A problematic practice? Mothers cycling with their children in the UK

The findings from the focus groups helped shape a survey which was distributed via social media and completed by 1,351 mothers in the UK asking questions such as the cost of their cycle equipment, where they stored their cycles, favoured types of infrastructure and motivations for cycling with their children. In addition, 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted with respondents of the survey, carefully chosen to represent mothers using different cycle configurations, varying number of children and living in different geographical areas of the UK including a mix of cities, suburban and rural areas.

The socio-demographic of cycling mothers in the UK

The household income of the mothers who were surveyed was much higher than the national average, with 83% of participants living in a household earning above the median average household income of £30,500. In addition, 30% of all mothers surveyed were living in a household that earns above £80,000 per annum after tax. Similarly, the education levels of those surveyed was high, with 40% having a degree (or equivalent) and a further 49% at postgraduate level. Of course, it is important to note that the mothers taking part in this research were purposively sampled so a degree of bias may be evident here.

Moreover, 93% of mothers who completed the survey in this research were from a white background with only 2% from a mixed background, 2% Asian background and the remainder from other ethnic groups. However, existing literature suggests that cycling rates amongst ethnic minority groups are extremely low in the UK, particularly amongst women. This suggest therefore, that the low numbers of women from ethnic minority backgrounds taking part in this research are most likely representative of the wider trend of low numbers cycling from different ethnic minority groups.

In many cases mothers would resort to cycling with their children on footways, which they knew technically they weren’t meant to, but felt the alternatives (riding on busy roads) was unsafe. This often led to feelings of guilt because they felt they would be judged by other people for doing so. Conversely many mothers also felt they would be judged if they cycled with their children on the road, due to potential dangers of mixing with motorised traffic.

Most mothers taking part in this research wanted better infrastructure to make their own cycling practice safer but also to make it more convenient. For example, whilst a preference for protected cycle lanes or quiet roads existed, also of importance was the location of infrastructure with a need for it to enable the types of journeys mothers carry out. Therefore, linking together networks of routes that facilitated journeys between their homes, education settings, employment and other locations such as shops, leisure centres and places of worship was key.

Are there any negatives to cycling with children?

Unfortunately, bad driving and aggression from other road users were all too common. With just under a quarter of mothers surveyed having faced close passes, and more than a third having suffered from verbal abuse when cycling with their children. These incidents frequently left mothers questioning their choice to cycle with their children due to concerns about their safety. However, because the majority of mothers were highly motivated to cycle, in most circumstances they were able to rationalise the negative experiences and continue with their practice. Indeed, cycling with children was overwhelmingly deemed worth the effort and mothers shared countless examples of the pure enjoyment experienced when cycling together.

Organisational skills

The logistics of trying to cycle with multiple children and those of different ages were frequently highlighted in the interviews. For example, if children are cycling on their own bicycles, the mother must ensure they had the skills to cycle safely. We all know mums are experts at multitasking but cycling with young children elevated this to a whole new level. Trying to predict what other road users are doing, while simultaneously instructing children to stop/start/slow down, watch out for dogs approaching and so on can be exhausting. In addition, if cycling with children of different ages, trying to keep their speeds at a similar pace can be tricky plus managing sibling bickering whilst cycling was also highlighted as another skill required to master.

Many mothers interviewed also pointed out, that while they may have one child who was capable (and willing) to follow instructions, the personality of their other, let’s say strong-willed, child, would mean some routes were just not possible because their behaviour was just too unpredictable.

Getting more mothers cycling

The mothers taking part in this research were from a specific socio-demographic as outlined above. It was also apparent the majority of mothers cycling with their children in this study had previously cycled on a regular basis and therefore were comfortable cycling with their children because they were confident cyclists and felt they had the necessary skills to do so. They also attached strong meanings to cycling, believing it was the right thing to do with their children due to the health, environmental and wider benefits to society. This begs the question of how to get more mothers cycling who perhaps don’t share these motivations and are not confident cyclists?The obvious answer might be to improve cycle infrastructure. Whilst the UK has some pockets of ‘safe’ cycling infrastructure, the financial and political support given to cycling by both national governments, but also individual local authorities often result in a cycling ‘postcode lottery’ whereby the quality of cycle infrastructure is of differing standards across the UK. However, it is unlikely that infrastructure alone will increase or make cycling more diverse and attract more women and mothers to the practice. For instance, overcoming the lack of a positive cycling culture and reversing the negative meanings currently associated with cycling in the UK also appears a monumental task, given ongoing social and mainstream media coverage of cyclists as rule breakers, dangerous and arrogant, or that cycling is a dangerous activity and therefore off-putting especially to mothers travelling with children.

Add in, other factors such as the affordability of cycling equipment, issues with storage and juggling care duties and employment means attracting more mothers to cycle with their kids as problematic. Perhaps with any complex issues, the solution requires a mix of measures. Implementation of safe infrastructure – of course! But such infrastructure must cater for the types of multi-trip journeys that mothers frequently carry out. Schemes to help women gain confidence to cycle via cycle training, led and group rides and are invaluable in providing women with the skills and confidence needed to take to two or three wheels – more funding for these types of scheme please! Because, if more women become confident cyclists, then down the line they might consider cycling with their children and what better way to normalise bike riding and help chip away at the negative narrative around cycling in the UK than seeing mothers cycling with their children!