A spatial and demographic analysis of cycling safety perceptions: A case study in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18335/region.v11i2.480

Abstract

Bike-friendly cities offer scores of benefits to both individuals and society, but a lack of safety is a major barrier to ridership. Significant research has been devoted to studying demographic drivers of ridership and what makes individuals feel unsafe on a bicycle, but there is lack of research utilizing quantitative approaches on spatial perceptions of safety, particularly with respect to gender. This paper seeks to close that gap using a crowd sourcing approach to spatial data collection, statistical comparisons of cycling behavior by gender, and spatial analyses of mapped points. The authors find parity between women and men in terms of number of trips taken per week but find significant differences in the spatial extent of mapped responses. This paper adds to academic discussions on cycling safety and sheds light on specific locations that could benefit from infrastructure improvements.

Author Biographies

Matthew Haffner, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Anthropology

Nathan Walker, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Master's student, Department of Geography and Geographic Information Sciences

Savanna Grunzke, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Undergraduate student, Department of Geography and Anthropology

Matthew St. Ores, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Undergraduate student, Department of Geography and Anthropology

REGION cover image with bikers and a US-flag

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Published

2024-12-31

How to Cite

Haffner, M., Walker, N., Grunzke, S. and St. Ores, M. (2024) “A spatial and demographic analysis of cycling safety perceptions: A case study in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA”, REGION. Vienna, Austria, 11(2), pp. 119–147. doi: 10.18335/region.v11i2.480.

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