Every week leading up to Velo-city Global Adelaide 2014, the leading global conference on cycling, we're going to get you acquainted with one of the fantastic conference speakers. This week:

Get Addicted to Cycling with Jennifer Bonham 

Jennifer Bonham is a senior lecturer in the School of Social Sciences, University of Adelaide. With a background in human geography specializing in urbanisation and cultural practices of travel, Jennifer's research focuses on the complex relationship between bodies, spaces, practices and rationalities of travel. She is a member of the editorial board for Transfers the Interdisciplinary Journal of Mobility Studies and she has served on the organising committee for the Australian Cycling Conference. Jennifer’s work is informed by a concern for equitable and ecologically sustainable cities.

What excites you most about Velo-city? "Velo-city provides an excellent opportunity to engage with practitioners, policy makers and researchers from around the globe on cycling as an everyday practice." For Jennifer, bringing Velo-city to Australia will "provide an opportunity to introduce a greater number of Australians to the global trend toward sustainable and equitable forms of transport". Surely, with local speakers like Jennifer, Australia will never be the same transportation-wise!

When asked what she would change to get more people on bikes, Jennifer responds with a look at accessibility and equality. "Construct and regulate our public thoroughfares (such as roads and streets) to secure safety, comfort, convenience and equity for the broadest range of road users including cyclists, pedestrians, wheelchair users and scooter operators." The better the roads and streets are for active mobility, the more likely cycling will take place. And according to Jennifer, cycling is addictive!

Whether she is reminiscing about a cycling trip with her family - her 13 years old son convinced the family to cycle from Adelaide to Melbourne via the Coorong and Great Ocean Road - or eagerly awaiting that morning ride, we can all agree with Jennifer that once you start cycling you're hooked!

"When you ride on a regular basis, your body starts demanding the exercise so you end up riding every day. These days I use my bicycle for everything – from shopping and work-commutes to going on holidays."

If you don't get a chance to see Jennifer at Velo-city Adelaide, then you'll probably see her on the Adelaide cycle paths! "Waiting at traffic lights and having a friendly chat to other cyclists, pedestrians or the car passengers pulled up alongside you," says Jennifer, "is a great cycling moment." We couldn't agree more, and we wish it would happen more often!

So what are you waiting for? Register today for Velo-city Global 2014, and hear more from Jennifer Bonham and the other fantastic speakers in Adelaide.

What are you looking forward to at Velo-city 2014? Check out these links then drop us a post on our Facebook group!

More info on Velo-city 

Velo-city conference website

Conference Programme PDF

About the Author

Zoé Kruchten is a Communications Assistant at the European Cyclists’ Federation. She has a BA in International Relations and has worked in the past as a bike mechanic. She also loves striking up conversations with other bicycle commuters at traffic lights.