Cycling, social networks, and (still more) research

Greetings, Chainlinkers, from a distant member. I don’t know most of you these days, but for a while there I was an active participant in rides, reading, and ridiculousness (much of it my own). These days I’m settled in to the somewhat distant city of Aberdeen, Scotland, where I’m currently serving as a Lecturer in the Department of Geography & Environment at the University of Aberdeen.

Much of my research here is focused on the dual (and potentially complementary) threads of technology and active transport. I’m working with some active transport and cycling groups here in Aberdeen and in Glasgow, and one of the areas that I’m exploring is how social networks can influence cycling behavior – whether propensity to cycle, sustained behavioral changes, or general interest in participating in active transport.

The overall thesis that I’m testing is that infrastructure (cycle lanes, parking, etc.) is one part of the active transport picture, but that there are other parts (such as support networks, information provision, and psychological comfort) that aren’t given enough credence. As part of this research, I’m currently leading a study looking at the impacts of social networks on cycling. One hypothesis is that the presence of and participation in a cycling-specific social network can enhance one’s propensity to cycle, as it creates new norms and expectations, thus solidifying cycling behaviors. While there’s some research around this in various related fields, there’s not much directly related to active transport. I’m interested in pushing this forward, as I think there’s a potential for some good impacts related to funding, influence, and support.

And so, once again, I’m asking for help. The first part is this: I’ve got a survey up on SurveyMonkey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KBHPX85 that’s beginning to explore how participation in a cycling social network (or CSN) influences one’s cycling behavior (or what factors may influence one’s decision not to cycle…). I welcome all participants - cyclist or not! (Of course, all individual responses will be kept confidential. Only aggregate data will be used for reporting purposes, no sharing of email addresses with third parties, etc. I take privacy seriously.)

The second part is this: I’m going to be in Chicago the week of 14-20 November, and I’m hoping to get some people together while I’m there to pick some brains and have a beer (or two, or sparkling water – working on how I can provide this). If you take the survey, there’s a place at the end to indicate if you’re interested in taking part in the larger discussion, and what days you might be available if so. (If you have no interest in the survey but might be interested in the discussion group, please send me a message.) If you might be interested in participating, let me know and I’ll send out more information closer to the day. I’m not sure yet what the location will be, but rest assured that it will be easily accessible.

In the meantime, I’m happy to talk about the research if anyone has questions. One way or another, I hope to see some of you while I’m in town. I miss Chicago and the decided lack of cobblestones (can be a bit painful on the brain when combined with bike tires...)