3. Background
5/19/2016 3UNIVERSITY of the WEST of ENGLAND
A life course view on physical activity and travel behaviour;
Earlier PA predicts later activity
proposed underlying mechanisms
Associations between life transitions/life events with changes in activity
changes in employment status, residence, relationships, family
structure, physical status
schedule, social networks, physical domain, roles, values
Some events impact on options for travel e.g. licence acquisition
Mechanisms of TB change
adaptation to new circumstances: learning and socialisation
Effects can lead or lag
Long term stability of TB, path dependency
4. 5/19/2016 4
Interviews
• Narrative interviews conducted with
adults over 50
• feelings, capabilities and activities
related to cycling
• Visual elicitation
• Narrative, interpretive accounts of
cycling life histories
6. 619/05/2016
London life
Bike main mode
Gets car following move to Bristol
Multi modal bike walk carYouth cycling
limited by
boarding school
Increasing complexity necessitates car
Increasing tendency to
walk , enjoys mental space
Angie
7. 75/19/2016
Angie
“My cycling life has really shrunk actually, not because I can’t or don’t want to, for some
reason, particularly at the moment, because I’m doing a lot of things to do with work I have
needed to the car to go and buy stuff”
“I used to go on the roads more…I am less confident and I think that’s partly to do with I
don’t do it so much, and also an age thing
….. you feel more vulnerable…turning your head to see what’s coming ….peripheral
vision…and hearing, those things become …less acute
….moving your head, balance and move, checking to see …not quite as good as they were.”
“it would be nice to have a decent bike…light weight, with lots of gears …. more user friendly
thing in terms of hills to do leisure cycling,…. one with a motor {laughs}….it seems to be
creeping up, that sort of thing”
9. 919/05/2016
child and youth
Goldie
Cycle to PT job
Takes child
to nursery
Restricted
by raising family
Walking and lifts from partner
Doesn’t drive
Relationship ends
moves
organised rides with son
Cycles to work and shops
Freedom to go out now
whenever I want
But no one to cycle with
Partner health problems
10. 105/19/2016
Goldie
“having the children so there was no bike at all....moved to Oxford, found a little bike up
there I was running around on…again it was just local riding, I often used to go to XX, and
work, I had a little part time job in one of the colleges... I peddled to and from there for
some years ….again I was on my own with cycling, my husband didn't cycle...I didn't cycle
into town I always caught the bus”
“[in] XX had bike but didn't do an awful lot of cycling, we had transport then so got a lift to
work, just go out on occasion...didn't do an awful lot because we had the transport”
“…well my leisure trips are just to the shops, I have seen adverts for rides for charity but
with no one to go with its not much fun that way, …I have done a cycle run for Dr Banardos
many years ago, my son came with me, well that's great but um you know I've not had
anyone since, unfortunately I'm a loner..[laughs] cycle on my own”
12. 19/05/2016
Cycles to
work
Rural living, commuting by car
Occasional leisure/ short functional
Youth cycling, stops at university
Urbanising move
After initially working in centre
“wouldn’t dream of cycling in”
Job move
urban fringe
positive culture
sedentary job
2/3 times a week
Leona
13. 135/19/2016
Leona
“very much a fitness thing, cos at work I’m sitting down all day …it’s only been the last 15
months….I started work there then, it’s a 6/7 mile cycle ride which is actually no further to
when I worked in the city centre previously…there is absolutely no way I would have
cycled from here into the city….. it’s quieter, traffic’s quieter,
….. and it’s also the attitude of work, if I’m not at my desk until 9.15 it doesn’t matter
whereas before I was in financial services and it did …..they have this sustainable travel
policy…there are changing facilities, showers…
…I am a fair-weather cyclist, I must admit, October comes and the bike goes in the shed
for winter…..some of the ring road path is unlit”
15. 19/05/2016
Scary experience
on bike in LA
Youth cycling,
no bike at uni
Maximising time at home
Feeling pressure or appearance
amongst younger colleagues
Career break
“Getting on top of health”
Sheena
“And that was that for cycling”
Train commuting into London
then car into Bristol
Given bike, cycles with children
trains for charity ride with friend
New partner
Plans to cycle together
Attempts to cycle to new job
unsuccessful
16. 165/19/2016
Sheena
“Training for charity ride with friend, does organised ride with son, …. then my friend
had a knee op so I said OK I won’t do it and then I think I just focused in on work, lot of
international travel, then I had a puncture at one point and being on my own, I just
thought pfff, and that was it really…
Worked 25 years for an organisation with cycle purchase scheme and showers “..some
of the secretaries did cycle and would be there with wet hair [after showers] ….It was
wanting to feel smart and presentable in an environment where people are much
younger than you”
“Realisation I needed to get on top of weight, fitness all that stuff…knowing my mother
had a heart attack at 65, that’s only 10 -15 years”
“Nothing pleasurable about the constant rush of traffic…would more likely put bike in
car to go somewhere more pleasant….we’ve talked about cycling holidays”
18. 19/05/2016
Not allowed
bike in youth
Julia
1st bike at 21
cycling to work
Cycling ends
with pregnancy
short trips after children in bed
“if my car was behind his”
Widowed
“take an apple and a book and
go along the cycle path”
Other trips in locality
“knee just became too precious”
knee replacements
uses mobility scooter
19. Support to continue/ reversing decline
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Upgrade bike
Expand domain/skills
and contacts
Dedicated infrastructure
Lighting/maintenance
Approaching transitions;
Relocation ? wayfinding
Expand
Domain/skills and
contacts
Dedicated
infrastructure
Diversify activity ahead
of retirement
Dedicated infrastructure
Updated bike, power-
assist, wing mirror
21. Take home messages
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• This cohort cycling had been constrained or off the radar during motherhood
• Enabling later cohorts to incorporate cycling with motherhood
• More localised spatial domains compatible with cycling
• Measures to make cycling suit complexity of travel
• Health and active ageing important motivations to re-engage in mid and later
• Female participants more likely to want, or feel the lack of someone to cycle with
• Differentials inability
• Logistics of meeting someone for a ride
• Cycling domains shaped by quality/extent of infrastructure
• Lighting, maintenance
• Poor or absent infrastructure more restrictive to older cyclists
22. Pathways of development in mid and later life
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Time through the life course
Cycling
activity
Continuity
Diminishing
Expansion
Restorative
Curtailed
RESILIENT
RELUCTANT
RE-ENGAGED
Absent
23. Later life cycling
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RESILIENT
RELUCTANT
RE-ENGAGED • Lessening constraints and new opportunities e.g. downshifting, released
from caring responsibilities
• Rehabilitation, ageing well, sedentariness
• Found a spatial/ temporal niche they feel capable cycling within
• Companions or facilitators, important but not necessary
• Combination of definitive stops and ‘fizzling out’
• Process of mounting dis-ease and doing it less
• Safety concerns: balance of capability/ external threats
• Travel needs shift related to changes in role and location
• Failure to re-purpose or adapt cycling following event
• Array of health issues undermining capability, comfort and confidence
• Musings about a different bike
• Some periods of stable functional bike use often coinciding with
consistent activity space
• Some gaps
• Re-purposing/adapting cycling through transitions and events
• Self-sufficient: confident and content to cycle alone
24. Youth toindependent living
Feeling confident and capable
Keeping hold of bike
Compatibility with student life
Entry level jobs; location,
expectations of dress
Role models
Anticipation of future roles
Mid-life
Motherhood
Being on their radar
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