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Boosting Women's Participation in Bicycling Through Adult Bicycle Skills

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Boosting Women's Participation in Bicycling Through Adult Bicycle Skills Getting from here to there: Boosting women’s participation in bicycling through adult bicycle skills training by Stephanie Sersli M.A., York University, 2009 B.A. (Hons.), Simon Fraser University, 2003 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Doctor of Philosophy Program Faculty of Health Sciences © Stephanie Sersli 2020 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Fall 2020 Copyright in this work rests with the author. Please ensure that any reproduction or re-use is done in accordance with the relevant national copyright legislation. Declaration of Committee Name: Stephanie Sersli Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Thesis title: Getting from here to there: Boosting women’s participation in bicycling through adult bicycle skills training Committee: Chair: David Whitehurst Associate Professor, Health Sciences Meghan Winters Supervisor Associate Professor, Health Sciences Maya Gislason Committee Member Assistant Professor, Health Sciences Nicholas Scott Committee Member Associate Professor, Sociology and Anthropology Tiffany Myrdahl Muller Examiner Senior Lecturer, Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Susan Handy External Examiner Professor, Environmental Science and Policy University of California at Davis ii Ethics Statement iii Abstract Increasing bicycling in cities is a public health and sustainability goal. Although supportive infrastructure is a necessary precondition for most people to begin riding, other forms of encouragement are also needed to spur uptake across populations. Women are an important target group as they participate in bicycling at roughly one-third the rate of men. While much is known on the importance of a safe, dense, and well- connected bikeway network, there are knowledge gaps on ‘soft’ interventions related to training or education. Questions remain on the effectiveness of bicycle skills training, how trainings interact with the bikeway network, and, given the bicycling gender disparity, the role training has on supporting women’s participation. To address these gaps, this dissertation assessed the impact of a bicycle training course in encouraging participation among new and returning bicyclists, and the broader processes that enabled bicycling for women of diverse backgrounds. Weaving together behaviour change theory and gender frameworks, the longitudinal mixed methods study drew on questionnaire and interview data from Metro Vancouver, Canada—a region promoting bicycling and extending its bicycle infrastructure. The dissertation found that training facilitated only modest short-term increases in leisure bicycling. Other elements of the social and physical environment did not support a full variety of journeys to be made by bicycle, and these elements were more influential than individual attributes such as skill or knowledge. Nevertheless, training provided a safe environment to improve handling skill, learn traffic rules and safety, or reinforce pre- existing knowledge. Training enabled some participants to bicycle in more challenging conditions, thus enhancing their bicycling mobility. Policy recommendations derived from this work include: bold expansion of the bikeway network; more intensive training and practice sessions for new and returning riders; broader outreach to clarify bicycling norms and etiquette; education for drivers; and integrating a gender lens into bicycle planning. By applying a novel integration of gender and social practice theoretical frameworks to examine the impact of an intervention on an under-studied population of new and returning bicyclists, this dissertation contributes both new evidence and new conceptual insights to theory and practice of bicycling in cities. Keywords: bicycle; gender; Social Practice Theory; intervention; behaviour change; mixed methods iv Acknowledgements I have been privileged with an amazing collection of mentors, colleagues, friends, and family who supported and encouraged me during this dissertation. I would also like to acknowledge the participants in my study who generously shared their experiences, and my community partner HUB Cycling who welcomed me into their classrooms and generously shared their time. Without their contributions, this project would not have been possible. Thank you to my supervisor, Meghan Winters, for your endless support, your critical insights, and challenging me to stretch myself to the next level. I feel extraordinarily fortunate to have been part of your CHATR lab with the best team mates anyone could hope for. Caitlin and Michael, you helped me survive my first year in a new discipline. Jana, Caislin, Meredith, Lief, Jennifer, and Jaimy—I can’t express enough how I value our chats. Kate and Colin: thank you for listening and sharing. I’m grateful to my supervisory committee—Maya Gislason and Nicholas Scott—for their guidance. I am also extremely appreciative for the opportunities to collaborate with others farther afield. Léa, your insight and enthusiasm inspired me to be bold. Kristi, it was a treat to be part of your group in Australia for four months. Thank you to friends near and far for making my heart lighter, and to my family— especially my mom and brother—for being understanding when I have been distracted or needing to work on my research. Finally, Scott: you have been at my side every step of the way, reminding me to celebrate the successes and roll with the setbacks. I am forever grateful for your patience and wisdom. v Table of Contents Approval ............................................................................................................................. ii Ethics Statement ............................................................................................................... iii Abstract ............................................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... v Table of Contents .............................................................................................................. vi List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... xi List of Figures .................................................................................................................. xii Preface ............................................................................................................................ xiii Chapter 1. Introduction ............................................................................................... 1 1.1. Rationale ................................................................................................................ 1 1.2. Background ............................................................................................................ 1 1.3. Knowledge gaps .................................................................................................... 3 1.3.1. Bicycling training courses ............................................................................... 3 1.3.2. Gender disparities in bicycling ........................................................................ 5 1.3.2.1 Traffic safety concerns .................................................................................. 5 1.3.2.2 Personal safety concerns .............................................................................. 6 1.3.2.3 Trip characteristics ........................................................................................ 6 1.3.2.4 Cultural norms and meanings pertaining to the bicycle ................................. 7 1.4. Thesis aims and objectives .................................................................................... 7 1.4.1. Addressing knowledge gaps ........................................................................... 7 1.4.2. Specific objectives .......................................................................................... 8 1.5. Theoretical frameworks .......................................................................................... 9 1.5.1. Behaviour change frameworks ....................................................................... 9 1.5.1.1 Behaviour Change Wheel System ............................................................... 10 1.5.1.2 Social Practice Theory ................................................................................. 11 1.5.2. Gender .......................................................................................................... 13 1.5.2.1 Femininities and masculinities ..................................................................... 14 1.5.2.2 Gender as practice ...................................................................................... 14 1.5.2.3 Embodiment and space ............................................................................... 15 1.5.2.4 Intersectionality ............................................................................................ 15 1.6. Data sources and setting ..................................................................................... 16 1.6.1. Intervention (bicycle training course) ............................................................ 16 1.6.2. Primary data sources .................................................................................... 17 1.6.2.1 Quantitative Data ........................................................................................
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