Initiative details
Parents play a crucial role in deciding how their children go to school. Most of the time, they chose which mode of transport their children use and which route they take to reach the school gate. And although cycling to school seems like an obvious choice for many children, for their parents, it is not. Why? Because for parents, safety concerns are decisive and often trump all other considerations. Surveys in the Belgian city of Leuven, for example, show that especially women think traffic in their neighborhood is not safe enough to allow children to cycle to school independently.
That is not just a sad observation, but also one that deserves more scrutiny. Which situations do mothers deem unsafe? And, more importantly, why? What can be done about it, so more parents are comfortable with their children cycling to school?
That is not just a sad observation, but also one that deserves more scrutiny. Which situations do mothers deem unsafe? And, more importantly, why? What can be done about it, so more parents are comfortable with their children cycling to school?
Initiative date
to
Who was/is your target audience?
Policy makers
Public authorities
Parents
Topic
Create awareness
Organisation details
Mobiel 21
Association
Belgium
Leuven
Contact name
Elke Franchois
Telephone number
0485043188
elke.franchois@mobiel21.be
Project activities
Please describe the project activities you carried/are carrying out and the time period over which these were implemented.
Customer Journey Mapping
To answer these questions above, Mobiel 21 reached out to the target group of cycling mothers in Leuven, its hometown. Goal of this outreach was to involve cycling mothers in in-depth qualitative research into their sense of road safety, with a focus on the urban environment.
During the second half of 2023, we subjected cycling mothers to a Customer Journey Mapping (CJM) exercise. Specifically, we followed 18 moms and their kids on their morning bike ride to school and mapped this route. At fixed locations, participants were invited to give a score indicating how safe they felt at that specific spot. These scores formed the basis for in-depth interviews with the mothers, conducted immediately after the bike ride. We also gathered some personal details about each participant through a short telephone survey before the bike ride.
All in all, two Mobiel 21 researchers carried out these CJM exercises, following and interviewing each mother individually.
To answer these questions above, Mobiel 21 reached out to the target group of cycling mothers in Leuven, its hometown. Goal of this outreach was to involve cycling mothers in in-depth qualitative research into their sense of road safety, with a focus on the urban environment.
During the second half of 2023, we subjected cycling mothers to a Customer Journey Mapping (CJM) exercise. Specifically, we followed 18 moms and their kids on their morning bike ride to school and mapped this route. At fixed locations, participants were invited to give a score indicating how safe they felt at that specific spot. These scores formed the basis for in-depth interviews with the mothers, conducted immediately after the bike ride. We also gathered some personal details about each participant through a short telephone survey before the bike ride.
All in all, two Mobiel 21 researchers carried out these CJM exercises, following and interviewing each mother individually.
In terms of implementation, what worked well and what challenges did you need to overcome?
On the one hand, CJM proved relatively time- and labour-intensive as a research method, limiting the number of participants. On the other hand, it provides valuable personal and practical insights into how our roads can cater to everyone. Such instructive insights cannot be gained by simply subjecting participants to an abstract survey or a stand-alone interview. Our experience indicates that the CJM methodology could and should, in other words, be used more broadly in qualitative mobility research as it can be applied to diverse target groups, different types of trips, and various emotional factors other than sense of safety.
If you work together with external partners, list the most important partners and briefly describe their role.
No external partners were involved.
Evaluation
Please summarise how you have evaluated the initiative’s impact (e.g. social media reach, survey, feedback forms, statistics).
We did not evaluated the impact of communicating the results of the research.
What has been the effect of the activities?
During all bike rides and interviews, it became clear that all participating mothers were motivated and committed cyclists, who care deeply about road safety. Their stories indicate that it sometimes takes dedication to continue cycling with children, especially when they feel unsafe. Interestingly, several participants indicated that there is no real societal recognition that cycling with children is important, yet challenging at the same time. Not by other road users, not in our rules and regulations, not in policy measures and not in infrastructure design either.
Obviously, participants relayed diverse experiences and feelings. Our researchers observed a range of ways in which individual mothers deal with unsafe traffic situations. In general, however, some common conclusions can be drawn about the factors influencing their sense of safety.
Cyclists' sense of safety is impacted by...
1. The presence of motorized traffic: Chaotic traffic situations, where space is poorly organized for various road users, lead to a stronger feeling of insecurity and more conflicts with motorized traffic. The amount of motorized traffic, the presence and speed of heavy traffic, and the distance cars keep from cyclists also play a role.
