Active Travel Podcast

Rachel Aldred
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  • SCIENCE
Active Travel Podcast

Welcome to the Active Travel Podcast! We are founded by the Active Travel Academy, which was set up in September 2019, at the University of Westminster, to bring together expertise to lead research, teaching and knowledge exchange, with a focus on walking and cycling, and other ‘micromobilities’ from e-scooters to electric hand cycles; and reduction in car use.  Our expertise comes from across the University and beyond, from disciplines including transport and urban studies, architecture, sociology and politics, media studies, business studies, and health and wellbeing. Here, with some of the leading voices in the field, we will discuss some knotty issues around air pollution, climate breakdown, inactivity, road injuries and deaths, access to transport and independent mobility in childhood and at older ages. You can find all our podcast hosting services, and subscribe, here: https://pod.link/1515440253 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 07/01/2024

    School Streets

    Dr. Tom Cohen, Reader in Transport at Westminster University and member of the Active Travel Academy interviews Dr. Asa Thomas, who recently completed his PhD research with the Active Travel Academy. Show notes and transcript link available at https://blog.westminster.ac.uk/ata/school-streets-ata-podcast-20242/. Show notes by Professor Rachel Aldred and podcast editing by Chris Gregory of Alternative Stories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    57 min

  2. 01/25/2024

    Accessibility and Urban Design

    Dr. Harrie Larrington-Spencer, Research Fellow at the Active Travel Academy, interviews Professor Aimi Hamraie, who directs the Critical Design Lab, and whose research focuses on disability, accessibility, and urban design. Show notes and transcript link available at https://blog.westminster.ac.uk/ata/accessibility-and-urban-design-ata-podcast-20241/. Show notes by Professor Rachel Aldred and podcast editing by Chris Gregory of Alternative Stories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    49 min

  3. 07/06/2023

    Queering Cartographic Methods

    Rachel Aldred, Professor of Transport and Director of the Active Travel Academy, interviews Ellis Fannin, a PhD researcher at the University of Manchester, about their research on queering cartographic methods. Show notes and transcript link available at https://blog.westminster.ac.uk/ata/queering-cartographic-methods/. Thanks to Ellis and to our ATA interns, Rob Coates (who prepared and edited the audio files) and James Stevenson (who corrected the transcript and wrote the show notes). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 1m

  4. 06/01/2023

    Barriers to Black men cycling in London

    Dulce Pedroso, PhD researcher at the Active Travel Academy, interviews Akwesi Osei of Possible about his research into barriers to Black men cycling in London. Show notes and transcript link available at https://blog.westminster.ac.uk/ata/barriers-to-black-men-cycling-in-london-ata-podcast-3/. Thanks to Akwesi and Dulce and to our ATA interns, Rob Coates (who prepared and edited the audio files) and James Stevenson (who corrected the transcript and wrote the show notes). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    55 min

  5. 05/02/2023

    Planning for Trans Futures

    Professor Rachel Aldred, Director of the Active Travel Academy, interviews Matt C. Smith of Brighton University about their research into trans in planning, and trans experiences in the city. Show notes and transcript link available at https://blog.westminster.ac.uk/ata/planning-for-trans-futures-ata-podcast-20232/ Thanks to Matt and to our interns, Rob Coates (who prepared and edited the audio files), James Stevenson (who corrected the transcript and wrote the show notes), and Chinaemerem Obiegbu (who helped with the transcript). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 5m

  6. 04/04/2023

    Neurodiversity in the City

    Professor Rachel Aldred, Director of the Active Travel Academy, interviews Dr. Therese Kenna of University College Cork about her research into experiences of neurodivergence in the city. Show notes and transcript link available at https://blog.westminster.ac.uk/ata/new-ata-podcast-season/ Thanks to Therese and to our interns, Rob Coates (who prepared and edited the audio files) and James Stevenson (who corrected the transcript and wrote the show notes). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 7m

  7. 12/07/2021

    Still I Ride 2: How women of colour are challenging discourses in and through cycling

