Delivery Cyclist Safety

This study is about improving safety for delivery cyclists.

Join our study

If you are a bicycle delivery rider in Australia, we invite you to video record your deliveries and talk to us about your experiences.

All participants will be paid $250 at the end of the study.

Email to register your interest.

Research Team

  • A/Prof Amelia Thorpe

    UNSW Law and Justice

    Amelia is a sociolegal researcher with degrees in Architecture and City Policy as well as Law, and professional experience in planning and in public interest environmental law. Her research focuses on the governance of cities, especially streets.

  • Dr Marilyn Johnson

    Institute of Transport Studies, Monash University

    Marilyn is a road safety researcher with a PhD in injury prevention. Her research focus is the safety of vulnerable road users, specifically cyclists. In her previous role at the Amy Gillett Foundation, she led the national a metre matters campaign.

  • A/Prof Soufiane Boufous

    Injury Epidemiology, UNSW

    Soufiane is an injury epidemiologist with a Masters degree in Public Health and a PhD in epidemiology. His research focuses on developing innovative methods of assessing the burden and risk factors of injury.

  • Dr Courtney Hercus

    UNSW Law and Justice

    Courtney is a socio-political researcher with a PhD in global political economy. Her research focuses on social and economic human rights, and their relationship to changing economic systems.

  • Tom Rudge

    UNSW Law and Justice

    Tom is a social researcher with a background in Development Studies and a Masters in Social Change. While completing his studies, Tom worked as a food delivery cyclist and so brings his unique perspective and understanding of cycling road safety issues to the project.

Study information

 

  • The aim is to understand the experiences of delivery cyclists and how to make cycling safer.

  • A/Professor Amelia Thorpe, Faculty of Law & Justice, UNSW

    A/Professor Soufiane Boufous, Faculty of Science, UNSW

    Dr Marilyn Johnson, Faculty of Engineering, Monash University

    Dr Courtney Hercus, Faculty of Law & Justice, UNSW

    Tom Rudge, Faculty of Law & Justice, UNSW

    Research Funder: Office of Road Safety.

  • • 18 years of age or older

    • Working as a bicycle delivery cyclist in Sydney or Melbourne currently or in the past two years

  • It’s voluntary.

    If you do join, you can change your mind at any stage.

  • There are three options, and you will be paid for your time. You can choose:

    Interview by Zoom

    Tell us about your work, your views on safety and on things that could be done to improve your safety.

    Interview by Zoom: 1 hour, $50

    Focus group by Zoom: 6-8 delivery cyclists, 1.5 hours, $75

    Camera on your bike: one week, flat rate, $200 (you won’t be visible)

  • It’s free for you. You do not pay.

    We will pay you for your time depending on how you participate - see 5. What do I need to do for details on involvement and payments.

  • We will only use your information for research.

    We will not share the data with anyone including delivery platforms or the government.

  • We will post a summary of the results on this webpage.

    Your answers will be anonymous. Your name will not be attached to any information.

  • Yes, you can withdraw at any time.

    If you have participated, we will pay you for your time. If you have not participated, we will not pay for your time.

  • Contact the UNSW Human Ethics Coordinator:

    (02) 9385 6222
    humanethics@unsw.edu.au

    Reference Number HC210830

  • Contact the team leader:

    A/Prof Amelia Thorpe
    (02) 9385 7602
    a.thorpe@unsw.edu.au

Participant information

 

  • What is the research study about?

    You are invited to take part in this research study. The research study aims to understand the experience of delivery cyclists, including issues related to road rules and road design. The benefits include identifying changes that could make streets safer, particularly for delivery cyclists. 

    Who is conducting this research?

    The study is being carried out by the following researchers: Associate Professor Amelia Thorpe, Faculty of Law and Justice, UNSW; Associate Professor Soufiane Boufous, Faculty of Science, UNSW and Dr Marilyn Johnson, Faculty of Engineering, Monash University. 

    Research Funder

    This research is being funded by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications’ “Road Safety Innovation Fund”.

    Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria

    Before you decide to participate in this research study, we need to ensure that it is ok for you to take part. The research study is looking recruit people who meet the following criteria:

    • 18 years of age or older

    • Working as a bicycle delivery cyclist in Sydney or Melbourne currently or in the past two years

    • Proficient in English

    Participants who meet the following criteria will be excluded from the study:

    1. Under the age of 18 years, as children and young people are not the focus of this study

    Do I have to take part in this research study?

