The perceptions of bicycling intersection safety by four types of bicyclists

Over the last decade, American cities have shown a growing interest in designing bicycle-friendly intersections. Provisions of bicycle infrastructure at intersections, such as bicycle boxes, bicycle crossing signs and intersection crossing markings, may improve both perceived and actual bicycling safety, thereby encouraging more bicycling. Using survey data collected at the main campus of The Ohio State University, this study compares the influences of intersection design features on the safety perceptions of different bicyclist typologies. We group our respondents into four categories: (i) regular bicyclists, (ii) potential bicyclists, (iii) non-bicyclists who are pro-drive, (iv) non-bicyclists who are pro-public transit and pro-walk. We develop hierarchical ordered logit models for these four types of bicyclists. The model outcomes suggest that the effects of certain bicycle facilities vary across bicyclist typologies. For example, we find that installing two-stage turning boxes may promote the perceived safety levels of regular and potential bicyclists. However, this factor does not significantly affect non-bicyclists' perceived bicycling safety at intersections. The results can be used by transportation planners to project the changes in different bicyclists' safety perceptions with respect to changes in intersection features. The results also suggest specific infrastructure investments aimed at targeted groups for promoting bicycling for urban mobility.