Whither Cycling Research? Three Policy-Relevant Research Priorities for the Coming Decade

This is an accepted article with a DOI pre-assigned that is not yet published.Drawing upon a collaborative session conducted at the 2023 CRB conference, the present commentary proposes three key policy-relevant research priorities for future cycling research: 1) bicycle parking; 2) backcasting; and 3) the relationship between academic cycling research and policy processes. Improving our understanding of bicycle parking patterns and behaviours (and on-street parking in particular), I suggest, might help municipal administrations develop comprehensive urban bicycle parking policies. Meanwhile, backcasting approaches to cycling might help us better understand what role velomobility could realistically play in a future context of climate crisis and energy scarcity, thereby providing a useful link to emerging discussions on mobility and degrowth. Finally, I argue that cycling researchers would benefit from paying more attention to how academic research has contributed to inform (or not) real-world cycling policies and projects. Empirically examining which types of past research have been most effective in translating their findings into policy impacts, I suggest, might help cycling researchers make more informed choices as to which types of research to prioritise.