Who wants to ride? The experience at Ciclofamilia biking school

Abstract

Policies and literature about cycling mobility assume riding a bicycle is a simple activity learnt during childhood. But is it so? Based on the experience of Ciclofamilia biking school, in Buenos Aires city, and through participatory action research, this article looks into the experiences and motivations of adults learning how to ride a bicycle. Is it just a matter of personal life stories? Is there a gender-based bias between those who learnt how to ride a bike during childhood and those who didn’t? Do promotion policies take into account people who don’t ride? This work suggests an increase of bicycle promotion policies creates positive incentives for those who want to learn how to ride at an older age, and those incentives have different impacts depending on gender.