    Cycling has always been about more than its health, economic and environmental benefits. The rise of women cyclists coincided with the age of the new, educated and independent woman. The early moral outcry over women’s cycling outfits and alleged damage to their feminine physical features may seem ridiculous today yet cycling continues to be linked to discourses about who can be visible, who can take space, and how. Over the past decades, cycling has been represented as a self-indulgent leisure activity. The media loves portraying cycling as an unsafe annoyance to other road users; something that only middle aged men in lycra engage in and benefit from. To some extent, the cycling culture has done little to change that perception and only very recently has started becoming a little less exclusive. My name is Dulce Pedroso and this project seeks to move beyond the discussion on barriers to cycling to understanding how those who are often not part of the cycling discourses experience and challenge dominant representations of cycling. Thanks to a grant through the Active Travel Academy Justice in and for Active Travel initiative, I was able to get my bike and myself on the train to travel to different parts of the country to ride with and talk with nine women who all identify as a Woman of Colour and, for whom cycling is a big part of their lives. In the previous episode we heard how the women I interviewed got into cycling and the role cycling now plays in their lives. In this second part, Zoe, Vera, Susan, Eden, Mildred and Sidrah reflect on how discourses around cycling interact with what it means to be a woman and a Person of Colour in our society especially when cycling and being visible in public space. We recorded these conversations while riding our bikes in late spring 2021, when the UK was just starting to emerge out of lockdowns. You will hear some traffic noise in the background and the sound quality isn’t always great. Most annoyingly, the technology failed during a couple of rides, so you will not hear everyone I spoke to, but if you are interested in the research and want to find out more, you do so via the Active Travel Academy, or find me on Instagram. I feel privileged to have been able to talk to the women who took part. They are challenging the status quo whether that is as ride leaders, social media influencers, cycling advocates, cycling industry insiders or just as individuals who are encouraging their friends and families to ride more. I hope you enjoy listening to these stories as much I enjoyed recording them! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    39 min

  8. 12/07/2021

    Still I Ride 1: How women of colour are challenging discourses in and through cycling

    So, in a culture, where the car is really dominant, being a cyclist can make it feel like you’re a second class citizen. And if you already feel invisible in society, because of your identity, because of who you are or the way you look, it may seem odd that you would opt for more of these othering experiences by choosing to cycle, especially if you then also don’t see yourself represented in the cycling culture or don’t feel like you’re part of the wider cycling community. But how much do we know about the different experiences of underrepresented groups who do cycle? How much do we know about the experiences of Women of Colour who cycle? And we know that they do – I know we do – as I am one myself.   My name is Dulce Pedroso and I live and ride my bike in Bristol. I got a grant through the Active Travel Academy Justice in and for Active Travel initiative for researching this topic for my Masters. So, what I did for my research, I got my bike and myself on the train and traveled to different parts of the country to ride with and talk with m nine women who all identify as a Woman of Colour and, for whom cycling is a big part of their lives. I feel really privileged to have been able to talk to these women who are all really impressive and influential in different ways, whether that is as ride leaders, social media influencers and cycling advocates or cycling industry insiders or just as a friend or family to encourage people to ride more. So, what you are about to hear is the first part of a two-part mini podcast put together from the conversations we had back in May. I recorded these conversations while we were riding our bikes so the sound quality isn’t always great and unfortunately you will not hear everyone I spoke to, but if you are interested in the research and want to find out more, you can find out more via the Active Travel Academy, or find me on Instagram. In this first part you will hear how Sahar, Vera, Mildred, Tina Susan and Sidrah got into cycling and the role cycling now plays in their lives. You’ll hear about the impact of cycle friendly infrastructure, different community projects and initiatives, cycling clubs and family, friends and partners have had on their cycling. You can also start to get a sense of the way cycling has been represented in the mainstream as largely masculine, often White and middle class, sporty activity which may make it trickier to those who don’t see themselves in that image to identify as a cyclist. But I hope you will also take away the positivity and joy in these conversations and I love how these women are talking about how cycling has given them confidence and mental resilience and voice. I really enjoyed recording these conversations and I hope that you enjoy listening to them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    40 min
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About

Welcome to the Active Travel Podcast! We are founded by the Active Travel Academy, which was set up in September 2019, at the University of Westminster, to bring together expertise to lead research, teaching and knowledge exchange, with a focus on walking and cycling, and other ‘micromobilities’ from e-scooters to electric hand cycles; and reduction in car use.  Our expertise comes from across the University and beyond, from disciplines including transport and urban studies, architecture, sociology and politics, media studies, business studies, and health and wellbeing. Here, with some of the leading voices in the field, we will discuss some knotty issues around air pollution, climate breakdown, inactivity, road injuries and deaths, access to transport and independent mobility in childhood and at older ages. You can find all our podcast hosting services, and subscribe, here: https://pod.link/1515440253 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Rachel Aldred
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Rachel Aldred
  • Show Website
    Active Travel Podcast

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