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Publication date: 29 May 2012

Dave Horton and John Parkin

Purpose – This chapter analyses the various themes connected with cycling's current situation and future prospects which have emerged through the previous 10 chapters, and…

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Purpose – This chapter analyses the various themes connected with cycling's current situation and future prospects which have emerged through the previous 10 chapters, and elaborates the need for a ‘bicycle system’ which is capable of achieving a ‘revolution’ in cycling.

Approach – The chapter draws on previous chapters, as well as the results of recently completed research into the state of cycling across urban England.

Findings – Cycling remains marginalised, but its current rise in status across some of the world's cities offers grounds for optimism about its future contribution to sustainability objectives. The bicycle's rise in status is currently both elitist and, potentially, a passing fashion; the challenge is to make it both more democratic and durable.

Practical implications – In the mould of ‘common endeavours’ outlined in the World Commission Report on Environment and Development ‘Our Common Future’, the authors propose building a ‘bicycle system’ to ensure the bicycle can play a full role in the transition to (especially urban) sustainability and outline possible principles for, pathways towards, and components and characteristics of, a bicycle system.

Social implications – The chapter aims to influence broader debates, and importantly it needs to influence political discourse, about the changes required to assist in the transition to greater urban transport sustainability, and specifically to discourage car use whilst encouraging use of the bicycle for short urban journeys.

Value of paper – The authors provide an analysis of the current constraints on cycling, and a case for simultaneously assembling a ‘bicycle system’ as the means of transitioning urban transport towards sustainability, whilst at the same time disassembling the current system that allows cars to predominate.

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Cycling and Sustainability
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-299-9

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Publication date: 29 May 2012

John Parkin

Purpose – This chapter provides an introduction to the bicycle as a means of transport and sustainability as a development concept. It discusses the three pillars of…

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Purpose – This chapter provides an introduction to the bicycle as a means of transport and sustainability as a development concept. It discusses the three pillars of sustainability and introduces the subsequent chapters in the book.

Approach – The chapter takes a historical view of the development of the bicycle and sustainability and provides a contemporary view of the relation between the bicycle and society, the environment and the economy.

Findings – The chapter provides an overview of the discussions to be presented in the subsequent chapters and, through a resumé of each chapter, the reader is presented with a comprehensive context in which to read each individual chapter.

Implications – While the implications are preliminary on the basis that the arguments have not been fully expounded, it is suggested that cycling needs a well-defined system in which to operate, and that system needs to be closely allied to the needs of the user at the human scale.

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Cycling and Sustainability
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-299-9

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Book part
Publication date: 29 May 2012

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Cycling and Sustainability
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-299-9

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Publication date: 29 May 2012

John Parkin and Glen Koorey

Purpose – This chapter reviews planning and design approaches for cycle traffic in order to direct future thinking towards the critical aspects of network design that will have a…

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Purpose – This chapter reviews planning and design approaches for cycle traffic in order to direct future thinking towards the critical aspects of network design that will have a beneficial impact on the utility and nature of the environment for cycling.

Approach – This chapter provides a critique of the approach of adopting a so-called hierarchy of solutions frequently adopted in western countries with low levels of cycling use.

Findings – The guiding principle for designing routes for cycle traffic is that the bicycle is a vehicle capable of speed and, as a consequence, links and junctions need to be designed according to appropriate geometric design standards. In addition, owing to the nature of the cycle and rider combination, the oft repeated Dutch characteristics for good design for cycle traffic of coherence, directness, attractiveness, safety and comfort remain firm.

Practical implications – The practical implications of the outcomes from the chapter are a method of approach for planning infrastructure for cycle traffic which starts with an analysis of demand and works through to the creation of suitable networks for cycle traffic which are grounded in, and extended from, suitably regulated existing highway networks.

Social implications – An extensive transport system suitable in nature for cycle traffic will attract a wide base of users and consequently allow for the benefits of cycling to be captured.

Value of chapter – The value of the chapter rests in its emphasis on the need to treat cycling as a distinct transport mode and, consequentially, planning and engineering needs to be undertaken in a way conducive to providing the basic necessary infrastructure for such a distinct mode.

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Cycling and Sustainability
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-299-9

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Available. Content available
Book part
Publication date: 29 May 2012

Abstract

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Cycling and Sustainability
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-299-9

Available. Content available
Book part
Publication date: 29 May 2012

Abstract

Details

Cycling and Sustainability
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-299-9

Available. Content available
Book part
Publication date: 29 May 2012

Abstract

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Cycling and Sustainability
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-299-9

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Publication date: 29 May 2012

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Cycling and Sustainability
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-299-9

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Publication date: 29 May 2012

Rachel Aldred is senior lecturer in sociology and director of the Sustainable Mobilities Research Group at the University of East London. She is PI on the ESRC-funded Cycling…

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Rachel Aldred is senior lecturer in sociology and director of the Sustainable Mobilities Research Group at the University of East London. She is PI on the ESRC-funded Cycling Cultures project (For more information on Cycling Cultures see http://www.cyclingcultures.org.uk/) and has written articles on topics including cycling, cars and CO2, sustainable transport, and transport and disability.

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Cycling and Sustainability
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-299-9

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Publication date: 29 May 2012

Rachel Aldred

Purpose – This chapter examines how activism and advocacy have shaped the policy and politics of cycling.Methodology – Evidence drawn upon includes policy documents and interviews…

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Purpose – This chapter examines how activism and advocacy have shaped the policy and politics of cycling.

Methodology – Evidence drawn upon includes policy documents and interviews with advocates and activists, some carried out as part of the Economic and Social Research Council Cycling Cultures project. The chapter focuses on the United Kingdom but within a comparative context drawing upon material from The Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland.

Findings – The chapter argues that cycling has always been constructed in relation to social movements and social identities, and so the politics of cycling varies depending on the relationship of cycling to politics more broadly. Understanding this context can contribute to the analysis of policy and infrastructural debates within and between cycling movements.

Research limitations – The research could be strengthened by a comparative focus upon middle- and lower-income countries, where the demographic profile of cyclists is likely to be different leading to distinctively different politics of cycling.

Research implications – The politics of cycling should be considered as crucial in shaping the content and outcomes of cycling policies, particularly in terms of understanding – and redressing – perceived policy failures.

Social implications – The chapter argues that the current political and economic situation is generating distinctive political problems for cycling movements, and this is already beginning to produce new debates and changes in forms of advocacy and activism.

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Cycling and Sustainability
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-299-9

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