Cycling Research Board Annual Meeting

Cycling is not only a mode of transport but a way of life due to its numerous benefits. However, the literature and data show that there is generally a mismatch between bike ownership and usage in many countries. There is little evidence on the contributing factors to this paradox, particularly the impact of residential bike parking and intention to cycle. As a result, most countries still have a low cycling mode share despite increases in bike ownership. Rather than addressing the generic question of why people are not cycling, this study seeks to know why bike owners are not cycling more frequently. It uses a nationally representative sample (8311) from the 2019 French national travel survey to estimate five partial proportional odds models of cycling frequency, examining the effects of residential bike parking, trip purpose, electric bikes, the residential location of the bike owner, and car ownership. Approximately 68% of bike owners cycle at most 3 times per month; those in the city center have 25% higher odds of cycling than those in rural areas. In order of priority, the bike is used for leisure, exercise, shopping, and work/school. Residential bike parking significantly impacts cycling frequency. There is a trade-off between bike accessibility and security: more frequent cycling occurs among courtyard parking users than among users of more private/secure parking options. Owning an electric bike increases the odds of frequent cycling by 186%. The bike ownership-usage gap is wider among high-income households, who prefer car ownership. Notably, car ownership reduces the odds of cycling by 58%. These findings suggest that the bike-ownership usage gap is a complex phenomenon driven by residential bike parking preferences, intended bike use, bike type, and car ownership.