Visualising active travel with Pakistani heritage families in Bradford, UK – Photovoice as a tool for change

Abstract

In this paper we report insights on barriers to active travel among the Pakistani heritage community in Bradford UK, generated using the participatory Photovoice method. This is the largest minoritized ethnic group in Bradford, and though most segments of the UK population need to be more physically active, those of non-white ethnicities, and South Asian heritage in particular, are generally significantly less active than average. Insufficient physical activity (including active travel) contributes to a significant health burden for minoritized communities as well limiting progress with increasing active travel among these communities. Increasing active travel is known to contribute to both positive health outcomes and to key transport decarbonisation aims. To meet public health goals and Net Zero emissions targets by 2050, increasing walking and cycling for short journeys will be essential but it remains difficult to achieve. There is a lack of knowledge relating to how specific cultural groups perceive active travel as an option within their local areas. We sought to explore the use of Photovoice to understand whether this method has potential to enable minoritized communities to actively consider active travel, and to provide connections between these communities and their local authorities. We recruited eight Pakistani heritage families living in Bradford to do this. Their photos were used in semi-structured interviews, and the data collectively analysed. The analysis suggested key barriers to walking and cycling could be grouped into four main categories: personal factors, social factors and those related to the local and wider environment. We also found that people's travel choices in this study are influenced by cognitive biases and social norms that are quite connected to their cultural heritage and societal position as minoritized. There were also both generational and gendered effects that need to be accounted for in intervention design. Based on participants' reflection and feedback, this report concludes participatory techniques like Photovoice offer an opportunity to break the status quo for those who are struggling to make a change by raising their social consciousness and helping them to gather evidence of their concerns.