Measuring Perceptions of Active Transportation at UCLA

Tyler D. Watson, MPHPhD StudentUCLA Fielding School of Public Health

UCLA Commuter Perceptions Survey

● Designed for general commuter population

● 11 questions● Electronic random

distribution to 1,800 faculty, staff, students

● Home address within 5 mile radius of campus

● n = 240

Primary Transportation Mode

*Other: skateboard, scooter, motorcycle, shuttle

Barriers to Walking

*Other: physical ability, schedule, environment

*Other: ability to ride a bike, age/health status, bike ownership, hygiene/appearance

Barriers to Bicycling

Walking Incentives

*Other: shorter distance, affordable housing near campus, more time, family obligations, other safety concerns

Bicycling Incentives

*Other: lack of bike access (e.g. cost, bike sharing), other safety concerns (e.g. less traffic and smog, more bicyclists)

Completely Safe

Extremely Unsafe

Completely Safe

Extremely Unsafe

How safe do you feel walking on the periphery of campus?

How safe do you feel walking on campus?

Completely Safe

Extremely Unsafe

Completely Safe

Extremely Unsafe

How safe do you feel bicycling on the periphery of campus?

How safe do you feel bicycling on campus?

Open-Ended

● “Having a dedicated bike lane would increase my desire to bike to work.”

● “...consistent bike lanes instead of ones that only last for a few blocks at a time.”

● “...need a bike path that is protected with a physical barrier.”

UCLA Medical Centers Bicycle Access Survey

● Proposed access route between medical centers (~4.5 miles)

● 9 questions

● Pediatrics and family practice email lists

● Paper surveys at pediatrics grand rounds

● n = 75

My commute is inconvenienced by traffic-related issues.

I support the proposed bicycle-friendly access route.

How likely would you be to use the bicycle route?

Which bicycling improvements, if any, would increase the likelihood that you would bicycle on this route?

Additional Comments

● “I often bring my bike to cycle to RR when I have to commute and find it much easier than driving, but safety is an issue.

● “While I would be excited to have the opportunity to bike between SM and RRMC, it would still scare me. There would have to be a huge emphasis on cars not taking out cyclists!!!”

● “I stopped biking due to the difficulty of the Wilshire-405 cross section. It feels very unsafe… If safer, I would love to bike to work!”

Wilshire-405

UCLA Strathmore Bike CounterNovember 22, 2013

AVERAGE

Weekday 147

Weekly 771

Monthly 2,893

MAXIMUM

Day: Wed April 09, 2014 221

Week of: Mon April 07, 2014 1,064

Month: April 2014 4,463

Field Survey

● Wayfindingo Increased signage for directionso Info on multiple building sides

● Bike parkingo Better signage & visibilityo Closer to building entranceso Install in high-demand areas

● Pedestrianso Increase crosswalk visibilityo Resolve bike-ped areas

Questions?