Cycling: A benefit for health or just a means of transport? Case study Brno (Czech Republic) and its surroundings

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2018.02.006Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Research consists of analysing the importance of cycling in the Brno city.

  • Does cycling contribute sufficiently to inhabitants’ health and Czech city environment?

  • What could influence the decision of people to use a bicycle for transportation?

  • Main motivation is decrease of cars inside city resulting in less pollution and noise.

Abstract

Reducing pollution and preventing heavy traffic in cities together with recent transport policies are encouraging people to use more sustainable modes of transport, such as walking, cycling or public transport, in preference to private cars. The study was aimed at analysing general conditions for bicycle utilization, and their application to the outskirts of the largest Moravian town, Brno, and discussing the possible future of bicycling in this region, including its relation to health. What motivating factors could influence people’s decision to use bicycles as a means of transport? A survey was conducted at the third-largest university in Brno, where the respondents were approached. According to the obtained results, more than half of the respondents used bicycles mostly for leisure purposes. Nevertheless, almost one-third mentioned bicycling for transport purposes. Thus, there is a potential for cycling to become a significant part of transport and thus contribute to human health and a healthy city environment; however, the region should considerably adjust its infrastructure to encourage cyclists to visit Brno and its surroundings.

Introduction

Cycling has been a very popular activity in recent years. It can serve as both a form of transport, including commuting for work and a part of tourism and a field of sport, including organized professional events. Of course, there are existing combinations of both options for bicycle utilization, which are not excluded. Several research papers analysing different factors related to cycling (Broach et al., 2012, Pucher, Dill et al., 2010, Wang et al., 2015) are examples of increasing interest in this type of transportation.

Cycling is one of the most environmentally friendly means of transport. Nevertheless, taking into account tourism and sport, it can also be an expensive one. The prices of highly sophisticated bicycles are sometimes comparable with the prices of cars, to say nothing of top infrastructure, which must be built and organized for professional bicycle races, such as the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta España. Such events serve as motivators for thousands of cycling enthusiasts.

Cycling usually has advantages compared to car transport on the one hand and walking on the other. Cycling demands less space than car transport, is more environmentally friendly, and requires less investment (excluding in professional sport). The operational costs are negligible. Bicycles do not require any fuel, and although some cyclists drink expensive energy beverages, that does not significantly increase the ultimate cost of cycling. Cycling enables transport from door to door in contrast to public transport; however, it is hardly possible to use bicycles for cargo or to transport bulky loads.

Walking and cycling can provide valuable daily physical activity (Pucher, Buehle, Bassett, & Dannenberg, 2010). Cycling is faster than walking and better from the viewpoint of joint load, and it improves the physical condition of human bodies. However, cycling can be connected with a danger of accidents, which often have worse consequences (de Geus et al., 2012). Cycling also requires bicycle storage. However, the bicycle is an ideal vehicle to discover small regions.

The mass development of both bicycle and car transport separates two modes, at least on the most dangerous parts of roads. Bicycle utilization also depends on natural conditions, especially topography and climate. That is why cycling is still perceived as a seasonal activity (Sears, Flynn, Aultman-Hall, & Dana, 2012). The bicycle is often marginalized in transport systems. Moreover, it is argued that new theoretical research could have an effect on bicycle planning that is similar to its effect on motorized transport planning (Koglin & Rye, 2014).

Although cycling as a means of transport seemingly uses the same equipment as cycling for leisure, there are substantial differences in infrastructure between the two. These concerns tracing of cycle paths, location of places to rest, overlap with car transport, etc. This is why the preferences of cyclists are of great importance. However, the city should be interested in developing cycling to limit car transport. For this goal, it would be useful to determine whether more people would use bicycles if conditions for cycling improved.

