Uniquely Satisfied: Exploring Cyclist Trip Satisfaction

Despite increasing interest and focus on cycling planning and infrastructure, many research and policy frameworks overlook two important aspects of cycling: motivations and trip satisfaction. While many studies have found that cyclists are more satisfied with their commute than other mode users, few have explored why. The authors hypothesize that different types of cyclists—defined by their reasons for cycling and seasonal mode patterns—will derive different levels of satisfaction from cycling. Therefore, this study attempts to 1) examine the effect of built environment characteristics (e.g. intersection density, land use), trip characteristics (e.g. distance and slope) and season on cycling trip satisfaction, 2) group respondents into 'cyclist types' based on a cluster analysis of motivations for cycling and their alternate (winter) mode, and 3) understand how these personal characteristics moderate the relationship between built environment and trip characteristics and expressed trip satisfaction. This is accomplished using a university-wide travel survey administered in winter 2011, in which commutes to McGill University were asked to report their last trip to McGill. If the person uses a different mode during the fall he was asked to report it as well. Individuals were also asked to report their level of satisfaction with these trips. Surprisingly, the expected relationship between distance, slope and objectively measured elements of the built environment and trip satisfaction was not found. Similar to previous research, cyclists are found to be more satisfied with their commute than other mode users. Year-round cyclists are less satisfied with their travel than those who only cycle in good weather; while "Cycling Enthusiasts" are significantly more satisfied than most cyclists motivated by convenience. This work emphasizes the need to look beyond the built environment and trip characteristics to better understand cyclist trip satisfaction.