Making cycling attractive (How?)
In the Transit project, the partner organisations had long, extensive and thought provoking discussions on the most important features that needs to be considered by local policy makers (civil servants and politicians) and bike associations. On a comprehensive list of challenges the partners chose three features as most important. First (i) the need to address theoretical understanding from psychology on how to promote a behavioural change among individuals and groups of individuals. Second (ii) the importance of a supporting infrastructure for increased bicycling. Third (iii), and maybe most important, the need of supporting policy frameworks and action plans. To create a behavioural change, we need to accept that it will take time, and to be able to establish activities with a long time frame, we need to highlight that “the spine comes first”
Below you will find three short films on these features in the format of conversations among peers. In these films you will meet Mikael Haster (mobility planer, and practitioner, in Karlstad municipality) and professor Margareta Friman and professor Per Kristensson (both research experts on behavioural change at The Service Research Center at Karlstad University). Moderator is Magnus Lindh (project coordinator – TRANSIT).
Please reflect in relation to your context:
When you plan a campaign or project in order to facilitate a behavioral change you need to consider a lot of different aspects. In this interesting conversation this complexity is discussed from both an academic point of view and with practical knowledge base on experience. Researchers talk about removing barriers and establish benefits for citizens, and that you need to use both pull and push measure in order to establish a behavioral change. At the same time, you need to think about th target group. Some citizens are more prone to do a behavioral change than other. How do you work in your municipal or association?
How can we promote a behavioural change among citizens towards sustainable mobility?
A first priority we identified in Transit discussions where the need to promote a behavioral change among citizens. But how to do that? In this film we have a conversation about how to promote a behavioral change towards sustainable mobility from a psychological-service oriented perspective. The overall question is about what obstacles we may face trying to promote a behavioral change and how to overcome them.
On the the importance of infrastructural investments to promote more cykling
A second priority identified among partner discussions was (of course) the significance of a supportive infrastructure. An infrastructure, enabling and promoting for bicycling will have a positive effect on citizens behavior. However, infrastructural investment are economically expensive and sometimes politically problematic. In this film we discuss the significance of a supportive infrastructural environment for sustainable mobility.
On the importance of an effective mobility planning with the objective to create a bicycle-friendly city.
A third priority Transit partners identified was the need of a strategic and long-term policy framework that will support civil servants and environmental association in there work for sustainable mobility. “The spine comes first”, has been a motto for the partners during our discussions. What we mean is that it is highly important and even determined with a supporting political framework to be able to create a behavioral change towards sustainable mobility. Civil servants need a strong back-up from politicians in order to be successful.