Cycling and Society 2021

Cycling (dis)connections: researching a (post?) pandemic world

This year’s virtual symposium will consist of online sessions during which selected panellists discuss research themes relating to video presentations they have submitted in advance. These video presentations are available through an online library.

The programme is below. We have six interactive panel sessions and two special sessions focused on Greater Manchester, one with researchers and one with Transport for Greater Manchester.

View the library of presentations

The following is a provisional programme for the two days.

For further information see the Call for Papers, which is now closed.

All times are UK time. (British Summer Time)

DAY 1 – THURSDAY 16th SEPTEMBER

10:00 – 11:00 Research Panel 1 – Spaces for Cycling

  • Graeme Sherriff, Healthy Active Cities, University of Salford (Chair)
  • Sien Benoit, Ghent University, with co-authors Nico Van de Weghe and Delfien Van Dyck, Environmental factors associated with perceived cycling safety of intersections, road segments and home-to-school routes of adolescents in Flanders (YouTube Video, pdf of slides)
  • Simon Cook, Birmingham City University, What happens after crashes? Changes to cycling practices after collisions (YouTube Video, pdf of slides)
  • Till Kolgin, Lund University, Traffic Safety in an Urban Context – Power Relations between Cyclists and Cars (YouTube Video)
  • Rumana Sarker with co-authors Golam Morshed, Sujit Sikder, Fariya Sharmeen Trends in active and sustainable mobility: experiences from emerging cycling territories of Dhaka (YouTube video, pdf of slides)
  • Johannes Schubert with co-authors Anna Hoferichter, Guido Sommer Bicycle commuting in the Allgäu region (YouTube video)

11:30 – 12:30 Research Panel 2 – Cycling During and After Covid-19

  • Esther Anaya, Imperial College London (Chair)
  • Luke Blazejewski, University of Salford, Mainstreaming a niche innovation: E-cargo bikes for the first and last mile (YouTube video, pdf of slides)
  • Malachy Buck, University of Liverpool, Cycling and COVID-19, a story of disruption – experiences from the Liverpool City Region. (YouTube video, pdf of slides)
  • Paolo Bozzuto, Politecnico di Milano, and Emma Missale, By-Expressen Copenhagen Bicycle delivery, Riding The Lockdown. The contribution of bike couriers and cycle-logistics in a time of pandemic (YouTube Video)
  • Jonathan Flower, Centre for Transport and Society, UWE, Bristol with co-authors John Parkin and Ian Walker, “It was for lots of people a wonderful time” – streets for cycling in a time of Covid-19 (YouTube video, pdf of slides)

14:00 – 15:00 Research Panel 3 – Perspectives on Space and Communication

  • Nicholas Davies, Glasgow Caledonian University (Chair)
  • Paola Castañeda, University of Oxford and Sergio Montero, Universidad de los Andes, Making Space for Cycling: A reading from Latin America (YouTube Video, pdf of slides)
  • Ian Cookson, Manchester Metropolitan University, Thematic Analysis of Media Representations of Cyclists (YouTube Video, pdf of slides)
  • Vera Diogo and Pedro Duarte, Escola Superior de Educação, Politécnico do Porto, The Bicycle and its Educative Potential (YouTube Video, pdf of slides)
  • Thomas van Laake, Fundación Despacio and University of Manchester with co-authors Natalia Llegas, Juan Sebastián Gómez, John Fredy Bustos Practices and politics of cycling infrastructure in Colombia (YouTube video)

15:30 – 16:30 Research Panel 4 – Cycling for All

  • Harrie Larrington-Spencer, Healthy Active Cities, University of Salford (Chair)
  • Malin Henriksson, VTI (Sweden) and Michala Hvidt Breengaard, University of Copenhagen, “I dreamed I could bike” – cycling as a means to freedom (YouTube Video)
  • Amy Lubitow, Portland State University Unequal Realities: Men of Color Bicyclists in Portland, Oregon (YouTube Video, pdf of slides)
  • Carol Kachadoorian, dblTilde Collaborative, LLC, Cycling uphill in the headwind of ageism (YouTube Video)
  • Cosmin Popan, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Esther Anaya-Boig, Imperial College London, The intersectional precarity of platform cycle delivery workers (YouTube Video, pdf of slides)
  • Trey Hahn, Designing a Bicycle User Experience (BUX); Urban Cycling Institute and Carol Kachadoorian, dblTilde Collaborative, LLC, Cycling through age: Exploring the changing experiences and preferences of older adult cyclists in the U.S. (YouTube Video, pdf of slides)

17:00 – 18:00 Online social

DAY 2 – FRIDAY 17th SEPTEMBER

10:00 – 11:00 Focus on Greater Manchester (1) – Researcher Perspectives

  • Luke Blazejewski, Healthy Active Cities, University of Salford (Chair)
  • Tracey Farragher, Senior Lecturer in Healthcare Sciences, The Epidemiology and Public Health Group, University of Manchester.
  • Caglar Koksal, Lecturer in Planning, Manchester Urban Institute, University of Manchester
  • Harrie Larrington-Spencer, Healthy Active Cities, University of Salford
  • Graeme Sherriff, Healthy Active Cities, University of Salford
  • James Woodcock, MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge

11:30 – 12:30 Research Panel 5 – Electric and Shared Mobility

  • Cosmin Popan, Manchester Metropolitan University (Chair)
  • Karin Edberg, Linköping University (Sweden) E-biking as mobility practice – the emergence of a new travel routine? (YouTube video, pdf of slides)
  • Florian Egermann, wielebenwir e.V., and Kath Stewart, Climate Action Ilkley, Commons Cargobikes: Donation-based cargo bike sharing for sustainable cities (YouTube video, pdf of slides)
  • João Teixeira with co-authors Cecília Silva, Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto and Frederico Moura e Sá, University of Aveiro The role of Bike Sharing during the COVID-19 pandemic: An analysis of the mobility patterns & perceptions of Lisbon’s GIRA users (YouTube video, pdf of slides)
  • Hans-Heinrich Schumann and He Haitao, Loughborough University, Discrete Route Choice Modelling for Micro-mobility based on spatial configuration analysis (YouTube video)

13:30 – 15:00 Focus on Greater Manchester (2) – Policy Reflections with TfGM

  • Peter Cox, University of Chester (Chair)
  • Richard Nickson, Programme Director for Cycling and Walking, TfGM, Greater Manchester’s Cycling and Walking Programme
  • Frank Fenten, Dinosaur, People-first design: TfGM walking and cycling site
  • James Tate & Matt Higgins, Arup, Greater Manchester Active Neighbourhoods Engagement & Evidence Base
  • Anne Clarke, Cycling & Walking Evaluation Officer

15:30 – 16:30 Research Panel 6 – Future Directions for Cycling Research

16:30 – 17:30 Online Social


18:00 – 19:30 Cycling for Sustainable Cities – A Unique International Comparison

Not strictly part of Cycling and Society, but this London Cycling Campaign event will definitely be of interest to delegates wishing to continue the discussions.

Professors Ralph Buehler and John Pucher, editors of Cycling for Sustainable Cities, summarise the key findings assembled by 45 leading academics from across the globe and discuss recent developments in the light of the Covid pandemic.


And finally, a follow-up event was held on Monday 8th November to mark the launch of ‘Cycling Societies, Innovations, Inequalities and Governance‘. Editors Dennis Zuev, Katerina Psarikidou and Cosmin Popan were joined by authors from new book. Here’s the video of the online session.