CO-CAFE @ the london bike show, March 2019

Ben Spencer and Tom Shopland attended the London Bike Show 2019 at London ExCel on Friday 29th March. Ben made a presentation on the main stage on 'Older Riding & E-Bikes'.

Ben highlighted how cycling in the UK is relatively rare among the older population due to fears over safety and increasing difficulties with the ageing body, unsupportive built environment and technology ill adapted to their needs. He explained how the award-winning cycle BOOM study (www.cycleboom.org) there is the potential to engage a significant number of older people in cycling and how this could support improved mobility, health and wellbeing. This is especially true given the growth in the availability of e-bikes. These were found to provide health and wellbeing benefits on a par or better than pedal cycles - and to be the perfect tool for local microadventures.' 

Who We Met

We talked to many interested people at the show including Cherry Allen, a researcher and policy writer at Cycling UK. Cherry was familiar with the cycle BOOM study and had used the information as part of her role as policy adviser. 

We also spoke to a company that rented portable pump tracks. Pump tracks are a circuit containing features such as banks and banked turns that are designed to be ridden by riders using up and down body movements to maintain momentum instead of pedalling or pushing aka "pumping". The temporary tracks seem a great way to engage local communities in experiencing potential use of space for recreation prior to the development of a more permanent pump track of landscaped aggregate. We think pump tracks should be included as part of age friendly environments as they could help nurture inter-generational contact through play. Co-CAFE will be investigating the potential to bring more pump tracks in Oxford.