Each year the City has commissioned a satisfaction survey, and they ask about walking and biking in it.
Most recently, walking and biking safety had a low satisfaction, a significant drop from the rating in previous years. The sample size has always been small, and the people asked aren't also asked how often they walk or bike. It is likely that many who primarily drive, and themselves rarely walk or bike, are giving answers on walking and biking safety.
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| From the 2022 City survey |
The MPO is in the process of writing a safety plan and just conducted a survey on safety. At the meeting of the Policy Committee on Tuesday the 25th, they'll discuss some of the findings.
Respondents to the survey were self-selected with an interest in transportation or in safety, and so it's not like this is necessarily a more neutral sample. But it is an important sample, as it better captures response from people who actually walk and bike or would like to.
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| From the 2023 Transportation Survey |
Its results for "walking/rolling" seem comparable to the satisfaction survey: 38% said they felt "very safe or somwhat safe" walking and rolling, and 36% were "satisfied or somewhat satisfied" with "walking/biking" safety.
But there is a great disconnect on biking alone. Only 15% in the safety survey said they felt "very safe or somewhat safe" while "riding a bicycle." Conversely, 79% said they felt "somewhat unsafe or...not safe at all."
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| Themes from the survey (yellow added) |
In narrative sections, people highlighted:
- speed and speeding
- walking and biking despite feeling unsafe
- near misses
- reckless and distracted drivers
- aggressive drivers
The danger came from cars and their drivers. Not from any kind of non-auto travel.
It will be interesting, then, to see if the process and plan can continue to focus on cars and driving, and not get distracted by an urge towards false equivalence in a need to balance out things by talking about walking and biking "misbehavior." You may recall when the City conducted a Pedestrian Safety Study, "With Call to Revive Jaywalking Laws, City Study Whiffs on Speed."
Previously on the City satisfaction surveys:
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| April meeting information (yellow in original) |
The Policy Committee for SKATS meets on Tuesday the 25th at noon. The agenda and meeting packet can be downloaded here.
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