The call for abstracts for our 2025 symposium is now closed. The below is provided for historical record.
Please see the main page for the 2025 symposium.
Call for abstracts
In a time of rapid social and environmental changes, those invested in research, decision-making, advocacy and the development of cycling increasingly live with concern of what is within, at and beyond limits. Whether considering uncertainties of a world beyond 1.5 degrees C warming, which has become a reality in the last year, or the geopolitical turmoil and conflicts which increasingly permeate society, we are in a world where limits are being redefined or assimilated into our everyday lives. As people interested in the cycling agenda – whether we are concerned with liveability, sustainability, health or any of the many other goals that cycling feeds into – finding new spaces and reappraising existing spaces for cycling, physically and otherwise, becomes of greater importance and focus.
As with many social phenomena, the exploration and generation of new ideas and new perspectives provide a way to continually reappraise our circumstances, particularly in response to uncertainties. This year we seek to give focus to how we find pathways through and work beyond the limits of what we know, understand, have become used to, or comfortable with. Change is fundamental to discussions of cycling, whether it is adaptation to social, cultural and environmental changes, or seeking change: behaviour, policy, technological, and so on. Addressing problems with a more ‘de-siloed’, systems-oriented approach is seen by many as the way to interpret and work through complex global issues. This idea is increasingly considered at local and regional levels to understand how we make our travel habits more sustainable: joining up health, transport and air pollution policies for example. So, by focusing on where limits, structures and barriers can be crossed, negotiated or re-appraised our chosen theme seeks to support thinking around current day cycling transitions and practices.
Although we welcome papers from across the increasing breadth of disciplines and perspectives which we are fortunate to have covering cycling research, we particularly are interested in:
- New spaces for cycling policies and policy actors: How can policy entrepreneurs who work to advocate cycling be empowered? How can policy areas support each other more effectively (such as transportation, business, health and environment) and how is cycling positioned in this the de-siloing of planning and policy?
- New modal mixes and active modes: Much is made of the extension of active travel for new modes, including forms of cycling. What are the considerations for a new modal mix, including e-cargo bikes and e-bikes?
- Disciplinary and theoretical considerations: Cycling researchers hail from a broad disciplinary and subject range, from social sciences and human geography to engineering. What are the new and adapted ways of thinking about and researching cycling? What theories can be revisited or adapted?
- Cycling’s evolving importance within different sectors: Beyond transportation, cycling is of importance for sustainable logistics, human resources (businesses seeking to implement travel plans), tourism, leisure, events, hospitality, sport, health and energy (amongst others). What are changing perspectives of actors, employees and businesses across and within sectors and industry?
- Promotion and advocacy of cycling: Having developed strong pockets and communities of practice, cycling remains a relatively small niche of the population. How are promotion and advocacy evolving within and beyond current structures?
- Inclusivity and new perspectives: Relatedly, how should we open out cycling to more of the population? What are new innovative mechanisms and methods? What is inclusion, and where, how or who can it be extended to?
- Evolution of ownership and platforms: Considering the array of approaches to access cycling, including sharing schemes, platforms, bike clubs, work schemes and charities, what are the considerations and how can new and existing ways to facilitate cycling be harnessed to provide bikes to a greater audience?
- Data: There is an ever-increasing mix of ways to collect and share data on cycling, which can provide new insights and perspectives but also raise questions of ethics and over-saturation of data. Adding to traditional methods such as cycle counting, surveying and observation, quantitative and qualitative methods including go-alongs, social media analysis, filming, art and capture of data through apps each have pros and cons, and we welcome the sharing of methodological experiences and considerations.
- New ways of celebrating cycling: Perhaps most importantly of all the cultures around cycling are specific to this mode of travel, and a key strength of its identity. With an increasingly polarised world how can we keep cycling positive, fun, sociable and inspiring against noise of negative media?
Local or regional examples: The symposium brings together interested people from around Europe and beyond – as usual there are excellent ways to share your initiatives from your locales. In Glasgow, the Avenues infrastructure project to enhance the public realm and recent hosting of the UCI World Cycling Championships have prompted hopes of a legacy of increased and improved spaces for cycling, in addition to a more empowered and inspired population to take up cycling. Please do consider sharing experiences and ideas of your local projects.