Assessing the impact of road traffic on cycling for leisure and cycling to work
2011

Impact of Road Traffic on Cycling

Sample size: 13927 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Charlie E Foster, Jenna R Panter, Nick J Wareham

Primary Institution: Department of Public Health, University of Oxford

Hypothesis

Does road traffic volume affect leisure and commuter cycling levels?

Conclusion

Traffic volumes appear to have a greater impact on leisure cycling than commuter cycling.

Supporting Evidence

  • Traffic volumes were associated with decreased leisure cycling.
  • Both genders showed similar decreases in leisure cycling as traffic volumes increased.
  • Commuter cycling was not significantly affected by traffic volumes.

Takeaway

More cars on the road make people less likely to ride their bikes for fun, but it doesn't seem to change how often they bike to work.

Methodology

Secondary analysis of data from the UK EPIC-Norfolk cohort using GIS and multivariate models.

Potential Biases

Potential bias from self-reported data and the exclusion of participants with incomplete data.

Limitations

The study relied on self-reported physical activity measures and may not account for all environmental factors.

Participant Demographics

Participants included 13,927 adults from the UK, with a higher proportion of men reporting leisure cycling.

Statistical Information

P-Value

<0.001

Confidence Interval

95% CI 0.32-0.52 for women, 95% CI 0.33-0.50 for men

Statistical Significance

p<0.001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1479-5868-8-61

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