Addressing Declining Bicycle Use in China: Factors Associated with Bicycle Ownership and Use

Abstract

China is experiencing a drastic decline in bicycle use and substantial increase in auto travel. This major mode shift has significant social as well as environmental implications. In addressing the diminishing cyclist population, the Chinese government issued policy guidelines featuring benchmarks to sustain bicycle use. However, such guidelines were based on limited understanding of who choose to bike and why. The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding of factors associated with bicycle ownership and use as a basis for developing measures and incentives to promote the use of bicycles in China. A nation-wide online survey was conducted to understand the characteristics of bicycle users and public attitudes towards bicycling. Logistic regression models were then used to test the importance of bicycle infrastructure and other physical environment factors relative to socio-demographic factors and personal attitudes. The results showed strong correlations of higher bicycle ownership and use with lower household income, shorter commute distance, leveraged bicycle infrastructure, positive attitudes towards cycling and negative attitudes towards automobiles. Similar regression analysis was also used to explore the influence of various factors on propensities for future bicycle use. Further, the study revealed substantial geographic variance of bicycle use within the country.