Developing safe and well-connected cycling infrastructure is widely recognized as key to encouraging cycling across ages and abilities. Yet, in cities shaped by decades of car-centric planning, particularly in North America – such efforts often face strong public, institutional, and political resistance, especially when they challenge the dominance of car space. Known as “bikelash,” this opposition can threaten both existing and future cycling projects.
While cycling is often championed by progressive voices, the messaging used to justify infrastructure investments – such as equity, environmental benefits, and protection of vulnerable road users – may resonate poorly with more conservative or car-oriented audiences. To broaden public support, we propose using Moral Foundations Theory (MFT), a social psychology framework that identifies six core moral values: care, fairness, purity, authority, loyalty, and liberty. The MFT can guide the development of pro-cycling messages that align with diverse moral intuitions and values, making them more persuasive across the political spectrum.
In this context, we propose a workshop with the following objectives:
1. Introduce participants to MFT and each of its six foundations
2. Provide tools to craft pro-cycling arguments using each foundation.
3. Explore how MFT-based messaging can move beyond academia to inform the communication of cycling advocates, city staff, and elected officials.
Participants will engage with real-world examples of pro- and anti-cycling discourse collected in Montreal-based surveys. In small groups, participants will practice identifying the moral framings underpinning each argument, crafting MFT-aligned messages and analyzing who these arguments may resonate with. The goal is to empower participants to apply MFT to cycling advocacy and policymaking, strategically broadening support for cycling infrastructure in urban contexts.