Denise Arriaga Ibarra Natalie Garcia Vincente Velasco Victor Estrada Jonathan Marin Ignacio Alcaraz Cal Poly Pomona Cyclist Population When composing the study, our primary source for content analysis was a study conducted by Jennifer Dill documenting bicyclist s mindsets, concerns and challenges which took place in the city of Portland, Oregon. The same style of documentation was used in this study. More specifically, the categorizations of cyclist mindsets and challenges. The reason that this method was imitated was because of the accuracy and reliability of the results that were obtained in this prior study. Since the population for this study was the Cal Poly Pomona students, we also researched other studies of similar topics for the same population. At this point we realized how few information is available about the cyclist community at the university. We had to think outside the box and look at other similar studies in other areas. The most useful study was the Community and Transportation Survey conducted also in the city of Portland. This research paper is an in-depth study that analyzes all types of transportation and its statistics in all major categories such as demographics. These precursors to the study being conducted were influential when collecting data and analyzing results. Establishing a sample was one of the first steps in the study. Initially, we intended to include faculty and staff in the sample. As a result of the limited amount of time to conduct this study, it was decided that it would make more sense to only include students. Availability-based sampling was the method used to select our sample. Although a non-probability sample is not as representative of the total population as a
probability-based sampling method, we decided it was the most appropriate to use for this study. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this study. In order to better identify cyclist mindsets on campus, surveys were collected from all types of students on campus. To maximize efficiency, the 6 group members split into teams of two. Each team was to cover a heavily-used area of campus. Each team was also responsible for collecting photos reflecting specific survey responses. The quantitative portion of the study consisted of a survey that was intended to assist participants in categorizing themselves as a type of cyclist. The survey started off with a simple yes or no question to determine whether a participant had ridden a bike that day. Afterwards, the student was asked a different set of questions about themselves to collect demographic information for each person. The survey also included open-ended questions that were meant to identify challenges that contributed to students viewing cycling as being difficult. Once the quantitative data was collected, it allowed the group to move forward with the qualitative portion of the study. The qualitative portion of the study included collecting photos that we felt were an accurate representation of the challenges documented on the surveys taken. Photos were taken at different locations on campus. They were primarily of the existing conditions of bicycle facilities. Instruments used throughout the research, consisted of 3 components: Survey Guide, Survey Entry, and Mindset Categories. Survey Guide: This instrument was used to organize surveyor s interview with survey participants. Depending on the way a survey participant answered, the surveyor would
ask the following question based on the flow of the guide. This was meant to filter participants and prevent pointless questions from being asked. The purpose was to allow for direct and organized responses that were needed to collect results.
Survey Entry: This instrument was used to collect data given by questions asked by surveyors and answers stated by survey participants. Our primary focus was to ask students of Cal Poly to whether they lived on campus or not, and if they felt comfortable riding a bike through or too campus. This helped us keep track of all responses and make the surveys as short and simple as possible for the participants.
Mindset Categories: In order to create a more interactive survey, we used Jennifer Dill s categories used in her Portland, Oregon research study and put them on a sticker board. Mindsets were verbally defined to the participants as follows: No Way, No How: Physically unable, Very uncomfortable on paths, Not very comfortable, not interested, and not currently cycling for transportation Interested But Concerned: Not very comfortable, interested in biking more or Not very comfortable, currently cycling for transportation but not interested in biking more Enthused and Confident: Very comfortable with bike lanes; would ride recreationally
Strong And Fearless: Very comfortable without bike lanes; would ride for commuting Surveyors asked each survey participant to categorize themselves by placing a sticker on the category that best describes their bicycle mindsets. The purpose of this instrument is to see which mindset category best represents CPP Cyclist. In order to quantify the survey results, the challenges that were mentioned by survey participants were sorted into 4 different categories. These categories were environment related challenges, safety concerns, poor quality/quantity of bikeways, and inadequate end-of-trip facilities. Some environment related challenges had to do with topography of the cycling facility, (too many hills) and with distance to the individual's destination being too far. 43% of survey participants voiced challenges that fit into the environmental category. Participants who were concerned with their safety expressed worry regarding the condition of surrounding drivers being aggressive or distracted. They were also concerned with bicycle/ pedestrian collisions. Overall, safety was the second biggest concern. Fewer participants shared challenges in relation to the quantity and/or quality of bikeways. Those who did, were concerned with the lack of maintenance of the striping of bike paths causing confusion as well as bike paths that lack continuity being dangerous for both cyclists and pedestrians. The participants with this group of concerns made up 14% of the surveyed group. The last 11% of the survey participants had concerns regarding inadequate end-of-trip facilities. For example, one individual mentioned, there s not that many (bicycle) racks nearby building. When looking at these responses, it is important to note that these challenges were
categorized from all participants separately and are seemingly unrelated to how participants categorized themselves in terms of cyclist mindsets. The analysis of the collected survey data showed a number of different items. This includes: the percentage of males versus females surveyed, how many participants lived on campus, how many participants rode a bike to school as a form of transportation, if they did ride a bike to school, where they were riding from, and their overall mindset towards riding a bike using the categories previously mentioned. According to the Cal Poly Pomona Facts and Figures, there is a student population of 23,699, composed of 13,605 males and 10,248 females. This equates to 57% of students at Cal Poly being male and 43% being female. At the end of our survey collection phase, we had gathered data from 56 people. Of those 56 surveys, 55% were completed by a female and 45% by a male. The study was a close representation of the Cal Poly Pomona gender ratio. The data also showed that out of the 56 people surveyed, 9 people lived on campus, and 4 people rode their bikes as a method of transportation. Of the students that rode their bike to campus, 2 of them came from Pomona, 1 of them came from Diamond Bar, and 1 of them lived on campus. The City of Pomona is approximately 1 to 8 miles (or 7 to 50 minutes) away from Cal Poly. The City of Diamond Bar is approximately 1 to 8 miles (or 14 to 47 minutes) away from campus. The student mindsets chosen most often were the Interested but Concerned and Enthused and Confident categories. With 61%, the top ranked category was Interested but Concerned followed by Enthused and Confident at 22%. The bottom two categories showed that 9% of students felt that they belonged under No Way No How
and 8% felt Strong and Fearless about riding a bike. The results from our study did not differ too much from the studies by Dr. Jennifer Dill. Jennifer Dill s results has helped researchers in Portland, Oregon to define the perceptions of cyclist s within the population. There were some significant similarities and differences between our cyclist study and Dill s. Although both studies targeted a specific community or group of people, the locations were very different. Dill conducted her cyclist study in Portland Oregon with a sample size of about 436. Our study focused on students from a university instead of residents of one particular city. We also used a smaller sample size of about 45 students because Cal Poly Pomona has a smaller overall population than Portland. According to Census information from 2013, Portland has a population of about 609,456 residents while Cal Poly Pomona has a population of about 23,966 students. The majority of riders in Jennifer Dill s study classified themselves as Interested but Concerned (60%) and No Way No How. (25%) There were also about 9% of participants who categorized themselves as Enthused and Confident and 6% who chose Strong and Fearless. Regardless of differences, the mindsets of participants from both studies can assist in future discussions of bicycle facility treatments and improvements for both locations.