Why Americans Bike and Walk — Or Don’t

DC-area blog WashCycle points us to this recently released survey from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [PDF]. The stats on Americans’ bicycling and walking behavior are a little behind the times — from phone interviews done in 2002 — but there are reams of data compiled from nearly 10,000 questionnaires.

Some of the most interesting nuggets concern perceptions of safety — like the fact that bicyclists are much more likely to feel unsafe on bike lanes than on bike paths — which buttress Jennifer Dill’s research on cyclist behavior.

On the walking side, suburban residents who walk are much more likely to feel threatened by the “potential for crime” than city residents are. But even crime-fearing suburbanites agree: Motorists are the number one threat to pedestrians:

Graphics: NHTSA