Come on, John, the words weren't that big for an academic discussion list!
As somebody who is fairly removed from the worlds of cycling advocacy,
policy and even research at the moment, I was just interested to see a
discussion/debate where the answers aren't clearcut, and the concerns
raised are actually a bit more interesting than the surface question of
whether cycle lanes should be x metres wide or y metres. Here we have a
situation where a piece of research supporting one group of cycling
advocates is disputed by another group, compounded by publicity that
leads to apparent misinterpretation of the whole thing anyway.
The questions that interest me here are things like: how and by whom was
the need/gap you mention identified, and how did the research question
get designed to answer this need - and by extension what approach might
have been taken had a different group of people been involved in this
process? If you know the media is hard to tame, are there different
ways of dealing with/managing them (which Dave suggests)? I don't know
whether the approaches you took with problem definition, research design
and media engagement were right or wrong, but I do think researchers
need to think these kinds of things through at the start of the process.
Paul
Parkin, John wrote:
> Paul,
>
> My research came out of a need as a policy engaged advocate and to do some appropriate science. There was a gap (and there remain gaps) to fill in this area. All those big words you use are exactly what has happened. I have to say the original paper was written in about 6,000 words. Frankly I am absolutely flabergasted at the enormous number of additional words it has generated in discussion forums and the media. Some of these words have been well informed. Others have been extremely ill informed and highly opinionated. And of course it goes without saying that the media is a beast that is hard to tame....
>
>
> Dr John Parkin
> Reader in Transport Engineering and Planning
> Department of the Built Environment
> The University of Bolton
> Deane Road, Bolton, BL3 5AB, UK
> Tel 01204 903027 Fax 01204 399074 mob 07903 523 017
> www.bolton.ac.uk/staff/jp10
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: Cycling and Society Research Group discussion list on behalf of Paul Rosen
> Sent: Tue 22/09/2009 8:43 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Passing distances to cycle traffic with and without cycle lanes
>
>
>
> Dave and everybody else,
>
> Stepping back a little from the immediate issues you raise, I think your
> piece raises some interesting points about how to define
> valid/legitimate research questions, and the relationship of science (in
> its broadest sense) to policy. This seems to me to go back to the
> thorny question of to what extent scientists are responsible for the
> uses to which their research is put, as well as what perspectives and
> which stakeholders etc should be taken into account in designing
> research (especially given the need to show user engagement when
> applying for research funding). Given that cycling is such a complex
> and sometimes contradictory research field these are important questions
> for cycling researchers to grapple with when designing projects. That
> said, I'm not sure there are easy answers, but it's good to see John's
> research is perhaps sparking some methodological/epistemological debates
> for this list to grapple with, as well as practical ones. Any comments,
> anyone?
>
> Paul
>
>
> Dave du Feu wrote:
>
>> I am concerned (though not surprised) at the message being given by
>> the publicity around this interesting research. I have prepared a
>> paper outlining my concerns, which you can find at...
>>
>> http://www.spokes.org.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=DownloadsPlus&file=index&req=viewdownload&cid=20&orderby=dateD
>>
>> [or find it at www.spokes.org.uk in downloads - technical]
>>
>> Dave du Feu
>> Spokes, the Lothian Cycle Campaign
>>
>>
>>
>> 2009/9/10 Parkin, John <[log in to unmask]>:
>>
>>
>>> With apologies for cross-posting.
>>>
>>> The Times ran an article and editorial today on the different passing distances to cycle traffic with and without cycle lanes based on the work of Ciaran Meyers and myself.
>>>
>>> The Radio has picked it up and there may be something on Radio 4 "pm" programme, and Radio five live drive time.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Dr John Parkin
>>> Reader in Transport Engineering and Planning
>>> Department of the Built Environment
>>> The University of Bolton
>>> Deane Road, Bolton, BL3 5AB, UK
>>> Tel 01204 903027 Fax 01204 399074 mob 07903 523 017
>>> www.bolton.ac.uk/staff/jp10
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
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