What about older cyclists?
Posted by: JessicaJun 01 2006, 9:57 am
A PSU student sent me a question today:
As I've read material through academic journals and web sites, I've discovered that most of the transportation bikers out there are young or middle-age males. However, countries such as the Netherlands have bicycling spread across the entire population, of both genders and all ages. I've found plenty of programs aimed at helping kids and teens get a start on biking, but I haven't found much related to helping older (55+ years) people. Do you guys run or know of any such programs?
It's a good question. In a way, this is a very American question. In the Netherlands and Germany, older people don't start biking, they just never stop biking.
We at the BTA don't have any specific programs aimed at older folks (our bike safety education programs are aimed at youth, and our promotion programs like the Bike Commute Challenge don't aim at any age group in particular), and I'm not familiar with specific programs that target older cyclists from other cities.
We believe, though that the best way we can help older people to bike is to make our bikeway network, street design, and traffic environment maximally convenient, safe and attractive to cyclists of all ages and abilities…and, of course, this is also the best way we can help everyone bike more.
Current facilities tend to be built for confident, near-expert cyclists (e.g. bike lanes on major streets that require merging across several fast-moving traffic lanes to make a left turn). I think we need to start thinking of our "design vehicle" (aka "design cyclist") to be much less experienced and confident. Some ideas:
- We must do a better job of district-wide traffic calming in all residential neighborhoods
- We must commit to serious, improved enforcement of traffic laws, particularly against drivers speeding in residential neighborhoods
- We must create more and better low-traffic bike routes ("bicycle boulevards")
- We must have good laws to protect bicyclists and see that they are enforced by police and the courts
- We must take aggressive, drunk & distracted driving seriously and be willing to punish offenders
- We must make bikeways clear and easy to use without requiring a map (street markings & signs)
Don't forget, of course, the land use / transportation connection; this factor is a major part of why older folks (and all people) are able to get around safely and easily by bicycle in many European communities. Unfortunately, we're building our communities in ways that separate people from where they need and want to go and require people to travel long distances to meet basic needs. That travel model simply isn't realistic for older cyclists.
Don't forget as well that Portland tends to have a much wider diversity in our base of cyclists than other cities because of our successful focus on transportation cycling. We have far greater participation by women and people in their 40's, 50's & 60's than other cities, whose cycling base tends to be hard-core recreational riders and racers (as you note, that demographic tends to be younger and male).
Suggestions for further reading:
BTA's Blueprint for Better Biking report
Street Reclaiming (David Engwicht)
Making Walking and Cycling Safer: Lessons From Europe (Pucher & Dijkstra)
Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety in England, Germany, and The Netherlands (Zeeger)
Portland's Safe Routes to Senior Centers work
While not specifically targeted at older people, the Slug Velo rides (http://www.slugvelo.org/) attract retired riders. Some are on brand new bikes and riding with the group provides a non-threatening introduction to Portland bicycling Slug Velo provides a slow paced group ride and welcoming environment to a rider who doesn't want to face area roads alone.
The Slug Velo approach can be adopted by any bike club or group of individuals who want to extend the range of available group rides to include those whose interests don't include athletic achivement or competition.
Jun 01 2006 at 12:25 pmGood point, Michael. I think the PDOT Options Hub approach is also very welcoming to "newbie" cyclists. I taught a class for their Women on Bikes series last year and was very impressed with how many women in their 40s and 50s attended.
Jun 01 2006 at 4:48 pmI want to second Michael's comments. Slugvelo is a wonderful relaxed introduction into urban biking.
I also want to encourage anyone who is considering bike travel to think of it as PART of their trip and not necessarily the whole enchilada. Combine bike with bus, or bike with Max, or even bike with car.
I have a small folding Bike Friday that fits in my van without even being folded. I consider it a successful bike commute if I drive halfway to work, park the car, and bike the rest of the way. I'm cutting down on my car miles, I'm getting exercise, and I get to vary my daily route by parking at different locations.
Or, rent a bike locker from the BTA, bike thru your neighborhood to the locker, and then do the hard trip across town by bus/Max.
We need to be flexible about what we call "bike commuting". It's nice if people can do their full commute on a bike, but for older, younger, and less experienced riders, traveling down Portland's busy streets is not always possible or desirable.
Jun 01 2006 at 6:21 pmMy name is Camille Pierce and I received a BA Degree in Communication from Portland State University. I now reside in California. At 57 years of age, I do as much cycling today as I did when I was a kid. I live in an area where it's almost required to ride in heavily congested traffic. Am I frightened to cycle as I get older? Not really. Learning to ride a bicycle at 10 yrs of age help
Jul 05 2006 at 12:39 amme to develop confidence in myself. Yes, I'm an older cyclist. But
my age isn't really an issue to me. I bicycle because I want to.
Cycling gives me a sense of freedom that is hard to describe.
As a "senior" (how'd THAT happen?!), I love biking just as much as I loved it as a kid, and I enjoy doing the same things - exploring on my own, riding with friends, going someplace interesting (either out in nature, or to a restaurant, museum, shopping, etc. I could care less about the speed - enjoyment is the goal. I love the name "Slug Velo"! In Indianapolis, we have "Sociable" rides. I'm trying to get more and more in the habit of using my bike instead of my car for errands, etc. Triple win - health, geo-politics, global warming. And I enjoy it and feel good! It's really the pace at which we were MEANT to live!
May 11 2007 at 3:46 pm