Thus, bicycle use is related to a number of conditions, including natural, infrastructural, and social ones. It is also necessary to take into account competing means of transport – both individual and public. The aim of this study was to analyse the general conditions for bicycle utilization and their application in the largest Moravian town, Brno, and discuss the possible future of bicycling in this region in relation to human health. Emerging from the assumption that using bicycles for transport purposes is motivated by lifestyle rather than economic reasons or due to insufficient public transport, the team expected that students and employees of the Faculty of AgriSciences, who are closely connected to problems relating to ecology, the environment, food production, etc. professionally, would likely have the closest relation to a healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle. The main research question concerns the motivation for using bicycles within the city limits. Is cycling used as a means of transportation or is it considered rather as a means for leisure?

The structure of this paper is as follows: The theoretical section summarizes evaluations of cycling in recent literature. An overview of the relation between cycling and public health follows. The next section introduces the city of Brno, its natural and infrastructural conditions for cycling and some information about the operation of cycling transport. The methodological section explains why this study used a questionnaire survey among students and employees of Mendel University in Brno. The results of the questionnaire follow, introducing perceptions of cycling among the selected respondents. Furthermore, the respondents’ main motivations for using bicycles are discussed in comparison with those in some other cities in the world.

Section snippets

Cycling and health

It is generally stated that cycling is among the healthiest movement activities. Physical activity and exercise have a positive impact on human health. They prevent several diseases and decrease relevant risks (Skayannis, Goudas, & Rodakinias, 2017). The effects of cycling are comparable with those of swimming; however, cycling does not require access to pools or other bodies of water. Compared with walking or running, it places less stress on the large joints. Fraser and Lock (2011) stated

Cycling as a sport, cycling as transport

There are two directions of bicycling evaluation in the literature. Cycling is usually connected to green transport in developed countries (see Fraser and Lock, 2011, Handy et al., 2014, Steinbach et al., 2011, Tolley, 2003) and functions as the main transport available for ordinary citizens in developing countries (Yang et al., 2010). This paper aims to contribute to the former.

The idea of green transport lies in substantially reducing the carbon footprint to create sustainable cities (Batur &

Cycling in Brno and its surroundings

High popularity of cycling in Brno is visible through many different activities connected to bicycle. Brno is known more as a centre of indoor cycling in the world of sport cycling (it was the organizer of world championships in 1977, 1991, and 2014, where city residents the Pospíšil brothers were 20-time world champions during the period from 1965 to 1988). The road championship was organized in Brno in 1981. There are two known cycling clubs in Brno: Dukla (military club) and Favorit (civic

Methods

The general situation and conditions for cycling in Brno were analysed using hard data, secondary sources and own experience. Hard data regarding bicycle transport were observed and recorded. Electronic counters have been installed in the Czech Republic since 2008, first in protected areas. Other territories added counters later, especially in Prague and the South-Moravian Region. The counters are installed mostly in the leisure sections of the bicycle paths. This is because commuting by

Results

Bicycle transport was monitored on the bicycle path Brno – Vienna in the area of Komárov (a southern suburb of Brno). Eighteen thousand eight hundred twenty-five persons (cyclists, in-line skaters and walkers) used the track during six days in April 2009. The daily course had two peaks: between 11 and 12p.m. and between 6 and 7 a.m. (Kala, 2012), which also applied to recreational use. Martolos and Rozsypal (2007) noted that the peak hours for bicycle commuting are between 5 and 7 a.m. and 2

Discussion

What is the realistic purpose of cycling in Brno and its surroundings?

Conclusions

Reducing pollution and preventing heavy traffic in cities together with recent transport policies encourage people to use more sustainable transport modes, such as walking, cycling or public transport, in preference to private cars. The aim of this paper is to analyse the general conditions for bicycle utilization and their application to the outskirts of the largest Moravian town Brno and discuss the possible future of bicycling in this region, including its relation to health. What motivating

Acknowledgements

The research was financially supported by the grant IGA FA MENDELU Brno No. IP_2017/016 and the project for the long-term conceptual development of the Institute of Geonics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, RVO: 68145535.

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