UCL seeks feedback on shared use paths

----This article has been updated----

UCL is asking to hear people’s opinions on mixed use paths – routes where both cyclists and pedestrians use the same space.

Researchers at UCL are carrying out the survey, supported by Sustrans, to find out what they think of paths were people cycling and walking share space without any measure of segregation between them. There are two surveys – one from a pedestrian’s point of view, one from the point of view of cyclists.

The research is intended to gauge how comfortable people feel using mixed use paths, and how people’s experiences of such routes can be improved.

Sustrans responds to government cycling and walking investment strategy with five-year strategy of its own

Are you a cyclist? Please take part in this @ucl survey to help their research on active travel & mixed-use paths: https://t.co/utz80ZpnLo pic.twitter.com/Fa7jxa3hTa

— Sustrans (@sustrans) August 2, 2017

While shared use paths can enable both users to make use of the full width of a path, they are not without their critics.

The survey takes 20 minutes to complete and includes 48 short videos of between three and eight seconds. Researchers say this number of videos is necessary to accurately gauge understanding of users’ preferences.

The short, seven second clips present artificially designed scenarios of people travelling on mixed use paths, and ask participants to rate their comfort level for each.

Participants are also given the chance to enter a prize draw with prizes of £150, £75 and £35.

You can take part in the pedestrian survey here, and the cyclist survey here.

The article was corrected on 7 August 2017; previously it said the survey was being carried out on behalf of Sustrans. Sustrans confirmed it is simply helping promote the survey and admitted the web page introduction to UCL's survey is "slightly confusing" regarding its involvement.

A Sustrans' Press Officer told road.cc: "I just wanted to clarify a few things as the front page of the survey is slightly confusing in terms of our involvement. It’s not our research, it is ULC research  - we are supporting the study in so far as we have engaged and we do sit on the steering group but it’s not our survey and we will not be processing the data, though we do hope to learn from the findings."

Sustrans is the national cycling and walking charity, responsible for, among other things, maintaining and expanding the National Cycle Network.