Citation

Das Gupta P. Case Stud. Transp. Policy 2022; 10(1): 625-636.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, World Conference on Transport Research Society, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.cstp.2022.01.023

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

There is a dearth of evidence-based research on the determinants of utility cycling in rural areas of developing countries including India. Data from the Census of India shows a sharp increase in the ownership of motorized vehicles among rural Indian households, though bicycles are still the mostly widely-owned transport asset. Four regions comprising rural and semi-urban settlements situated in the periphery of two large central Indian cities, Bhopal and Indore, were selected for examining the relation of utility cycling with personal, household and settlement characteristics. Known correlates of utility cycling from literature were combined with specific questions related to the socio-spatial context and activity-travel pattern of rural areas for developing and administering a questionnaire to individuals selected through a multistage sampling process. Settlement characteristics in terms of size of built-up area, proximity to metropolitan city and distance from the nearest bus-stop were considered. The likelihood of being a regular cyclist or an occasional cyclist in relation to non-cyclists was estimated using multinomial logistic regression. Gender, educational attainment, frequency of travel outside the village, household income, presence of other members in the household who cycle, and settlement characteristics were found to have significant association with the intensity of utility cycling. Policy measures for encouragement of cycling among rural women and promotion of faster e-bikes are recommended based on the findings.

Language: en

Keywords

Rural; Semi-urban; Settlement characteristics; Utility cycling