cal_don

I am currently working on a project to make the average commuters cycle safer and in turn encourage more people to take up cycling for their commute. To do this I need to gather some information to find out what the issues may be. I would appreciate if anyone could fill in the questionnaire on this link and even pass it on to other friends and family.

https://www.esurveycreator.co.uk/s/6d060a0

Thank you for your time!

Callum Donnelly

jdswitters

I answered your survey but would like to warn you of bias I see in the questions. Making the bicyclist responsible for looking like a tron character is not going to improve safety. Infrastructure and driver awareness are going to improve safety. If you look at pictures or videos of Copenhagen and other cities with a high rate of cycling mode share and a low rate of cyclist/auto deaths you do not see brightly lit cyclists in safety cocoons.

Cheers,

TinkerinWstuff

Guess I'm not allowed to survey since I'm almost 40

Giant Doofus

Me too, except I'm 45. OP - you might want to change your title to indicate that you are only looking for people aged 18-30.

TinkerinWstuff

You don't commute when you're 30+ I guess; you just get in the way.

AlmostTrick

Why the age cut off? You kiddies could learn a thing or two from us old timers who have been successfully (and safely) commuting for years. Hint: It ain't about helmets.

The biggest reason I hear from people for NOT cycle commuting to work, is fear of drivers/cars. If you want to encourage more people to cycle to school/work, maybe you should survey motorists, and correct their behavior.

lostarchitect 

I'm confused. Maybe the survey changed, but when I took it it just asked how old you were. There was no cutoff.

AlmostTrick

You are correct, but there is this opening line:

So the cut off is for the intended users of the OP's product. I wonder why?

CrankyOne

OP, the problem is not how bicycles are designed but how our road system is. Get a copy of the Dutch CROW manual for bicycle traffic design and do a survey on how to design a better U.S. traffic engineer.

ThermionicScott 

Creating surveys must be easier than doing actual research. This is well-trodden ground, and being a decrepit 34 years old, I say you can take your survey and shove it up your nose.

AlmostTrick

Ouch, that seems a bit harsh.

no motor?

As a mid 50's resident of the US I guess I'm unqualified to answer yet another survey on bike commuting.

alan s 

Things would be much safer if there were bike-only roads and/or bike-only MUPs. No peds (especially with dogs or roller bladers) and no cars allowed. Slow bikes would have a segregated lane with plastic bollards to keep them out of the way until their physical conditioning improved enough to maintain at least 15 mph.

snow_echo_NY

i agree you can just look at how cities like copenhagen and amsterdam have designed their city. what works and why. i personally think protected bike lanes work, in amsterdam, there are curb separations between pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles. i feel far safer cycling in amsterdam than i do in NYC my hometown.

TransitBiker

I am too old for this ****.

- Andy

wphamilton

I suppose that students noodling around on University campuses might have different safety concerns than we do.

caloso

There are a number of bike path traffic circles on the UC Davis campus. It used to be the thing to go watch all the crashes at the start of Fall Quarter when the freshmen arrived.

mr geeker

+1

I answered the survey, regardless of not being in the narrow target demographic, after all, it will still "help" the op with their "research".

CrankyOne

Not needed. Bicycles take up extremely little space and are quite maneuverable so passing is quite easy. As long as slower riders keep right (or move right when someone comes) there are no problems. Bikeways in The Netherlands are filled with people traveling at a variety of speeds and it's not a problem.

jade408

Some people aren't bicycling for speed. 15 mph isn't practical for transportation cycling in a denser environment. Too many stops.

wolfchild

This survey has some very serious flaws in it, one of them being the age cut-off...18-30 ??, is this a joke ??

12strings

Also don't discount the thrill of some danger...I began bike commuting in downtown Boston, on a 30 yr old road bike with only one brake, in rush-hour traffic...mostly no bike lanes, narrow old streets that wind and twist with no grid system And new England drivers...it was thrilling...it hooked me on bike riding!

CliffordK

Lights and reflective gear at night does improve safety for those riding at night. I don't know how much a bright vest helps during the day.

Infrastructure is nice, but poorly planned roads and paths are annoying, but don't stop me from riding. I just dnt' expect bike paths for half of my riding anyway.

Situational awareness on the part of the rider is important.

cal_don

Some people have mentioned the age range which I initially decided for my demographic, however, I would find any feedback highly useful and would encourage as many people as possible to take part. One factor which decided the age was the fact that many cyclists older then that group are more experienced and willing to use safety products regardless of seeming 'uncool' so I wanted to break into the gap which might not be as easily convinced to use these products.

Again this isn't solid but I would be happy for anyone to challenge that and would include it in my report.

The survey has been edited and I am pleased with the amount of feedback already.

Apologies if you felt excluded.

TransitBiker

Most people who are cycling commuters are going to be in their late 20's and 30's and older in the US, from what i've observed.

- Andy