Cycling and socioeconomic disadvantage

Cycling is an affordable, healthy, and convenient mode of transport and form of leisure. However, not everyone benefits from cycling equally. In some contexts, the socioeconomically disadvantaged, who are most in need of alternatives for transport and an active life, have been found to cycle less, to have less access to cycling facilities, and to be at a higher risk of injury while cycling. Despite the rapid growth of studies on the topic ‘socioeconomic inequalities in cycling’, several research gaps remain. This thesis, composed of three empirical papers, aims to better understand the relationships between cycling and socioeconomic disadvantage in England from three perspectives: behaviour, environment, and safety. A varied range of datasets (National Travel Survey, Active Lives Adult Survey, STATS19, and population and environmental data from several sources) and quantitative methods (descriptive, regression, and multilevel regression analyses) were used. Despite finding that deprived areas have a higher density of cycling facilities, the socioeconomically disadvantaged were found to cycle less overall than the non-disadvantaged. This suggests that infrastructure is not enough to increase cycling levels among these populations. Socioeconomically disadvantaged populations were also found to have much less ownership and access to bicycles. Finally, the results also show that the socioeconomically disadvantaged are at a higher risk of being slightly, seriously, and fatally injured while cycling, that disadvantaged children are most at risk, and that inequalities in cycling safety may have increased over the last years. These findings have policy implications, which put into practice may enable socioeconomically disadvantaged populations to cycle more and safer. The project also raises new pressing questions for researchers and policy-makers.