Held in Adelaide, the Australian Cycle Conference is a chance for researchers, policy makers and transport planners to get together and share their experiences, research and ideas.
This year Jo presented her research looking at how cyclists and pedestrians can get along. Her paper stood out amongst many of the presentations through her use of a qualitative research practice in which understanding and conversations is the focus. Jo sought to identify how cooperative behaviour on shared paths could be encouraged by effectively engaging with one specific group of cyclists i.e. sports and training cyclists. A series of focus groups with club and non-affiliated training cyclists formed the basis of the study. Her key finding was that club and training cyclists identify differently and do not necessarily relate to or associate with ‘other types’ of cyclists (e.g. commuters), thus communications which reference ‘other cyclists’ are rarely effective. To develop more effective communications, cycling policy makers need to have more understanding of training cyclists’ motivations and concerns. For example, training cyclists frequently cite problems with driver behaviour, poor road surfaces, and the absence of places to train as their main concerns. This research suggests that policy makers need to develop an empathetic understanding of sports-oriented cyclists in order to have effective and enabling engagement with this group of riders.
