Success and Challenges of Community Bicycle Advocacy Organizations in Reaching Underserved Populations

Bicycling, as forms of recreation and travel, offers many positive physical and mental health benefits, though there are still many disparities in bicycling rates among underserved populations in the United States. Community bicycling advocacy organizations/coalitions promote and advocate for increased bicycling; however, have been shown to have a lack of organizational capacity for equitable programming to diverse populations (racial/ethnic minorities, women, low-income, LGBTQ+ communities, youth). The purpose of this study was to understand the current practices for providing underserved populations bicycling programming among advocacy organizations and to find major barriers and helpful tools for equitable programming.

This was conducted in a volunteer sample of U.S. bicycle advocacy organizations. An interview (n = 23) assessed organizational function, successful programs, and barriers to reaching underserved populations.

Several themes emerged from the interviews. Participants stated that the lack of organizational leadership and member diversity, along with a lack of trust with underserved communities, presented major barriers to providing equitable programming. Partnering with other community organizations that place an emphasis on serving diverse populations was noted to have potential for increasing successful programming by allocating resources and connections.

Although barriers exist for bicycle advocacy organizations when attempting to reach underserved and diverse populations, groups should focus on creating successful and diverse partnerships to increase the capacity for providing equitable programming.