    Participation in this research study is voluntary. If you do not want to take part, you do not have to. If you decide to take part and later change your mind, you are free to withdraw from the study at any stage.

    If you decide you want to take part in the research study, you will be asked to:

    Read the information carefully and ask questions if necessary at the start of the interview.

    What does participation in this research require, and are there any risks involved?

    If you agree to participate you will be asked to complete the following research procedures.

    Interview: An online video interview. You will be asked questions about your work, your views on safety and on things that could be done to improve your safety. The interview will take place over Teams or Zoom and will take approximately 50-60 minutes. With your permission the research team would like to audio record the interview. If you do not wish to be recorded but you would like to participate you advise the research team and written notes will be taken. 

    Focus Group: All focus group sessions will take place online and will take approximately 60-90 minutes. During the focus group you will be asked questions about your work, your views on safety and on things that could be done to improve your safety. With your permission the research team would like to audio record the interview. If you decide to participate in the focus group, your comments along with other participants will be recorded during the group discussions. Because of the way in which the focus group discussions are recorded, the research team will not be able to withdraw or destroy individual participant responses. 

    Additional Costs and Reimbursement: There are no costs associated with participating in this research project. You will be compensated for your time at $40/hour for interviews and focus groups, paid in vouchers for Coles/Myer. The reimbursement will be provided at the conclusion of the data collection process.  

    What will happen to information about me?

    By signing the consent form, you consent to the research team collecting and using information about you for the research study. 

    The research team will store the data collected from you for this research project for:

    A minimum of 5 years after the publication of the research results.

    The information about you will be stored in a re-identifiable format where any identifiers such as your name, address, date of birth will be replaced with a unique code.

     You will be asked to provide your consent for the research team the share or use the information collected from you in future research that will be an extension of, or closely related to, the original project; or is in the same general area of research. Your information will only be shared in a format that will not identify you.  If you change your mind, you can use the Withdrawal of Consent form to indicate that you no longer wish the information you provide to be shared or by calling the research team.  

    Information collected from you in an electronic format will be stored on a UNSW password protected OneDrive only accessible to the approved research investigators.  

    Audio recordings will be stored on a UNSW password protected OneDrive only accessible to the approved research investigators. Audio recordings will be made available to a professional transcription service. Recordings will only be made available after a confidentiality agreement has been signed.

    The information you provide is personal information for the purposes of the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW).  You have the right of access to personal information held about you by the University, the right to request correction and amendment of it, and the right to make a complaint about a breach of the Information Protection Principles as contained in the PPIP Act.  Further information on how the University protects personal information is available in the UNSW Privacy Management Plan.

    How and when will I find out what the results of the research study are?

    The research team intend to publish and/report the results of the research. All Information will be published in a way that will not identify you. 

    If you would like to receive a copy of the results you can let the research team know by inserting your email or mailing address in the consent form. We will only use these details to send you the results of the research.  

    What if I want to withdraw from the research study?

    If you do consent to participate, you may withdraw at any time. You can do so by completing the ‘Withdrawal of Consent Form’ which is provided at the end of this document or you can ring the research team and tell them you no longer want to participate. Your decision not to participate or to withdraw from the study will not affect your relationship with UNSW Sydney, Monash University or the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. If you decide to leave the research study, the researchers will not collect additional information from you. You can request that any identifiable information about you be withdrawn from the research project. 

    What if I have a complaint or any concerns about the research study?

    If you have a complaint regarding any aspect of the study or the way it is being conducted, please contact the UNSW Human Ethics Coordinator:

    Complaints Contact 

    UNSW Human Research Ethics Coordinator

    Telephone: + 61 2 9385 6222

    Email: humanethics@unsw.edu.au 

    HC Reference Number: 210830

    What should I do if I have further questions about my involvement in the research study?

    The person you may need to contact will depend on the nature of your query. If you require further information regarding this study or if you have any problems which may be related to your involvement in the study, you can contact the following member of the research team:

    Associate Professor Amelia Thorpe

    Telephone: (02) 9385 7602

    Email: a.thorpe@unsw.edu.au