Perceptions of Bicycle Safety: A Data and User-Experience Approach

Climate change has caused unprecedented problems, which has increased efforts to fund sustainable green alternatives. In California, the transportation sector accounts for approximately 50 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. California’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP) provides $100 million annually to develop and deploy alternative fuel options, including infrastructure for zero and near-zero emission vehicles. In addition to ARFVTP, Senate Bill 743 was passed in 2013 which re-shaped the focus of traffic analysis from congestion and level of service impacts towards a more health-centric focus on the effects vehicle miles traveled has on people. This has directly led to increased funding for alternative means of transportation such as active transportation and micro-mobility infrastructure improvements. In this brief, we will explore the existing bicycle infrastructure in the City of Oakland as it relates to cyclist safety from a qualitative and quantitative perspective.