John,
Thanks for the helpful post - it clarifies the broader picture
usefully. You're right, it will be important to discuss with the
authorities and other local stakeholders in the six towns what is
happening, how research could benefit them and complement the work you
are doing with Sustrans, and then to work out how to bring together
local needs/benefits with our own academic interests. However, I
personally would expect a single bid to ESRC to carry out a comparative
study of the effects of different approaches in (all or some of) the six
towns to stand a better chance of success than a raft of smaller,
individual bids. I myself would want to be involved in research that
has both practical and sociological value, which would, I think, come
from using the different cases to help think not just about the local
specifics but also more theoretically/conceptually about such things as
the degree to which policy interventions are able to influence local
cultures of mobility, how feasible it is to reorient not just people's
practical activities but also the values and identities that go along
with those activities; and is this all possible at all in six small
towns whose residents are not, after all, isolated from the rest of
society's habits and values.
This isn't to say other possibilities shouldn't be pursued - not just
with ESRC but also EPSRC, who might be open to different kinds of
funding bids, whilst we shouldn't forget MRC either.
Paul
Parkin, John wrote:
> As some of you may be aware, I am sub-contracted, along with ITS at U of
> Leeds, to work with Sustrans on the monitoring of the CDTs. The work
> programme revolves mainly around 'functional' counts (of ATCs, MCCs,
> trips to school and work, parked bikes and some user surveys) and
> tracking trends in these quantitative data.
>
> There is a real need for other more extensive and intensive surveying of
> the towns and the monitoring team would undoubtedly work with any
> academic partners to support bidding for research funds.
>
> Discussions have already taken place with U of Lancaster about
> potentially more intensive work in Lancaster and Morecambe. Can I
> suggest that as a way forward different thoughts and ideas are developed
> for each town, after all the interventions in each town are rather
> different and a single project covering all the towns would not
> necessarily make most effective use of academic research time and
> effort.
>
> I think that an element of co-ordination between multiple bids would be
> appropriate, however, in order to ensure appropriate overlaps where
> necessary and the offering of distinct approaches in each location where
> necessary. I suspect this would best occur after ideas about the
> particular research focus for each town has been to some extent worked
> up.
>
> As a way forward, might I suggest that individuals thinking of pursuing
> such research funding begin by contacting their local authority and
> getting a feel for the shape and scale of interventions in their local
> town and developing research ideas accordingly. It might then be
> appropriate for some sort of meeting or event simply to touch base
> before all the long hard work of writing a bid commences. The word
> "clearing house" came to mind: one the one hand none of us would want to
> stifle the bidding of another, yet at the same time we ought to be fully
> aware of what others are considering and how this might affect ones own
> bid and how the bid might be seen by a research council. I would be
> happy to organise such a meeting if you thought it appropriate.
>
> Some ideas:
> A focus on children, tracking them over time in school
> A focus on a large employer looking at workforce churn and take up by
> new employees as old ones leave
> A focus on household panels, tracking all journeys over a period of two
> years or so
> Understanding the way peoples cognitive mapping of an area changes
> Considering the effect of hilliness on take up (this is a hot favourites
> of mine)
> The effects of geography and townscape
>
> Clearly these are all very crude and need a lot of further shaping.
> Also, based on our different academic backgrounds, I suspect the methods
> employed would be rather different.
>
> I hope this email helps and empowers!
>
> Dr John Parkin
> Reader in Transport Engineering and Planning
> Department of the Built Environment
> The University of Bolton
> Deane Road, Bolton, BL3 5AB
> Dir Tel 01204 903027 Mob Tel 07903 523017
> Fax 01204 399074 www.bolton.ac.uk/staff/jp10
>
>
>
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Cycling and Society Research Group discussion list
>> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ben Fincham
>> Sent: 07 September 2006 16:54
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: cycling demonstration towns
>>
>> Dear All,
>>
>> Is anybody doing any research on the Cycling England Cycling
>> Demonstrations Towns? Having just moved to Brighton, and
>> knowing that it is one, I am keen to do a bit of research
>> into the processes underpinning the implementation of these
>> sorts of initiatives. I haven't bid for any money for it, but
>> will do a bit of enquiring and maybe carry on regardless. I
>> would be particularly interested to hear from anybody in any
>> of the other towns (Aylesbury, Darlington, Derby, Exeter or
>> Lancaster (Hello Dave)) who might want to do a bit of
>> comparative qualitative research.
>>
>> Over and out
>>
>> Ben
>>
>> Dr Ben Fincham
>>
>> Brighton University
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
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