A Survey for Measuring Social Acceptability of Cycling in Metropolises, Case Study: Tehran Metropolis

Tehran as a big and a developing Metropolis in Asia suffers from automobile use and its negative impacts for environment and health care. In this situation and according to recent important steps for extending public transport system, main role of the Tehran transportation system is still handled with Motorized vehicles by private use sector.
Nowadays, Transportation planning efforts include increasing Active Transportation. In this regard, Bicycle as a sustainable form of commute is recognized to urban clean transportation, with several economic, and environmental benefits. Cycling as a mode of transportation, especially for short trips is extending its trace between cities. Many of cities around the world have a bike plan to improve usability of bicycles besides other modes of transportation. In spite of an effective role of sustainable modes of travel like walking and cycling, these modes haven’t a good situation in modal share of Tehran city, now. Bicycle use in Tehran is not popular and very few people use a bicycle regularly.
According to Tehran transportation and traffic master plan (2004-2008), Percent of all daily trips are made by bicycle is restricted to only 0.004 of urban commutes. This rate of cycling comes back to various reasons like scope of bicycling infrastructure or culture of people in the city and Psychological variables. One of the factors that received relatively little attention in research on bicycling is the role of social and Psychological variables. Psychological variables directly measure behavior of cycling and its dimension. One of the best ways to measure this, is the social acceptability index. This index is pervasive and is used in various urban planning and transportation topics. In addition, Social acceptance is defined to affirmative reactions toward the specific object. These reactions are related to some kind of behavior.
Measurement of public acceptance for social subjects needs to define a set of factors. There is no consensus on the dynamics surrounding social acceptability. The broader concept of social acceptability encompasses various variables such as attitude and perceptions. In order to have a reliable category, we need to have a theoretical framework. Applying Psychological approach and theories that explaining human behaviors is very popular, in this area.
Theory of planned behavior which is introduced by Ajzen & Fishbein is one of the important efforts for analyzing behavior in Psychological realm. Many researchers have used this method in western countries. We have used this theory as a main theory of this study. Moreover, it was extended by new elements such as injunctive norms and Descriptive Norms from a proposed theoretical framework of Dickey-Griffith (2009). Additionally, Injunctive norm is measured separately. Furthermore, for analyzing background factors that relate to or influence the belief's people, these factors were divided into Main Elements, Perceived features and Personal characteristics. Built environment issues were used as a city and cycling situations according to critics of Handy (2005). Other variables were measured by other related items.
Attitudes
Beliefs
Norms
Intention
Behavior
Perceived Behavioral Control
Subjective Norms
Main Elements Features
Perceived Features
Personal Features
Subjective Norms
Injunctive Norms
Figure1: Theoretical Framework of study
This study is done with a quantitative research method based on extended theory of planned behavior. Data collection for this research was conducted with a researcher-made questionnaire among 495 men gender respondents of Tehran metropolis with Stratified Sampling. In addition, we use confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling as statistical techniques.
Discussion of Results and This survey used a critical approach to current studies of Tehran cycling field. Results indicated that unlike previous researches, bicycle and cycling among Tehran residents have a good position and orient of intervention must change to more acceptance for using the bicycle as a mode of transport. Finding of article supports this idea that cycling can be an excellent mode of transportation for all ages of population in Tehran and not just only for kids and teenagers as mentioned in current studies and documents about cycling in Tehran.
All parameters of the designed models had a significant relation to cycling. Furthermore, between psychological determinants of cycling behavior, health factor had the most important sub-items in attitude variable and social norms had a more relation rather than to attitude in cycling. At norm's item, injunctive norms and Descriptive Norms had the most effect, relatively. Perceived behavioral control had a lowest effect between variables.
Perceptions of respondents said us that cycling was not safe and comfortable in Tehran. In addition, according to spearman correlation in psychological belief items, perceived features were dominant factors to forming attitude variable and meanwhile; health, benefit of cycling and transport necessity had the most relations.
Finding of research showed that increasing bicycling as a mode of transportation has a complex process and is not restricted to just only facilities and infrastructure such as bicycle sharing programs or building separated bike lanes, but it also needs to programs, and policies that support bicycling form psycho-social determinants for understanding and achieving changes in cycling behavior. Furthermore, social acceptability index has a good potential for identifying psycho-social features of enhancing cycling in cities.
This study is the first serious attempt for describing, analyzing and explanting of bicycle use in Iranian cities with Psychological approach, which is done by measuring social acceptability index. By peer looking to findings of this research, revising of stereotypes and existing viewpoint of bicycle and bicycle use in Tehran city is very necessary.
Considering to Injunctive Norms, keeping and maintaining present positive attitude toward cycling are essential for enhancing cycling in Tehran. Moreover, it should be noted that psychological needs of users of bicycle are same importance with physical attributes in cities, and without this; success of every program has no guaranty in long time. By combining these measures and systematic study of bicycle preferable needs and applying in action, Bicycle commuting will be increased subsequently.