Identifying non-universal heterogeneity of preferences of leisure cyclists for rural highway environments: A latent-class model

Leisure cycling on rural highways is becoming popular for promoting health and addressing socialization needs. Unlike urban contexts, perception studies of rural leisure cyclists are scarce. This research aims to understand how leisure cyclists perceive rural highway environments accounting for heterogeneous preferences of different cyclist types. An online survey collected 519 complete responses from individuals who cycle for leisure/fitness on rural highways in the US. The results of a mixed-logit model, a mixed-logit model with systematic variation, and a latent -class model with psychometric indicators suggest that self -stated interest and confidence levels (e.g., "enthused and confident'', "strong and fearless") were not significant enough for segmenting rural cyclists. Instead, distinct groups were segmented based on gender and the relative importance of activity volume, pavement conditions, and environmental conditions. Two classes were identified: Utility -driven enjoyment -seeker and Traffic -indifferent performancefocused. The two classes presented different choice heuristics (random utility maximization vs. attribute non-attendance) and different preferences of design attributes (context class, scenery, shoulder width, or pavement conditions). Agencies can use the results of this research to identify bicycle facility needs in the rural network accounting for leisure rural cyclist population heterogeneous preferences.