Identification of Factors that Influence Cyclistś Route Choice

Abstract

The objective of the research described in this paper was to evaluate the perception of a group of individuals with respect to factors that might influence their route choice. Data collection was carried out with 65 cyclists that use the bicycle for commuting in a medium-sized Brazilian city. A questionnaire was prepared in which eighteen factors and respondents asked to assess the importance of these factors for their route choice, on a 5-point scale ranging from “Very important” (coded as 1) and “Very Unimportant” (coded as 5). The final part of the questionnaire asked about the respondent's personal characteristics: gender, age, reason why they use the bicycle (work, school, leisure, other), frequency of cycling (a few days month, one day a week, two or three days a week, four or more days a week) and if they usually plan their route before leaving home. The results showed that the most important factors were: motor vehicle speed and number of trucks in the flow (both assessed as 5.0–very important). Other important attributes were: volume of motor vehicles, security and street lighting (all with a 4.86 score). The least important factor was cycling on a one way street (3.29).