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This study investigated electric-scooter (e-scooter) rider behaviors and preferences to inform ways to increase safety for e-scooter riders. Data was collected from 329 e-scooter riders via two online and one in-person survey. Survey questions considered rider roadway infrastructure preferences, safety perceptions, and helmet-wearing behavior. Protected bike lanes were more commonly indicated as the safest infrastructure (62.4%) but were less likely to be the most preferred infrastructure (49.7%). Sidewalks were better matched between riders, indicating them as their preferred riding infrastructure (22.7%) and the perceived safest riding infrastructure (24.5%). Riders had low feelings of safety and preference for riding on major/neighborhood streets or on unprotected bike lanes. Riders reported significant concern about being hit by a moving vehicle, running into a pothole/rough roadway, and running into a moving vehicle. In line with the Theory of Planned Behavior, a significant relationship was found between the frequency of riding and helmet-wearing behavior, with more frequent riders being more likely to wear helmets. Findings suggest that existing roadway infrastructure may pose safety challenges and encourage rider-selected workarounds. Public policy may consider emphasizing protected bicycle lane development, rather than helmet mandates, to support e-scooter riding safety for all vulnerable road users.
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This content will become publicly available on September 1, 2026
Trade-offs in transit public safety interventions: Balancing enforcement and service quality improvements
The slow rebound of public transit ridership since the pandemic and major upcoming budget shortfalls have created a perfect storm in which American cities and transit agencies must make difficult decisions regarding operations and service design. Among the many challenges, perceived rider safety has emerged as a key concern. However, implementing effective safety interventions is complicated by the mixed rider experiences with, and perceptions of, crime and law enforcement. Transit agencies can design more effective policy interventions if they understand what shapes riders’ reactions to different safety strategies, and how those strategies can promote rider satisfaction. Using a 2023 survey of 2292 transit riders in the Chicago region, we estimate a Bayesian Structural Equation Model to investigate the connections between rider experiences and demographics, receptiveness to safety measures, and overall satisfaction. We find that enforcement-related strategies are most strongly associated with higher overall rider satisfaction, but they also come with the notable downside of 10%–20% of riders feeling less safe. On the other hand, improvements to various facets of service quality are less strongly related to satisfaction, but they come with little to no downside in terms of negative rider perceptions. Rider experience also plays a role, with more severe crime and nuisance experience directly impacting satisfaction. In contrast, indirect knowledge of transit safety issues obtained from media and hearsay primarily affects riders’ support for safety interventions rather than their overall satisfaction.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1847537
- PAR ID:
- 10617105
- Publisher / Repository:
- Transportation Research Part A
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice
- Volume:
- 199
- Issue:
- C
- ISSN:
- 0965-8564
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 104584
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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