Perceptions of Safety in the Urban Built Environment and Its Impact on Active Transport Behavior

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between urban built environment safety and its influence on active transport behavior. Although the safety of the urban built environment, including traffic and personal safety, is a key factor in encouraging active transport, few studies have comprehensively examined the combined effects of traffic and personal safety within the built environment on active transport in developing countries, like Bangladesh. To bridge this gap, the study conducted an empirical analysis based on data collected from 375 participants, of which 250 valid responses were analyzed. A structured 20 to 25-minute questionnaire was utilized to gather data on participants' sociodemographic characteristics, travel mode choices, and perceptions of urban safety. The multivariate analysis revealed that urban built environment traffic safety, such as high traffic volume (p<0.01), elevated traffic speeds (p<0.01), and dangerous intersections (p=0.033) were negatively associated with active transport. Personal safety concerns, such as inadequate street lighting (p=0.035) and the presence of crime (p=0.049), were also negatively correlated with active transport. However, the impact of crime along transport routes was not statistically significant when age and gender were controlled. These findings underscore the urgent need for urban planners and policymakers to address safety issues within the urban built environment, particularly concerning traffic and personal safety, to create environments that support active transport in urban areas of developing countries. Future research should consider objective measures of the urban built environments to investigate the relationship between using active transport in a large sample among different age groups over time.