Influences on Bicycle Use

This paper describes a stated preference experiment that examined the influence of various factors on bicycle use in Edmonton, Canada. The experiment also sought to obtain ratios among parameter values to be used in the development of a larger simulation of household travel behavior. A review of previous findings concerning influences on cycling behavior is included. In the current study, a total of 1128 questionnaires were completed and returned by current cyclists. The questionnaire presented a pair of possible bicycle use alternatives and asked which was preferred for travel to a hypothetical all-day meeting or gathering (business or social). Alternatives were described by specifying the amounts of time spent on 3 different types of cycling facilities and whether or not showers and/or secure bicycle parking were available at the destination. Indications of socioeconomic character and levels of experience and comfort regarding cycling were also collected. The observations obtained from this process were used to estimate the parameter values for a range of different utility functions in logit models representing this choice behavior. The results indicate that increased trip length has a significant negative effect on the attractiveness of cycling. Several trade-off rates among attributes were identified that seem broadly consistent with the findings of other studies. Findings revealed that time spent cycling in mixed traffic is more onerous than time spent cycling on bike lanes or bike paths; secure parking is more important than showers at the destination; and cycling times on roadways tend to become less onerous as the level of experience increases