Università degli studi di Napoli Federico II, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Edile e Ambientale (DICEA)
Doi
Abstract
Measuring perceived or objective cyclability or bikeability
has drawn less attention compared to walkability,
particularly in developing countries like those in South
Asia and the Middle East. This paper presents the results
of a survey about cyclability in Lahore, Pakistan, focusing
on human perceptions rather than the built environment.
The overall sample included a total of 379 respondents
from three socio-economic classes: those from lower socioeconomic
backgrounds accessing traditional/older bazaars,
respondents from the middle socio-economic class accessing
uptown bazaars, and respondents of higher socio-economic
status accessing pedestrian shopping malls. The exploratory
data collection was conducted in spring 2018 in Lahore by
means of a short standard questionnaire with 19 questions,
resulting in 17 categorical/dummy variables, two openended
variables, and two continuous variables targeting
socio-economics, bike trip characteristics, biking barriers,
and preferred travel specifications. The results showed that
the middle socio-economic group was more inclined, flexible,
and willing to bike compared to the lower and higher socioeconomic-
groups. The lower socio-economic group used the
bicycle more frequently than the middle socio-economic
group. Around half of the middle socio-economic group
commutes via bike compared to the lower socio-economic
group. There was little to no representation of 55-64 and 65+
age groups in the data. The descriptive findings of this survey
indicate some preliminary signs of differences of decisions
and perceptions about biking compared to high-income and
European countries. These differences need to be tested in
future statistical analyses
