Cycling Infrastructure for Older and Disabled People: Evidence, Gaps, and Research Implications

Abstract

Cycling infrastructure in Europe and North America has historically been designed around normative user assumptions: able-bodied adults operating conventional two-wheeled bicycles. This paper examines the extent to which current infrastructure serves older adults and people with disabilities who cycle using conventional bikes, e-bikes, tricycles, hand cycles, and other adaptive equipment.

Drawing on research from the UK, Europe, and the United States, the paper synthesizes established knowledge about participation patterns, perceived safety, junction design challenges, and the diversity of access needs across different impairment types and adaptive equipment categories. It identifies areas where evidence remains partial or context-dependent, including the accommodation of adaptive cycles, the infrastructure implications of e-bike use, and trade-offs between dedicated and shared-use facilities.

Critical knowledge gaps are articulated across five domains: the applicability of European findings to North American contexts; how different disabilities and adaptive equipment interact with the same infrastructure features; whether infrastructure improvements increase participation among non-cyclists or sustain existing users; how facilities perform under real-world operational conditions; and methodological limitations in the existing evidence base, including self-selection bias and reliance on cross-sectional data.