Public Perception of Cycling Safety in NYC

Project Objectives

• Why are safety perceptions of cycling intensifying despite cyclist risk decreasing?

• Negative perception of cycling can lead to infrastructure being underutilized

Data and Results

• Safety perception comes from the NYC Citywide Mobility Survey

• Cyclist risk is measured as cyclists killed or seriously injured per 10 million cyclist trips in NYC, data given by NYC DOT

•  Currently looking for data sets that cover safety perception during 2020-2021, CMS does not include cycling safety perception questions in the 2020 survey

Significance

•  Clear disconnect between effectiveness of bicycle infrastructure and public perception of cycling safety

•Potentially revealing of how safety features impact (or fail to impact) different demographics within NYC

• Investigate safety perception amongst different demographic groups (i.e., high-income vs low-income cyclists)

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Center for Geological and Climate Hazards

Interdisciplinary Research Experience for Undergraduates in Atmospheric and Geological Hazards