Perceptions of safety, fairness and risk in road spaces shared by pedestrians, cyclists and drivers

Designing shared road spaces that accommodate multiple modes of transport is central to promoting active travel, but engagement can be hindered by perceptions of danger and unfairness, especially among groups more worried about navigating shared spaces. This study used an online randomised experiment (N=1600) to test how design interventions, such as clearly demarcating space, removing visual obstacles and adding signage, influence perceptions across different shared spaces: pedestrian crossings, bus stop islands, car parking adjacent to cycle lanes, left turns across cycle lanes, and roundabouts. Participants were shown existing and AI-generated images of spaces with or without interventions. They rated the spaces for perceived safety, fairness, yielding frequency and injury risk. Interventions that removed visual obstacles and clearly demarcated space improved perceptions across pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. Other interventions, such as legislative fine warnings or integrated (protected) roundabouts, had mixed or context-dependent effects. Moderation analyses indicated that interventions were as or more effective among individuals more worried about travel in daily life. These findings demonstrate that context-sensitive shared space design can harmonise perceptions across diverse road users, with implications for transport policy and urban design.