University of Adelaide Research - Women returning to cycling
Many women express an interest in riding a bike and yet they still constitute only a small proportion of cyclists. University of Adelaide researcher Jennifer Bonham is currently investigating the decision women take to return to cycling and their experiences of getting back on a bike. The research will assist in developing strategies to support women who would like to cycle. If you have recently returned to bike riding and would like to be part of this study, please contact Jennifer Bonham at jennifer.bonham@adelaide.edu.au More information on Jennifer research below.
Also see a recent article from Scientific American that argues that the way to get more people cycling is too ask women what they want. Intrigued ? Read the story here.
Research Information
The number of people riding bicycles is on the increase and women are an important part of this trend. But across Australia women still make up a much smaller proportion of cyclists than men and many women say they’d like to cycle but are nervous about making the first step.
This research seeks to find out more about the experiences of women as they take up cycling. We are looking especially at women who have had a break from bike riding and we’d like to find out about their journey to start cycling again – from the initial decision through to getting back on a bike.
The research will involve an in-depth interview and, for those who are interested, a follow up interview after three months. Participants involved in the longer study will be asked to keep a diary (this can be jotting down some notes, taking some photographs or making an audio recording) about their experiences of returning to cycling.
The research is expected to assist other women who are thinking about returning to cycling. It will also assist policy makers and planners as they make decisions about catering to the needs of this group of cyclists.
We do not foresee any risks associated with being involved in this research but it may provide an opportunity for participants to discuss how they have dealt with different cycling situations.
Participants’ identities will be kept confidential at all stages of the research process including write up, publication and presentation of the results. Pseudonyms will be used in place of participants’ actual names and no identifiers will be kept by the researchers after the project is completed nor included in reporting the findings.
