1
00:00:16,822 --> 00:00:18,623
We're living in a time

2
00:00:18,959 --> 00:00:22,961
in which we're polluting our world
at an alarming rate,

3
00:00:24,082 --> 00:00:27,990
in which the majority
of people in the West

4
00:00:27,990 --> 00:00:30,221
are not getting enough physical activity,

5
00:00:30,572 --> 00:00:36,810
and in which we're spending a lot of time,
wasting a lot of time and money and energy

6
00:00:36,810 --> 00:00:38,330
stuck in traffic.

7
00:00:39,472 --> 00:00:45,302
Thankfully, we're also living in a time
in which riding a bicycle is awesome.

8
00:00:45,330 --> 00:00:46,330
(Laughter)

9
00:00:46,359 --> 00:00:47,539
It makes you feel good.

10
00:00:47,539 --> 00:00:49,834
You arrive at your destination 
feeling energized

11
00:00:49,834 --> 00:00:51,764
and connected with the world around you.

12
00:00:51,764 --> 00:00:54,279
It's good for your health, 
it's good for the planet,

13
00:00:54,279 --> 00:00:56,824
and it helps to make
our cities more livable.

14
00:00:58,138 --> 00:01:00,998
So, how can we get more people cycling?

15
00:01:00,998 --> 00:01:04,829
Well, it's a combination
of infrastructure, improving safety,

16
00:01:05,047 --> 00:01:08,669
and changing people's
perceptions and behavior.

17
00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:12,829
And one of the things that I've been doing
over the years is looking at

18
00:01:12,829 --> 00:01:17,655
how we can apply behavior change theory
to getting more people cycling.

19
00:01:17,998 --> 00:01:21,369
And I have just one idea 
that I'd like to share with you today.

20
00:01:22,320 --> 00:01:25,252
And that is, that when we're looking
to encourage people

21
00:01:25,252 --> 00:01:28,660
to adopt the behavior of cycling to work,

22
00:01:28,950 --> 00:01:31,770
we need to understand
that this overall behavior

23
00:01:31,770 --> 00:01:35,550
is actually made up
of lots of sub-behaviors and stages

24
00:01:35,550 --> 00:01:39,041
that people go through
from not cycling, to thinking about it,

25
00:01:39,275 --> 00:01:43,377
to trying it out, to getting a bike,
to cycling a little bit, a little bit more

26
00:01:43,377 --> 00:01:44,856
and cycling to work.

27
00:01:46,039 --> 00:01:49,756
And within each of these sub-behaviors
are a number of barriers

28
00:01:49,791 --> 00:01:53,064
that people need to overcome
to get to the next stage.

29
00:01:53,442 --> 00:01:55,971
And so, it is important
that we understand this

30
00:01:55,971 --> 00:01:59,281
when we're trying to encourage 
people to take up cycling.

31
00:01:59,481 --> 00:02:03,023
Because if we say to someone 
who is down here, as a non-cyclist,

32
00:02:03,234 --> 00:02:04,760
"Hey, you should cycle to work.

33
00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:05,770
It's good for you.

34
00:02:05,770 --> 00:02:08,173
You'll save money; 
it's good for the environment,"

35
00:02:08,173 --> 00:02:09,369
it's kind of a big ask.

36
00:02:09,629 --> 00:02:15,150
And we need to keep this in mind
because our energy is much better spent

37
00:02:15,150 --> 00:02:18,753
focusing on the next little step 
that we can get people to take.

38
00:02:20,282 --> 00:02:23,544
And one of the strategies 
that we have found to be quite effective

39
00:02:23,544 --> 00:02:26,386
in getting non-cyclists to take up cycling

40
00:02:26,386 --> 00:02:29,136
is simply encouraging them 
to have some fun

41
00:02:29,136 --> 00:02:31,491
and ride a bike for just 10 minutes.

42
00:02:32,471 --> 00:02:34,746
And what we find
when people do this is they go,

43
00:02:34,746 --> 00:02:37,307
"Hmm, actually, this isn't so bad.

44
00:02:37,597 --> 00:02:40,641
This isn't as hard or as scary 
as I thought cycling was.

45
00:02:40,908 --> 00:02:43,209
This is actually quite easy
and quite fun."

46
00:02:43,444 --> 00:02:46,130
And that's a fantastic first little step

47
00:02:46,130 --> 00:02:49,051
that we can get people to take 
on this wider journey.

48
00:02:50,387 --> 00:02:51,611
So taking a step back

49
00:02:51,611 --> 00:02:54,523
and looking at the question
of how do we get people cycling,

50
00:02:54,523 --> 00:02:57,554
what about the infrastructure 
and improving safety?

