Feeling like cycling? Psychological factors related to cycling as a mode choice

Abstract

Despite the undeniable benefits of cycling, this mode of transport is still somewhat underdeveloped in many European countries such as in the Czech Republic. The limited number of trips by bike may be explained by the objective factors, like the natural environment inconvenient for cycling. However, objective factors play the role only to some degree. There are also subjective or psychological factors associated with choosing a mode of transport. This study focuses on the perceptions and attitudes related to riding a bicycle. The data was collected through a survey in the Czech municipality Litoměřice, as a part of Litoměřice's sustainable urban mobility plan. The sample consisted of 1 301 inhabitants of Litoměřice of the age of 6 and older. The mean age was 48 years and the median age 49 years. Women represented 52% (682 persons) of the sample. Overall, 34% (i.e. 400) respondents stated that they ride bicycles as their leisure. Another 10% (111) of them also ride a bike when they travel to work, school or shop. The remaining 57% (i.e. 671) of the respondents indicated that they do not cycle at all. Also, the respondents answered 12 statements covering their opinions related to cycling in Litoměřice based on the theory of planned behaviour. Answers of the respondents on these variables correlated and the exploratory factor analysis with the minimum residual estimator and varimax rotation indicated three underlying factors. The first one contained attitudes towards traffic safety when riding a bike and the state of cycling infrastructure in Litoměřice. The second factor represented subjective views on the landscape as a barrier for cycling in Litoměřice. The third factor reflected the normative dimension of cycling. Multinomial logistic regression included subjective views as well as socio-demography in the model predicting bicycle usage. It was found that when a person valued cycling in terms of norms, this person was more likely to ride a bicycle in comparison to a person who indicated no cycling at all. Also, respondents who cycled did not tend to see the landscape in Litoměřice as something discouraging them from riding a bike, at least in comparison to those who did not cycle at all. Finally, respondents who saw the current traffic in Litoměřice as safe for cyclists, as well as those who considered the cycling infrastructure as developed, were less likely to be those who rode a bike in reality. These findings could be used for the preparation as well as for the implementation of the transport policy as they reveal psychological barriers for riding a bike. Also, the results of this study provide support for including psychological measures in sustainable urban mobility plans, as well as in travel behaviour surveys in general.