Studying bicyclists’ perceived level of safety using a bicycle simulator combined with immersive virtual reality

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Authors
Nazemi, Mohsen
Joos, Michael
Axhausen, Kay W.
Author (Corporation)
Publication date
2021
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Course of study
Type
01A - Journal article
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Editor (Corporation)
Supervisor
Parent work
Accident Analysis & Prevention
Special issue
DOI of the original publication
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Series
Series number
Volume
151
Issue / Number
Pages / Duration
105943
Patent number
Publisher / Publishing institution
Elsevier
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Abstract
There is a need for methods that provide a better understanding of bicyclists’ perceived safety and preferences on currently unavailable and/or unknown bicycle facilities. Different survey methods have been used to study bicyclists’ behavior, experiences, and preferences; ranging from verbally described facilities to surveys including images and videos. Virtual Reality (VR) experiments blur the boundaries between stated preference (SP) surveys and revealed preference (RP) surveys and provide a realistic sense of design. This research introduces a novel research method in bicycling research and discusses the results of an experiment using a bicycle simulator combined with immersive VR. In total, 150 participants participated in this experiment and were asked about demographics and perceptions and preferences after bicycling in five different environments with an instrumented bicycle in VR. A 5 2 mixed design was used with bicycling environment as within-subject factor and pedestrian / traffic volume as between-subject factor. ANOVA tests revealed how each environment and ambient pedestrian / traffic volume affected perceived level of safety (PLOS) and willingness to bicycle (WTB). Pairwise comparison showed that participants felt safer bicycling on the segregated bicycle path compared to bicycling on the painted bicycle path on the road and roadside. There was no meaningful difference between WTB for less than 10 min and WTB for more than 10 min between bicycling on a painted bicycle path on the sidewalk and painted bicycle path on the road. PLOS and WTB ratings of men and women were not significantly different from each other. The older segment of the sample was more worried about roadside bicycling and bicycle commuters were more confident to ride on the roadside. Despite having several limitations, immersive 360-degree VR was found a powerful presentation tool to evaluate future street designs which can inform transport and urban planning.
Keywords
Bicycling perceived level of safety, Willingness to bicycle, Bicycle simulator, Virtual reality experiment, Bicycle survey methods
Subject (DDC)
624 - Ingenieurbau und Umwelttechnik
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ISBN
ISSN
0001-4575
1879-2057
Language
English
Created during FHNW affiliation
No
Strategic action fields FHNW
Publication status
Published
Review
Peer review of the complete publication
Open access category
Closed
License
Citation
NAZEMI, Mohsen, Michael VAN EGGERMOND, Alexander ERATH, Dorothea SCHAFFNER, Michael JOOS und Kay W. AXHAUSEN, 2021. Studying bicyclists’ perceived level of safety using a bicycle simulator combined with immersive virtual reality. Accident Analysis & Prevention. 2021. Bd. 151, S. 105943. DOI 10.1016/j.aap.2020.105943. Verfügbar unter: https://irf.fhnw.ch/handle/11654/45421