By Michelle Kearns, Associate Planner at Access Planning

Getting people on bikes for transportation has a variety of benefits: it can help bridge the gap to rapid transit, enable lower income residents to make more trips without needing to pay transit fares, or provide a few minutes of exercise. Providing safe, separated cycling infrastructure helps remove barriers to cycling, opening the door to more people of different ages, abilities and backgrounds to cycle for transportation. Build it, and they will come.

Or will they?

In 2013, a consortium of researchers and practitioners in Toronto set out to test a theory: that investing in cycling mentorship programs could increase cycling for transportation among participants. Most research had looked at how building new infrastructure may increase cycling mode share, but this study focused on a capacity-building program providing education and support.

While in grad school at the University of Toronto, I was lucky to be involved in this research as part of the Toronto Cycling Think and Do Tank.

Some key questions considered. What if we focused on building cycling skills and comfort in areas not slated for capital-intensive road redesigns? How can we make sure that everyone feels safe and included in cycling conversations? How do we support lower income populations who live in inner suburban areas facing a 15-minute walk and taking two-buses to their workplace, or a $6 fare to get to the library and back? These areas are designed with free parking and wide arterials – amenities are too far to walk to and the bus is sometimes a financial barrier. However, with some knowledge of cycling skills and local streets, cycling for transportation may help bridge the gap.

By partnering with local community agencies (most focused on newcomer settlement), the cycling mentorship programs were accessed by a diverse crowd of participants that were not located in downtown areas. The program was designed to tackle the barriers of not owning a bike or accessories, not knowing how to maintain a bike, or not being familiar with cycling safety and local routes. Most participants were newly arrived to Canada, many lived in apartment towers with bike storage challenges, and many were balancing part-time schooling, a varied work schedule, and childcare. Over the 12-16-week program (held annually from 2013), participants were provided safety training, locks, bicycles and helmets. Volunteer mentors scheduled group rides and picnics.

“There’s a tendency to dismiss the idea that suburban residents would ever cycle for transportation, influencing policy and design decisions with multi-generational staying power.”

Survey results before and after the programs showed an increase in cycling for transportation, as well as an increase in willingness to spend on a bike and accessories. Despite not living in areas that are traditionally seen as places where it’s common to ride a bike for transportation, the participants still increased their cycling.

How can we apply what we’ve learned to transportation planning in the future?

There’s a tendency to dismiss the idea that suburban residents would ever cycle for transportation, influencing policy and design decisions with multi-generational staying power. Perhaps a new heavy rail station is built without thought of bike access; maybe a boulevard re-design doesn’t consider bike infrastructure (despite the relatively low cost of tacking on separated facilities to a full reconstruction). This is a missed opportunity. The full article on cycling mentorship research results is accessible here.

Check out some ongoing programs and consider becoming a mentor yourself:

As Canadian cities continue to see housing crunches in their downtown cores, it’s time to look beyond how we perceive the suburbs and re-think how providing for cycling can increase access to opportunity for everyone.

Want to read more? The cycling mentorship work was part of a larger body of research that culminated in Increasing Cycling in Canada: A Guide to What Works.