02-05-2019, 11:53 AM
Cycling in a car-centred city
Quote:Cycling in Waterloo Region is a mixed bag — a chance to relax and get fit, and a way to get stressed and put yourself in danger, according to a new academic study that focused on the region.
The study, "Whose Lane Is It Anyway? The Experience of Cycling in a Mid-Sized City," was published in the journal "Leisure Sciences" last week by Rebecca Mayers, a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia, and Troy Glover, a professor of recreation and leisure studies at the University of Waterloo.
Mayers, who was living in Waterloo when she did the research for the paper, said she was keen to study the experience of cyclists in a medium-sized city.
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"Mid-sized cities aren't studied a lot in the literature," Mayers said in an interview. "It's usually Toronto or Vancouver or Copenhagen."
She also thought it would be useful to study the perspective of cyclists in a "car-centred city," where the vast majority of trips taken are by car.
Mayers interviewed 16 cyclists, aged 25 to 57, seven of whom were women. Unlike statistical research that measures specific data, Mayers' qualitative research aims to flesh out cyclists' actual experiences using cycling infrastructure.