026029437">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To meet the planet’s health and climate goals, city governments need to make the necessary transitions for sustainable mobility by, first, avoiding the need for mobility (see <a href="https://www.citiesforum.org/news/15-minute-city/">Paris’s 15-minute city</a>); second, shifting remaining mobility needs from cars to active and public transport wherever possible; and finally, improving the cars that remain to be zero-emission. </p>
<p>This transition must be fast <em>and</em> fair: city leaders and civil society need to engage citizens to build political legitimacy and momentum for these changes. Without widespread public buy-in to reduce cars, the EU’s commitment to deliver 100 climate-neutral cities in Europe <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe/eu-missions-horizon-europe/climate-neutral-and-smart-cities_en">by 2030</a> looks a remote prospect.</p>
<p>Radically reducing cars will make cities better places to live – and it can be done. A 2020 <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378020307512">study</a> demonstrated that we can provide decent living standards for the planet’s projected 10 billion people using <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-10-billion-people-could-live-well-by-2050-using-as-much-energy-as-we-did-60-years-ago-146896">60% less energy than today</a>. But to do so, wealthy countries need to build three times as much public transport infrastructure as they currently possess, and each person should limit their annual travel to between 5,000 kilometres (in dense cities) and <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-10-billion-people-could-live-well-by-2050-using-as-much-energy-as-we-did-60-years-ago-146896">15,000 kilometres</a> (in more remote areas).</p>
<p>The positive impact from reducing cars in cities will be felt by all who live and work in them, in the form of more convivial spaces. As a journalist visiting the newly car-free Belgian city of Ghent <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/20/the-streets-are-more-alive-ghent-readers-on-a-car-free-city-centre">put it in 2020</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The air tastes better … People turn their streets into sitting rooms and extra gardens.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Cities need to re-imagine themselves by remaking what is possible to match what is necessary. At the heart of this, guided by better evidence of what works, they must do more to break free from cars.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kimberly Nicholas was funded for this work by the Swedish Research Council Formas, grant 2019-02051</span></em></p>A new study finds congestion charging and creating car-free streets and separated bike lanes have been most effective at reducing car use in European cities.Kimberly Nicholas, Associate Professor of Sustainability Science, Lund UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.