For whom is sharing really scaring? capturing unobserved heterogeneity in perceived comfort when cycling in shared spaces

For whom is sharing really scaring? capturing unobserved heterogeneity in perceived comfort when cycling in shared spaces

Kazemzadeh, Khashayar (University of Cambridge)
Afghari, A.P. (TU Delft Safety and Security Science)
Cherry, Christopher R. (The University of Tennessee Knoxville; Queensland University of Technology)

2024

Shared spaces for active mobility prioritize the safety and comfort of vulnerable road users by segregating them from motorized vehicles. However, the diverse speed regimes of pedestrians and cyclists can lead to encounters that may affect their comfort. In addition, the very perception of comfort may vary across individuals depending on their demographics, and therefore the determinants of comfort and their effects may not be fixed across all individuals. Despite these complexities, there is limited research in understanding the heterogeneous interactions between cyclists and other road users in shared spaces. To bridge this gap, we conducted an intercept survey complemented by an experimental section involving 594 cyclists in Sweden. This study focuses on gaining insights into cyclists' experiences, particularly their comfort levels during 'passing' and 'meeting' events with other road users in shared spaces. We then used the collected data to develop a random effect latent class ordered probit model to scrutinize the determinants of cycling comfort in passing and meeting scenarios. The latent class specification is employed to account for unobserved heterogeneity in the data. Findings reveal that female cyclists generally perceive less comfort compared to their male counterparts in both scenarios. Passing events have a more negative impact on older adults, leading to less comfort compared to younger cyclists. We also found that previous cycling experience increases comfort in shared facilities, particularly for older adults. These results highlight the intricate nature of perceived comfort in interactions, particularly concerning demographic characteristics, contributing to the promotion of user diversity in shared spaces.

Cyclists
Comfort
Level of service
Active mobility
Passing
Shared space

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:030b2b08-9708-4c93-bd66-5d0ec7490b46

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2024.04.017

2024-10-27

1369-8478

Transportation Research. Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 103, 306-318

Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2024 Khashayar Kazemzadeh, A.P. Afghari, Christopher R. Cherry