51
00:02:58,100 --> 00:03:02,211
Well, thankfully, all the solutions
already exist there out in the world.

52
00:03:02,586 --> 00:03:06,366
If you go to any good cycling conference,
you will find the technical expertise,

53
00:03:06,366 --> 00:03:07,617
the case studies,

54
00:03:07,617 --> 00:03:09,450
the wheels already invented

55
00:03:09,450 --> 00:03:12,798
that we can bring into our cities,
adapt, and roll out,

56
00:03:13,049 --> 00:03:15,833
that will result in more people cycling.

57
00:03:16,877 --> 00:03:18,695
So if the solutions are already there,

58
00:03:18,695 --> 00:03:21,962
why aren't we seeing 
their widespread application?

59
00:03:22,452 --> 00:03:24,138
Well, there's a number of reasons,

60
00:03:24,138 --> 00:03:29,495
and one of them is that many people
don't believe it's possible

61
00:03:30,124 --> 00:03:32,437
to get more people cycling in their city.

62
00:03:32,797 --> 00:03:34,843
"Oh, it's too far,
there's too much traffic,

63
00:03:34,843 --> 00:03:37,331
it's too dangerous, 
it's too hot, it's too wet."

64
00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:41,983
And thankfully, we now have evidence
from around the world

65
00:03:42,127 --> 00:03:45,210
that the possible is indeed possible.

66
00:03:46,173 --> 00:03:50,001
So, looking at Spain and Seville,
they invested in cycle lanes

67
00:03:50,001 --> 00:03:53,386
and went from 0.5 per cent
of trips by bicycle

68
00:03:53,410 --> 00:03:55,748
to 6.6 per cent of trips by bike

69
00:03:55,748 --> 00:03:57,088
in just six years.

70
00:03:57,771 --> 00:04:01,347
In Portland, they increased cycling 
by more than 200 per cent.

71
00:04:02,726 --> 00:04:06,557
In Denver, you can see they increased
the number of cycle lanes

72
00:04:06,578 --> 00:04:10,994
and had a corresponding increase 
in the number of people riding bikes.

73
00:04:11,748 --> 00:04:13,778
And I could show you
evidence of this trend

74
00:04:13,778 --> 00:04:16,433
from around the U.S. and around the world.

75
00:04:17,478 --> 00:04:20,189
Now, just to be clear
about what I'm not saying.

76
00:04:20,361 --> 00:04:23,987
I'm not saying that you can turn
every city in the U.S. or the world

77
00:04:23,987 --> 00:04:26,374
into a Copenhagen or an Amsterdam,

78
00:04:26,374 --> 00:04:30,494
where about half of all the trips
are done by bike.

79
00:04:30,512 --> 00:04:31,948
That's amazing.

80
00:04:32,169 --> 00:04:35,342
However, our cities are laid out 
quite differently.

81
00:04:36,473 --> 00:04:37,500
But in the U.S.,

82
00:04:37,500 --> 00:04:41,895
about 40 per cent of all trips
are less than three miles.

83
00:04:42,918 --> 00:04:47,897
And it's within these short trips
that the opportunity lies for cycling.

84
00:04:49,661 --> 00:04:53,455
So, what I am saying is that
if we want to get more people cycling,

85
00:04:53,455 --> 00:04:54,832
if we commit to it,

86
00:04:54,832 --> 00:04:57,230
then it is absolutely possible for us

87
00:04:57,230 --> 00:05:01,403
to get five per cent or more of trips
in our cities done by bike.

88
00:05:02,818 --> 00:05:04,954
And finally, I think it's interesting that

89
00:05:04,954 --> 00:05:08,713
when we look at some of the other problems
that we're facing in the world today,

90
00:05:08,943 --> 00:05:11,623
one of the barriers that we may by facing

91
00:05:11,623 --> 00:05:16,326
is that many people
don't believe in what's possible.

92
00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:21,323
But thankfully, I feel 
that the tide is turning

93
00:05:21,327 --> 00:05:25,440
and more people are believing
in what's possible in their own lives,

94
00:05:25,451 --> 00:05:28,990
for our communities, and for our planet.

95
00:05:29,191 --> 00:05:33,636
And so, let's keep on believing 
that we can make the possible our reality.

96
00:05:34,188 --> 00:05:35,590
And let's make it happen.

97
00:05:35,590 --> 00:05:37,038
Thank you.

98
00:05:37,038 --> 00:05:39,042
(Applause)