The Cycling Think & Do Tank (TCT2) was a multidisciplinary, multi-sector research project, based at the University of Toronto’s School of the Environment, focused on increasing cycling as a primary transportation choice. Initiated with funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Tank operated from 2012 through 2020 and focused on:
- Mapping cycling patterns
- Exploring the economic benefits of cycling for transportation
- Bringing together literature from both environmental psychology and active transportation, and
- Developing an integrated suite of tools for increasing cycle use in daily transport
With this initiative, Principal Investigator Beth Savan, a veteran University of Toronto School of the Environment researcher, built a coalition of expert practitioners and academics to address an important gap in knowledge about building more sustainable cities: how experience from the behavioural change field (applied extensively to building occupants) can be transferred to the field of active transportation.
Over time, the coalition also included partners and funders such as The Centre for Active Transportation, CultureLink, Cycle Toronto, 8-80 Cities, Evergreen, The Metcalf Foundation, The Region of Peel, The Heart & Stroke Foundation, Fourth Floor Distribution, Dandyhorse magazine, and Spacing magazine. Multiple researchers contributed to the project, including, Trudy Ledsham, Michelle Kearns, Mikey Bennington, Katie Wittmann, Ryan Anders Whitney, Lake Sagaris, George Liu, Daniel Arancibia, Claire Bodkin, Emma Cohlmeyer and Maximilian Pfertner. Many students contributed to the project’s success.
TCT2 was central to multiple projects, including Increasing Cycling in Canadian Communities Understanding What Works, Mobilizing Business Communities to Support Safe Cycling Infrastructure, Scarborough Cycles, Bike Host and Pedalwise Bicycle Mentorship Programs
Resources:
A Snapshot of Urban Cycling in Toronto (2013) is a visual summary of the Cycling Think & Do Tank’s Mapping Cycling Behaviour in Toronto report. This summary illustrates with maps and graphs how cycling played out across the city by geography and demographics in 2006, which was the most recent data available when the report was published.
A Snapshot of Urban Cycling in Toronto
Mapping Cycling Behaviour in Toronto (2013) – This retrospective study examined evidence of cycling behaviour as it played out spatially and demographically across Toronto’s (then) 44 municipal electoral wards using Transportation Tomorrow Survey data from 2006. Findings suggest higher rates of cycling are complex and reflect more than single parameters. Factors influencing higher rates of cycling in Toronto can be categorized into four areas: 1) who cycles; 2) how they cycle; 3) land use and urban form; and 4) topography. The first three categories are malleable to differing degrees, while topography is a fixed factor.
Mapping Cycling Behaviour in Toronto pdf
Integrated Strategies to Accelerate the Adoption of Cycling for Transportation (2017) is an academic article that grew out of TCT2’s first project – A Toolkit to Accelerate the Adoption of Cycling for Transportation. This study built on highly successful social interventions, with documented impacts on attitudes, social norms and resource consumption. Significant changes in transport-related attitudes, norms and behaviours may result in immediate reductions in fossil fuel consumption, and establish the foundations for further policy, public investment and industry shifts. It explores the use of social interventions to support cycling for transportation by synthesizing theoretical and evidence-based academic behaviour change literature with reports on the practical, community-based application of cycling programs to identify the combination of psychological tools demonstrated to lead to changes in behaviour in the target population. Literature was limited to studies with evidence of success from monitored programs. Based on the alignment between these two literatures, we developed an adaptable, evidenced-based strategy to accelerate the adoption of cycling for transportation.
Integrated Strategies to Accelerate the Adoption of Cycling for Transportation
Building a 21st Century Cycling City: Strategies for Action in Toronto (2017) – This report identified issues and incorporated relevant best practices from other locales into recommendations to increase bicycling for transportation in Toronto. Our recommendations were developed through a three-stage process of consultation and research. Ideas are tangible, achievable, and results-oriented and consider co-beneficial outcomes such as a healthy environment, cost savings, improved human health, equity, vibrant commercial districts, reduced congestion, and increased resiliency.
Executive Summary: Building a 21st Century Cycling City: Strategies for Action in Toronto
Full Report: Building a 21st Century Cycling City: Strategies for Action in Toronto
More Than Skill: An introduction to bicycling behaviour change strategies for cycling skills programs – Part 1 of TCT2’s three-part training program takes a public health perspective and introduces behaviour change theories and current evidence, describes the evidence on cycling behaviour change and how it can be applied to cycling program development and provides basic tips on program evaluation.
More Than Skill Presentation
Cycling Behaviour Change Toolkit: Explanation, evidence and program mapping tool – Part 2 of TCT2’s three-part training program outlines our step-by-step guide to incorporating evidence from cycling initiatives and integrating the evidence into cycling programming. It focuses on the 4 steps of change including: 1. segmentation of the target population, 2. identification and removal of barriers, 3. implementation of commitment strategies and 4. sustaining behaviour change. All of these are centred on community-based partnerships that use established relationships to build support for change.
Cycling Behaviour Change Toolkit
Evaluation: Simple tips for understanding and improving your cycling program – The final piece of TCT2’s three-part training program focuses on program evaluation and improvement. This introduces program managers to key concepts and components of effective and simple program evaluation.
Simple tips for understanding and improving your cycling program presentation
Literature Review Matrix – This is an easy-to-understand summary of the literature reviewed for Integrated strategies to accelerate the adoption of cycling paper.
Literature Review Matrix pdf
Accelerating Cycling Adoption for Transportation – This is a summary presentation of the early results of research at the Cycling Think & Do Tank.
Accelerating Cycling Adoption for Transportation Presentation
Cycling Behaviour Change Program Mapping Tool – Use this tool to either develop or refine a current cycling program oriented towards behaviour change.
Cycling Behaviour Change Program Mapping Tool
Other Useful Links:
https://tcat.ca/resources/increasing-cycling-in-canada-supporting-research/
https://tcat.ca/resources/increasing-cycling-in-canada-a-guide-to-what-works-september-2019/
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01944363.2019.1638816?journalCode=rjpa20