University of California Institute of Transportation Studies

This study provides an evaluation of the effectiveness of classroom-based adult bicycle education in delivering changes related to bicycling activity, self-perceptions while bicycling, knowledge of the bicycling rules of the road, and mode choice in the San Francisco Bay Area. Evaluation of the intervention was conducted using self-administered surveys completed prior to the intervention and again six weeks after the course. Self-reported data was validated using objective data collected using the Ride Report app. Participants reported statistically significant increases in confidence while bicycling in both traffic and car-free areas, feelings of safety while bicycling in car-free areas, and knowledge of the rules of the road. Participants with initial low confidence increased bicycling activity and feelings of safety in traffic, compared to participants overall. App-collected bicycling data correlated nearly perfectly with self-reported data, suggesting that self-reported data can be used reliably. Classroom-based bicycle education courses are a cost-effective way to change bicycling self-perception and increase knowledge of the bicycling rules of the road.