Infrastructure is not enough: Interactions between the environment, socioeconomic disadvantage and cycling participation in England
Type: Journal Article Venue: Journal of Transport and Land Use Year: 2021
Abstract
Cycling can be particularly beneficial for socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. First, because it can allow them to access opportunities that by other modes they may not afford. Secondly, because it can increase their physical activity levels and, consequently, improve their health. We analyse the extent to which socioeconomic disadvantage impacts on cycling participation in England, for both leisure and utility cycling. Then, we explore the extent to which this impact could be explained by the environment in which disadvantaged populations live. The study population includes 167,178 individuals, residing in 2,931 areas, and 326 Local Authorities. Data on individual factors were drawn from the Active Lives Survey, and data on environmental factors from several sources. Descriptive statistics and multilevel logistic models were estimated. The likelihood of cycling is lower among people living in deprived areas than among people living in non-deprived areas. This difference is significant for leisure, but also for utility cycling when controlling for individual and environmental factors. The study also found that cycling infrastructure and greater levels of cyclability are higher in deprived areas than in non-deprived areas. This suggests that infrastructure and cyclability are not enough to increase cycling levels among disadvantaged populations. Further research on other barriers to cycling among disadvantaged populations is required.
Citation
Eugeni Vidal Tortosa, R. Lovelace, E. Heinen, and R. P. Mann (2021). Infrastructure is not enough: Interactions between the environment, socioeconomic disadvantage and cycling participation in England. Journal of Transport and Land Use. https://doi.org/10.5198/jtlu.2021.1781
Impact Statement
This paper provides a high-rigour, large-scale (n=167,178) analysis of the “participation gap” in English cycling. Its primary significance lies in its counter-intuitive finding: despite deprived areas often having higher levels of objective “cyclability” and infrastructure, participation remains significantly lower than in affluent areas. By utilizing multilevel logistic models, the research demonstrates that the “Build it and they will come” mantra is insufficient for tackling transport equity. It identifies socioeconomic disadvantage as a primary barrier that outweighs physical environment factors, particularly for leisure cycling.
This work is foundational for the next generation of “socially inclusive” transport policy, arguing that infrastructure must be accompanied by targeted social programs to reduce health inequalities and address environmental justice. It serves as a crucial counter-narrative to traditional transport planning, which often focuses purely on infrastructure provision. This research highlights the social and economic complexities that prevent infrastructure from being a “silver bullet” for increasing cycling participation among all socioeconomic groups.
Unit of Assessment: UoA 9 (Architecture, Built Environment and Planning).
Alternative UoA: UoA 17 (Geography and Environmental Studies) or UoA 2 (Public Health, Health Services and Primary Care).
PGR student co-author: True (Eugeni Vidal-Tortosa).
Potential for Double Weighting: No.
Author rating: Likely 3* or 4* for its provocative and evidence-backed challenge to planning orthodoxy.
Author Contribution:
Vidal-Tortosa led the data integration of the Active Lives Survey with various environmental datasets, designed the multilevel modeling approach, and authored the manuscript. Lovelace provided the senior academic steer on transport data science and spatial analysis. Heinen and Mann contributed to the conceptual framework regarding utility vs. leisure cycling and the statistical validation of the findings.
BibTeX
@article{vidaltortosa_infrastructure_2021,
title = {Infrastructure is not enough: interactions between the environment, socioeconomic disadvantage and cycling participation in {England}},
copyright = {CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication},
issn = {1938-7849},
shorttitle = {Infrastructure is not enough},
url = {https://www.jtlu.org/index.php/jtlu/article/view/1781},
doi = {10.5198/jtlu.2021.1781},
abstract = {Cycling can be particularly beneficial for socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. First, because it can allow them to access opportunities that by other modes they may not afford. Secondly, because it can increase their physical activity levels and, consequently, improve their health. We analyse the extent to which socioeconomic disadvantage impacts on cycling participation in England, for both leisure and utility cycling. Then, we explore the extent to which this impact could be explained by the environment in which disadvantaged populations live. The study population includes 167,178 individuals, residing in 2,931 areas, and 326 Local Authorities. Data on individual factors were drawn from the Active Lives Survey, and data on environmental factors from several sources. Descriptive statistics and multilevel logistic models were estimated. The likelihood of cycling is lower among people living in deprived areas than among people living in non-deprived areas. This difference is significant for leisure, but also for utility cycling when controlling for individual and environmental factors. The study also found that cycling infrastructure and greater levels of cyclability are higher in deprived areas than in non-deprived areas. This suggests that infrastructure and cyclability are not enough to increase cycling levels among disadvantaged populations. Further research on other barriers to cycling among disadvantaged populations is required.},
language = {en},
urldate = {2021-03-06},
journal = {Journal of Transport and Land Use},
publisher = {University of Minnesota},
author = {Vidal Tortosa, Eugeni and Lovelace, R. and Heinen, E. and Mann, R. P.},
year = {2021},
note = {tex.ids= tortosa\_infrastructure\_2021
number: 1},
keywords = {physical activity},
}