Understanding walking and cycling using a life course perspective

Jones, Heather; Chatterjee, Kiron; Gray, Selena

Abstract

UK transport statistics suggest there was a marked decline in levels of walking and cycling in the second half of the twentieth century, yet what this looks like in the life course patterns of walking and cycling of individuals and cohorts alive at this time is unclear and unknowable from present sources.

This paper introduces research in progress that applies a life course perspective with a life history methodology to understand life course patterns of walking and cycling of individuals. Trajectories of walking and cycling are reconstructed with older and younger cohorts through life history interviews.

These cohorts are drawn from the same families to construct Parent and Child dyads. Walking and cycling trajectories are depicted through biographical accounts, summary descriptive texts and visual depictions. Emergent findings are that wider social changes are apparent in inter-cohort variation in life course structure and timing and that this is producing inter-cohort variation in walking and cycling trajectories. There are also indications of intergenerational influence on walking and cycling trajectories within families much of which is mediated through caring roles.

This approach has the potential to deliver a more sophisticated understanding of the processes of change in travel behaviour in individual lives, their relation to events and transitions in multiple life course trajectories, and the interdependency of life courses. Looking ahead potential policy implications could include the need for a policy approach that recognises that population cohorts’ walking and cycling trajectories are distinguished by the social and historical backdrop.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: 91st Annual Meeting of Transport Research Board
• Start Date: Jan 22, 2012
• End Date: Jan 26, 2012
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2012
• Deposit Date: Sep 29, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 15, 2016
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: walking, cycling, life course
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/953960
• Publisher URL: http://amonline.trb.org/trb-59976-2012-1.2356077/t12026-1.2364849/653-1.2363335/12-3229-1.2364919/12-3229-1.2364922?qr=1
• Additional Information: Title of Conference or Conference Proceedings : 91st Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2012 Compendium of Paper
• Contract Date: Feb 10, 2016