Exploring Factors Influencing Bicyclists’ Perception of Comfort on Bicycle Facilities

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the physical environmental factors  influencing bicyclists‟ perception of comfort on physically separated bicycle paths and on-street bicycle lanes. We also look extensively at comparing the perception of comfort and the contributing factors between the two facility types. Field investigations were conducted at 43 segments on bicycle facilities in the metropolitan area of Nanjing, China. Bicyclists‟ perception of comfort and various environmental conditions were collected. We used an ordered probit (OP)  model to analyze the data. Data analysis results showed that for physically separated bicycle  paths, the environmental factors significantly influencing bicyclists‟ perception of comfort  included the width of path, presence of grade, presence of bus station, physical separation from  pedestrians, surrounding land use, and bicycle flow rate. For on-street bicycle lanes, the contributing factors associated with perception of comfort included the width of bicycle lane, width of curb lane, presence of grade, presence of bus station, amount of occupied car parking spaces, bicycle flow rate, motor vehicle flow rate, and rate of use of electric bicycles. The results suggested that bicyclists perceived a higher average comfort on physically separated bicycle  paths as compared to on-street bicycle lanes. On physically separated bicycle paths, bicyclists‟ perception of comfort was mainly influenced by road geometry and surrounding physical conditions. In the case of on-street bicycle lanes, bicyclists paid attention to the effective riding space and traffic conditions. The findings of this study can help inform design and planning of these bicycle facilities