Not sure if anybody else has noticed this yet but the link at the bottom
for the symposium papers should be
http://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/sociology/cemore/cycling/cyclingabstracts.htm
Paul
Dave Horton wrote:
>Hi All
>
>I've pasted below, in case anyone's interested, a relatively short (and
>subjective, apologies to paper presenters who feel I've mis-represented
>them!) summary of the recent 'Cycling and the Social Sciences' symposium,
>held at Lancaster University. It's been done for the newsletter of our local
>cycling campaign, Dynamo.
>
>This is the kind of thing I'd intended (and perhaps promised?!) to circulate
>as a press release, following the event. But, almost 3 months on, it seems a
>little late for that now. Nonetheless, I hope it might be a pleasureable
>reminder to at least a few people.
>
>Best wishes
>
>Dave
>
>
>Explorations in cycling
>
>The last two days of June saw around 35 people who like to think about
>cycling gather under the banner of 'Cycling and the Social Sciences', at the
>Centre for Mobilities Research, Lancaster University. There's a growing
>number of social scientists with a research interest in cycling dotted
>around the country, and it seemed sensible to organise an event to bring
>them together, along with transport professionals and cycling activists, and
>thereby strengthen the profile of academic work into cycling. Given the
>clear relevance of cycling to a whole range of current concerns - about
>congestion, pollution, sustainability, climate change, quality-of-life,
>health and disease - the time certainly seems right to push for the
>policy-relevance of research into cycling.
>
>The first day, June 29th, saw nine speakers present findings from their
>research into a diverse and fascinating mix of cycle-related topics.
>Nicholas Oddy, a design historian at the Glasgow School of Art, explored the
>reasons behind the stability of the bicycle's appearance through the first
>third of the twentieth century. Falling prices and mass uptake of the
>bicycle by the working class contributed, during that era, to a decline in
>the previously high status of the bicycle, and a climate hostile to
>innovation in the cycling industry. Moving to the present day,
>ex-Lancastrian Peter Cox, of the University College of Chester, considered
>the velomobile, and particularly how the velomobile confuses our ordinary,
>taken for granted understandings of what a cycle is. Peter stressed the
>need, if the social acceptability and uptake of emerging cycle technologies
>like the velomobile is to grow, to think outside of conventional meanings of
>what is a cycle, what is a car, and what lies in-between.
>
>Another old Dynamite, Paul Rosen from the University of York, reminded the
>audience that it is not just the provision of infrastructure such as cycle
>paths and lanes which gets people on their bikes, but also the active
>promotion and increased visibility of such facilities. Paul argued that the
>Sustrans network has been such a success not only because an extensive
>cycle-friendly infrastructure was so obviously wanted, but also because the
>organisation has worked very hard to develop a sense of ownership of that
>infrastructure among local communities, and also advertised the existence of
>the infrastructure much further afield. Mark McGuinness from Bath Spa
>University College concentrated in his talk on a specific aspect of the
>Sustrans network. Mark demonstrated, and praised, the importance of
>community art along Sustrans routes. Using, like most of the other speakers,
>lots of great photos, he noted how much of this art is very accessible;
>people don't just look at it, but can sit on it, touch it, even - in the
>case of a drinking fountain - be literally refreshed by it.
>
>The middle of the day was comprised of three papers of direct relevance to
>anyone attempting to increase cycling levels. First, Tim Ryley from the
>Transport Research Institute at Napier University discussed an ongoing
>Edinburgh based study seeking to identify the population segments most
>likely to cycle. Partly because they are less likely to have access to a
>car, it seems that students are the group with the highest propensity to
>cycle. His findings also suggest that greater barriers to cycling exist
>among women than men, and that, with the current media obsession with
>obesity, future promotion efforts might usefully stress how cycling is a
>healthy form of exercise. Second, John Parkin of the Bolton Institute
>presented findings from his study into the various factors which influence a
>person's propensity to cycle to work. The results of his study suggest that
>the perceived risk of cycling is not as great a barrier as is sometimes
>argued; less obvious factors, such as either knowing or not knowing other
>people who cycle to work, are also significant. Third, Tim Jones from Oxford
>Brookes University presented work-in-progress, an examination of household
>travel behaviour adjacent to the National Cycle Network, and in particular
>the Network's role in encouraging utility cycling. The findings of this
>study will clearly demand scrutiny by anyone either positive or sceptical
>about the Network's capacity to get people to use their bikes for travelling
>to work, school and the shops, and not just to get out into the countryside
>on a sunny Sunday.
>
>A prize for one of the more bizarre titles of an academic paper must go to
>Ben Fincham of Cardiff University, with 'I heard the other day that somebody
>is riding a single speed free wheel bike with no brakes, so there's crazy
>people out there': Reflections on a study into the bicycle messenger
>industry in the UK. Ben described his time as a bike messenger, exploring
>the lifestyles - both on and off the bike - of this in many ways
>sub-cultural cycling group. The bicycle messenger industry is low paid,
>non-unionised and dangerous, but - in contrast to what might therefore be
>expected - many messengers are highly educated and espouse progressive
>politics, actively embrace and live up to their deviant reputation, love the
>lifestyle which comes with their work, and some even travel the world to
>participate in bike messenger gatherings and competitions. And Justin
>Spinney, of the University of London, spoke about his research - a study of
>racing cyclists, which included riding with, and interviewing, cyclists as
>they climbed the awesome and legendary Mount Ventoux. Justin's research
>reveals how talking to cyclists as they are actually cycling enables a much
>keener awareness of the performance of cycling as actively accomplished
>through the coming-together, in a specific context, of the person and the
>technology of the bicycle. He plans to extend this novel methodology in
>order to gain fresh understandings of utility cycling.
>
>In addition to the papers, the day was characterised by plenty of
>stimulating discussion and debate. Does it make sense, for example, to
>distinguish between 'leisure' and 'utility' cycling? How do we seek to
>improve our understandings of cycling when, as the papers made so apparent,
>cycling is many things at the same time: for some a way of life, for others
>a cheap mode of transport, and for still more a vehicle to an occasional
>day-out? How does, and how should, policy engage with these
>actually-existing cycling worlds? Exploring such questions, generating
>others, and contributing to the development of an exciting and productive
>agenda for future research into cycling are among the tasks which the
>Cycling and Society Research Group, formed the following day, has set
>itself. One of the main aims of this group is to raise the profile and
>status of research into cycling within the UK social sciences, and thus
>perhaps also to raise the status of cycling itself, as well as to contribute
>to better cycling policy.
>
>More details of the event, together with some of the papers presented, can
>be found at
>http://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/sociology/events/cycling/cycling%20workshop.htm
>
>The next meeting of the Cycling and Society Research Group, this time at
>Cardiff University, is planned for Easter 2005. Anyone keen to be learn more
>about the Group can subscribe to a new email discussion list by going to
>http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/CYCLING-AND-SOCIETY.html
>
>Dave Horton
>
>
>
--
Dr Paul Rosen
Science & Technology Studies Unit
Department of Sociology
University of York
Heslington, York
YO10 5DD.
UK
Tel. 01904 - 434743 Mobile. 07968 - 707738
Fax. 01904 - 434702
Email: [log in to unmask] Web: http://www.york.ac.uk/org/satsu/
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