Creating a Cycling Culture Among University Students
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Authors
North, Ashley
Date
2011-06-07T19:10:04Z
Type
thesis
Language
en
Keyword
Cycling , Survey , Queen's , Students
Alternative Title
Abstract
Focusing on Queen’s University in the core of Kingston, Ontario, Canada, this research develops an understanding of Queen’s University students’ travel behaviour, their experiences while cycling to Main Campus, and of the best approaches to encouraging cycling or making it a more positive experience. The results of this research are grounded in a web-based survey of Queen’s University students, contextualized by a literature review. With a sample of 104 respondents, results show that females (71 percent) were more likely than males (50 percent) to report that vehicle traffic made them feel less safe on the journey to school. However, a majority of males (69 percent) as well as females (84 percent) reported that they took detours from the most direct route in order to avoid traffic. In terms of encouraging cycling, there was no stark variability in preferences across the sexes. The most preferred options were related to bike parking management and infrastructure, specifically, security from theft and providing painted bike lanes. Three recommendations were made to Queen’s University and/or the City of Kingston based on the survey results: provide improved bike parking options, provide cycling infrastructure, and continue to plan for pedestrians yet also focus on developing a bicycle-friendly Main Campus. Next steps include: further statistical analyses including more data collection to generate a larger sample, reviews of the City of Kingston Official Plan and the Queen’s University Campus Plan, and interviews with campus and City planners to better contextualize the recommendations.