Wilson Mark, Whitmarsh Lorraine
Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom.
Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST), University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom.
Front Psychol. 2025 May 20;16:1569176. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1569176. eCollection 2025.
Encouraging a shift to sustainable travel modes is essential for achieving net zero goals. This mixed-method study investigates the adoption of e-bike shared mobility in a rural context. Partnering with Cornwall Council and the shared e-bike provider Beryl, the study trialed two behavior change interventions to encourage people to use active modes; 151 residents and 14 Council staff took part. The two interventions were: (1) free Beryl bike credits, so people gain experience of using the e-bike share scheme on a trial basis, and (2) the 'Pen portraits' visioning tool, which uses evidence-based narratives to motivate people to consider how they could reduce car use in their daily lives. The effectiveness of the interventions was assessed over a four-week period through comparison to a control condition. During the study, uptake of e-bike share increased from 7 to 31% for residents, and from 29 to 71% for Council staff. Commuting and leisure or exercise were the most common journey purposes, although the bikes were also used as a component of multimodal travel. Beryl bikes encouraged mode shift for short journeys (1-2 miles), with 28% of e-bike share journeys substituting private car use, resulting in estimated carbon emission savings of 96-626 g CO per journey. Relative to the control group, more people in each of the three intervention groups used a Beryl bike (Control group = 21% of residents used Beryl, compared to: the visioning tool = 31%; Beryl bike credits = 37%; and Beryl bike credits plus the visioning tool = 36%). However, these differences are not statistically significant. Participants reported strong agreement that e-bike share provides a range of practical benefits such as reduced concern about bike maintenance and theft, as well as co-benefits such as providing exercise and improving mental health. The article concludes with a discussion of the practical and analytical challenges for conducting behavior change interventions in real-world settings. These findings are relevant for local authorities who are interested in tools and behavioral approaches for engaging with the public on low-carbon travel.
鼓励向可持续出行方式转变对于实现净零目标至关重要。这项混合方法研究调查了农村地区电动自行车共享出行的采用情况。该研究与康沃尔郡议会以及电动自行车共享提供商贝丽尔合作，试验了两种行为改变干预措施，以鼓励人们使用主动出行方式；151名居民和14名议会工作人员参与其中。这两种干预措施分别是：（1）免费的贝丽尔自行车积分，让人们在试用基础上获得使用电动自行车共享计划的体验；（2）“人物特写”愿景工具，该工具使用基于证据的叙述来激励人们思考如何在日常生活中减少汽车使用。通过与对照条件进行比较，在为期四周的时间内评估了这些干预措施的有效性。在研究期间，居民对电动自行车共享的使用率从7%提高到了31%，议会工作人员的使用率从29%提高到了71%。通勤以及休闲或锻炼是最常见的出行目的，不过这些自行车也被用作多模式出行的一部分。贝丽尔自行车鼓励在短途出行（1 - 2英里）中实现出行方式转变，28%的电动自行车共享出行替代了私家车使用，估计每次出行可节省96 - 626克二氧化碳排放量。相对于对照组，三个干预组中的每一组使用贝丽尔自行车的人数都更多（对照组 = 21%的居民使用贝丽尔自行车，相比之下：愿景工具组 = 31%；贝丽尔自行车积分组 = 37%；贝丽尔自行车积分加愿景工具组 = 36%）。然而，这些差异在统计学上并不显著。参与者强烈认同电动自行车共享提供了一系列实际益处，如减少对自行车维护和盗窃的担忧，以及诸如提供锻炼和改善心理健康等协同效益。文章最后讨论了在现实环境中开展行为改变干预措施所面临的实际和分析挑战。这些研究结果对于那些对与公众就低碳出行进行互动的工具和行为方法感兴趣的地方当局具有参考价值。
