Griet Scheldeman

Moving around the City: Discourses on Walking and Cycling in English Urban Areas

There remains only limited understanding of perceptions of travel behaviour in relation to short journeys in urban areas and, in particular, the perceived role that walking and cycling for personal travel can realistically play in contemporary society. This paper reveals discourses surrounding the practice, performance, identity, conflicts, and visions relating to walking and cycling in English cities. These were derived from a large-scale study that utilised a comprehensive mixed-method approach using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Q methodology was used as an additional tool to investigate subjectivities on walking and cycling in the city in a structured, interpretable format and it is this approach that is the focus of this paper. The paper concludes with a discussion on the implications of these discourses for policy makers interested in encouraging a shift from car use to walking and cycling for short journeys in urban areas.

Chapter 7 The Role of Walking and Cycling in Reducing the Impacts of Climate Change

Purpose – To examine the potential for switching short trips in urban areas from cars to walking and cycling, and the possible contribution, this could make to a reduction in transport-related greenhouse gas emissions. Methods – Case studies in four urban areas combining a questionnaire survey, interviews with households and during journeys and in-depth ethnographies of everyday travel. Findings – The barriers to an increase in walking and cycling in British urban areas are emphasised. It demonstrates that motivations for walking and cycling are mostly personal (health and local environment) and that the complexities and contingencies of everyday travel for many households, combined with inadequate infrastructure, safety concerns and the fact that walking and cycling are seen by many as abnormal modes of travel, mean that increasing rates of walking and cycling will be hard. Given that the contribution of trips less than 2 miles to transport-related greenhouse gas emissions is relatively small, it is argued that any gains from increased walking and cycling would mostly accrue to personal health and the local environment rather than to the UKs carbon reduction target. Social implications – Positive attitudes towards walking and cycling are motivated mainly by personal concerns rather than global environmental issues. Originality – Use of detailed ethnographic material in policy-related transport research.