Being safe by knowing how to behave? The subjective safety perception among migrants

In many countries, cycling is mostly known as a sport or leisure activity but unsafe in traffic. Cycling in traffic is one ofthe major safety concem and a main barrier for cycling in many countries (e.g. see in [1; 2]). At the same time, the quality of cycling infrastructure varies strongly between countries. When moving from a country with a non-existing cycling infrastructure to a country with cycling infrastructure, the bicycle as a means of traffic is very likely to raise interest. In the process of settling and influenced by a new environment, migrants usually start changing habituated behaviour and readjust norms and attitudes, what often cause the wish to participate in activities perceived as common behaviour [3]. Nevertheless, in Germany as a rather cycling-friendly country, statistics show significantly less cycling and bicycle ownership among migrants from non-western countries, especially among women compared to natives [ 4]. Aim of the study was to analyse the perceived safety of cycling ftom the view-point of migrants from noncycling countries and subsequently identify the safety-related barriers to cycling. [from Introduction