[*BCM*] Suggestions for a bicycling survey?

[Becky Barron]

The hairdo-preserving bike helmet has not yet been invented..

turtle wrote:

>I'm putting together a survey (ostensibly for the Somerville Women's
>Commission) about bicycling issues.  I'd like to come up with a
>checklist of common (and maybe some not-so-common) problems that
>prevent people from biking for transportation.
>
>I'd be grateful (and it would make the survey more effective and
>unbiased) if I could have some more input from the CM list folks...
>
>So far I've got these problems from people (here and in other places):
>
>• Poor road conditions (debris, broken pavement, potholes, sand, etc.)
>• Confusing/dangerous road designs (weird looking bike lanes, really
>wide or really narrow and winding roads, lack of standardized
>intersections for paths/roads, etc.)
>• Illegal and disrespectful behavior by motorists (no explanation
>needed!)
>• Illegal and disrespectful behavior by biyclists
>• Illegal and disrespectful behavior by pedestrians (and scooter users,
>rollerbladers, etc.)
>• Illegal and disrespectful behavior by police officers 
>• Can't afford to bike (equipment, mantenance, and/or repair costs)
>• Theft and vandalism of bikes/equipment
>• Lack of knowledge/education on how to bike (traffic laws, fixing a
>flat, how to climb a hill, etc.)
>• Lack of convenient and safe parking
>• Lack of social support for biking (others tease you for your choice to
>bike, feelings of isolation and/or of being second class citizen, etc.)
>• Physical problems with standard bike design (sore back, knees, wrists,
>butt, balance issues, etc.)
>
>Clearly not all of these are problems for everyone!  That's why I'm
>conducting the survey.  I want to know what the biggest issues are for
>most people, so we can focus on those first.  
>
>Am I missing anything?  I'm specifically looking for very basic
>problems.  I'm NOT looking for suggestions for solutions (not yet
>anyway!), since this is a survey for normal, everyday transportational
>bicyclists and those who might be interested in biycling as
>transportation.  Once we get the results of this survey, I will share
>them on this list, and THEN I'll ask for some brainstorming for
>solutions.  Once that's done, I'm planning on sharing the results with
>anyone and everyone (from traffic engineers, to local, state, and
>federal bicycling organizations).
>
>Thanks for the help!
>
>Peace, Love, and Bicycling,
>-Turtle
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