2. Clear rules and signage: Knowing how to behave as a cyclist gives a safer feeling. Confusing signs and rules not only increase feelings of insecurity, they also make it more difficult to teach children traffic skills and give them clear instructions while on the road.
3. The behaviour of other road users: A lack of understanding and impatience on the part of other road users, both motorized and non-motorized, towards novice cyclists as well as people riding a less agile or larger bike also plays a role in participants' sense of safety.
4. A safe school environment: The majority of participants considers their child’s school environment to be chaotic, but safe. This feeling of safety increases even more when measures have been taken to remove motorized traffic from the school environment.
Recommendations for policymakers
Based on the insights and conclusions of our research, as well as suggestions by the participants, recommendations can be formulated for policymakers to increase the sense of safety amongst cycling mothers in particular, and the general public more broadly.
- Create protected or separated cycle paths
- Make intersections and crossings conflict-free
- Prioritize low-traffic streets
- Reduce the speed of motorized traffic
- Avoid mixing heavy traffic with bicycle traffic
- Ensure unambiguous regulations and clear signage
- Create campaigns to increase understanding, amongst all road users, of the different types and speeds of cyclists
- Communicate about traffic rules that protect cyclists, and ensure that those rules are properly enforced
Obviously, participants relayed diverse experiences and feelings. Our researchers observed a range of ways in which individual mothers deal with unsafe traffic situations. In general, however, some common conclusions can be drawn about the factors influencing their sense of safety.
Cyclists' sense of safety is impacted by...
1. The presence of motorized traffic: Chaotic traffic situations, where space is poorly organized for various road users, lead to a stronger feeling of insecurity and more conflicts with motorized traffic. The amount of motorized traffic, the presence and speed of heavy traffic, and the distance cars keep from cyclists also play a role.
2. Clear rules and signage: Knowing how to behave as a cyclist gives a safer feeling. Confusing signs and rules not only increase feelings of insecurity, they also make it more difficult to teach children traffic skills and give them clear instructions while on the road.
3. The behaviour of other road users: A lack of understanding and impatience on the part of other road users, both motorized and non-motorized, towards novice cyclists as well as people riding a less agile or larger bike also plays a role in participants' sense of safety.
4. A safe school environment: The majority of participants considers their child’s school environment to be chaotic, but safe. This feeling of safety increases even more when measures have been taken to remove motorized traffic from the school environment.
Recommendations for policymakers
Based on the insights and conclusions of our research, as well as suggestions by the participants, recommendations can be formulated for policymakers to increase the sense of safety amongst cycling mothers in particular, and the general public more broadly.
- Create protected or separated cycle paths
- Make intersections and crossings conflict-free
- Prioritize low-traffic streets
- Reduce the speed of motorized traffic
- Avoid mixing heavy traffic with bicycle traffic
- Ensure unambiguous regulations and clear signage
- Create campaigns to increase understanding, amongst all road users, of the different types and speeds of cyclists
- Communicate about traffic rules that protect cyclists, and ensure that those rules are properly enforced
Please briefly explain why your initiative is a good example of improving road safety.
We have used this research to create a follow up campaign, focussing on the recommendation "Create campaigns to increase understanding, amongst all road users, of the different types and speeds of cyclists".
Please check the film here: https://youtu.be/gkvPXEf1wdA?si=W-oTAmGvPrxSudOy
Please check the film here: https://youtu.be/gkvPXEf1wdA?si=W-oTAmGvPrxSudOy
How have you shared information about your project and its results?
A dedicated webpage in English: https://www.mobiel21.be/en/insights-and-case-studies/cycling-mothers-show-path-to-more-road-safety
A report (in Dutch): https://www.mobiel21.be/nl/inzichten-en-praktijkverhalen/onderzoek-fietsende-moeders-en-verkeersveiligheid
We have presented at multiple conferences, including the POLIS Conference, Velo-City Conference and the Traffic Safety Congress, to share our experiences and findings with professionals in the field.
A report (in Dutch): https://www.mobiel21.be/nl/inzichten-en-praktijkverhalen/onderzoek-fietsende-moeders-en-verkeersveiligheid
We have presented at multiple conferences, including the POLIS Conference, Velo-City Conference and the Traffic Safety Congress, to share our experiences and findings with professionals in the field.