This report presents highlights of the 2002 National Survey of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Attitudes and Behaviors, jointly sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) and administered by The Gallup Organization. The goals of the survey were to ascertain the scope and magnitude of bicycle and pedestrian activity and the public's behavior and attitudes regarding bicycling and walking. This national survey is the first of its kind designed specifically to benchmark bicycle and pedestrian trips, behaviors, and attitudes. The survey findings will serve as a foundation to improve the environment and infrastructure to support these two transportation modes. The survey asked questions, for both bicyclists and pedestrians, on the following topics: (1) Frequency of bicycling and walking; (2) Trip information including: origin, destination, length of trip time, trip distance, land use of origin/destination, trip purpose, facility use, and topography; (3) Reasons for not biking and/or walking; (4) Perceptions of safety; (5) Safety practices; (6) Facilities availability (e.g., sidewalk or path); (7) Community design; (8) Safe routes to school; and (9) Sociodemographics. The survey was fielded during the period of June 11 to August 20, 2002. Survey respondents were asked to provide information about their overall bicycling and walking behaviors during the past 30 days with a focus on individual trips taken on the most recent day they bicycled or walked during that period. Specific trip data (including trip origin and destination, purpose, time, distance, etc.) were collected for up to six walking and six bicycling trips on the most recent day traveled. These data cannot be used to project year-round bicycling or walking behaviors, but offer a solid reflection of biking and walking activity for the summer of 2002. NHTSA and BTS are publishing a series of reports based on the survey data. This report highlights major findings from the survey. (Author/publisher)
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