This thesis focuses on bicyclists using the Jefferson Davis multi-use, off-street trail in the City of New Orleans. Understanding user characteristics and perceptions of bicyclists will help inform planning, policy, and design related to bicycle infrastructure. This thesis uses a review of the relevant literature, intercept surveys of bicyclists, and automatic bicycle counts to understand how user characteristics can influence successful bicycle design, policies, and planning. The user characteristics of the bicyclists on the Jefferson Davis Trail provide us with information on who is using the trail, how often, why, and what users would like to see improved. Planners need to understand the motivations of the current and potential trail users. Making bicycling a safe mode of travel in an urban area involves influencing citizens at both the socialecological level and the travel-behavioral level, providing the culture around bicycling and the facilities available to do so.