Attractive infrastructure for everyone? Different preferences for route characteristics among cyclists

Kurzfassung

Knowing about the specific route preferences of demographic groups is crucial when researching equity in cycling. In this study, we use a large-scale stated-preference experiment with 4389 respondents and 35,112 choice observations to evaluate route choice behavior. We set up discrete route choice models and focus on the specific needs of women, people cycling with children, and older adults. Results show that all groups of interest show higher, but not fundamentally different, route requirements. In this context, lower speed limits for motorized transport are very important for people cycling with children, and older adults. In addition, women and those traveling with children attach significantly higher value to separated bike infrastructure. These results show that vulnerable road users benefit stronger from a bike-friendly road infrastructure than the cyclist population as a whole.