Publication
Title
Environmental factors associated with perceived cycling safety along adolescents' home-to-school routes
Author
Abstract
In Flanders (Belgium), one in three journeys between home and school by adolescents (12-18 years) is made by bike. Sadly, most cycling accidents also occur in this age group. Although research and cycling policies advocate for safer school environments, their focus is often limited to a restricted area near the school gate. Not only school environments but also trajectories to school and adolescents' experience along it should be considered when designing cycling policies. Therefore, we investigated perceived cycling safety and its relation with the environment along home-to-school routes of adolescents in Flanders. Data were collected using a location based service (LBS) developed for secondary schools. Relations between perceived cycling safety and a wide range of both subjectively scored and objectively measured environmental data were analysed using multilevel linear regressions, at the level of routes, road segments, and intersections. The models show that traffic volume and cycling infrastructure have the strongest associations with perceived safety, and that accident data have a significant relation as well. Therefore, we believe that decreasing traffic volume and enhancing cycling infrastructure will increase adolescents' cycling safety perception. Furthermore, the results of this study underline the promising value of LBS to develop proactive and stimulating cycling policies.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Journal of location based services. - Abingdon, 2007, currens
Publication
Abingdon : Taylor & Francis , 2022
ISSN
1748-9725 [Print]
1748-9733 [Online]
DOI
10.1080/17489725.2022.2107245
Volume/pages
16 :3 (2022) , p. 208-243
ISI
000837995200001
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
UAntwerpen
Research group
Publication type
Subject
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 02.04.2024
Last edited 03.04.2024
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