A. Misra, K. Watkins, and C. A. Le Dantec, Socio-demographic Influence on Cyclists’ Self Classification by Rider Type. In Transportation Research Board 2015 Annual Meeting.

Abstract

Cyclists differ widely in their perceptions of safety and comfort and hence, possibly in their preference for infrastructure. The difference in perception is further complicated by lack of data on individuals who are not cycling at present because of safety issues, but who may otherwise choose bicycling as a mode choice if proper infrastructure and environment are provided. One possible way of predicting choices of future cyclists based on present data is to classify cyclists based on attributes that are readily observable. Although several cyclist type classification systems have been proposed in the literature, the most commonly used classification system was developed in Portland based on experience rather than empirical analysis. In this paper, a five category classification system is proposed, including the categories strong and fearless, enthused and confident, comfortable but cautious, interested but concerned and no way no how. These rider type categories are then related to the socio-demographic information of cyclists collected through the Cycle Atlanta app to identify relationships to the variables such as age, gender, income, frequency of cycling and rider history. A survey of cyclists was also conducted to obtain stated preferences for infrastructure by cyclist types. Results show that age and gender and in some cases, income have significant influence on rider type categorization. Riders across all cyclist types prefer dedicated cycling facilities and are opposed to high speed traffic and high volume traffic, with little variation based on the classification of the cyclist.