A recent article in the journal Transportation analyzes the variation in bike commuting in large American cities, with a focus on assessing the influence of bike paths and lanes on bike commute rates.  Using new data on the total length of such bikeways in 90 cities and applying various statistical analysis methods, the study finds thatcities with a greater supply of bike paths and lanes have significantly higher bike commute rates, even when controlling for land use, climate, socioeconomic factors, gasoline prices, public transportation supply, and cycling safety.  The analysis also revealed that cities with safer cycling, lower auto ownership, more students, less sprawl, and higher gasoline prices had more residents cycling to work. By comparison, annual precipitation, the number of cold and hot days, and public transport supply were not statistically significant predictors of bike commuting in large cities.

The Mineta Transportation Institute has released a report that evaluates literature related to the risks associated with cycling, and explores case studies regarding bicycle safety.

The report gives an overview of the risks associated with cycling to emphasize the need for safety.  The report uses the framework of the 5 Es—engineering, education, enforcement, encouragement, and evaluation—to organize a literature review, with particular attention to engineering and education.

The report includes case studies on bicycle safety programs and projects from San Jose (education), Berkeley (engineering and evaluation), Davis (engineering, education, and enforcement), and Portland (the education and encouragement efforts of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance).

The Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota has released a report that explores approaches to distinguish bicycles from pedestrians for traffic counting applications.

The primary goal of the study is to develop a practical vision-based bicycle counting system that is capable of automatically processing video stream data of traffic scenes involving bicycle and pedestrian activity and estimating their traffic counts.

The authors argue that, once deployed, vision-based counting systems can potentially be the least expensive and easiest method to do counting. This is due to the fact that cameras themselves are relatively inexpensive and easy to use.  In addition, the authors believe that in many places communities will be able to leverage the already existent security cameras, which can further reduce expenses.  Algorithms that perform image analysis and object classification are presented and discussed

The Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2264 is dedicated to studies on topics related to pedestrian planning and safety.  The volume contains 20 papers exploring topics such as automatic pedestrian detectors, sign visibility for pedestrians, advance yield markings, midblock pedestrian crosswalks, signal-based countermeasures for pedestrian safety, and other topics.

In this volume, readers will find papers that examine phase optimization at intersections to minimize vehicle and pedestrian delays; crossing behaviors and activity of pedestrians at signalized intersections; the lower rates of physical activity by low-income and minority populations; and measurement of greenway use in Cary, North Carolina.  In addition, this volume highlights walking behavior prediction; probability models for pedestrian injury severity; pedestrian safety programs in central areas of large cities; risk of fatality in vehicle–pedestrian crashes; estimation of frequency and length of pedestrian stride in urban environments; and accessibility of complex intersections.

A Rails-to-Trails report argues for investing in a more diverse transportation system that provides viable opportunities to walk and bicycle and to use public transportation.  The report demonstrates that increased investment in non-motorized transportation will lead to a more efficient use of federal transportation resources.

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Safety has launched a new website that includes links to detailed descriptions, related research studies, and evaluations of nine research-proven countermeasures -- superseding the 2008 guidance on the consideration and implementation of proven safety countermeasures -- which are considered highly effective and whose use should be encouraged. The nine countermeasures highlighted on the site address crashes that occur in the focus areas of intersections, pedestrians, and roadway departure.

The website provides a direct link to the January 12, 2012 memorandum from the Acting Associate Administrator for Safety to division administrators on the promotion of the implementation of proven safety countermeasures.

A new study has been released by the National Center for Safe Routes to School (NCSRTS), which explores and attempts to understand how school-level dynamics, which underlie the planning and implementation of SRTS programs, relate to the percentage of students who walk and bicycle between home and school.

The study begins with the question: Do successful Safe Routes to School programs have something in common?  It’s analysis identifies the following four key factors that successful SRTS programs share:

1. Identifying an in-school leader, often the principal, to champion SRTS.
2. Conducting activities that reinforce walking and bicycling, such as frequent walker/biker programs and Walk to School Day events.
3. Generating parent support for SRTS.

Establishing policies that support SRTS, such as early dismissal for students who walk or bicycle home from school.

A report issued by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) entitled, “The Role of FHWA Programs in Livability: State of the Practice Summary,” highlights the current state of the practice livability principles in relation to their implementation within the context of the federal-aid highway program.  The report offers examples of strategies and tools for implementing livability through different programs and agencies, and across various scales as they pertain to highway program planning and development.

The transportation consulting firm Fehr & Peers has prepared a report for America Walks on signalized intersection enhancements that benefit pedestrians.  The report is intended to help educate decision makers, planners, engineers, and citizens on signalized intersection treatments that can improve pedestrian safety and convenience.

While clearly indicating that not all of the treatments summarized in this resource are appropriate for every signalized intersection.  This report categorizes signalized intersection enhancements into three types:

• Geometric treatments
• Signal hardware
• Operational measures

The national advocacy group Alliance for Biking and Walking has released its 2012 Benchmarking Report “Bicycling and Walking in the United States, 2012.”  The report, as in previous editions, compares states and major cities in terms safety, mode share, funding, and levels of biking and walking.  It is the third such report in the Alliance’s Benchmarking Project, an on-going effort to collect and analyze data on bicycling and walking in all 50 states and the 51 largest U.S. cities.  The report shows that where bicycling and walking levels are higher, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes levels are lower. Higher levels of bicycling and walking also coincide with increased bicycle and pedestrian safety and higher levels of physical activity.  The primary recommendation of the report is the need for greater investment in bicycling and walking.

The U.K.’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) released a report highlighting existing research on the role of infrastructure in relation to the safety of cyclists and their interaction with other road users.  The report consists of an international literature review of this subject and was undertaken as part of the wider research program, Road User Safety and Cycling, being led by TRL.  The paper identifies the influence of infrastructure on intermediate, behavioral outcomes which, in turn, may influence accident risk, such as the speed of motorized traffic and cyclist route choice and maneuvers, etc.

The study finds that, of all interventions to increase bicyclist safety, the greatest benefits result from reduction in the general speed of motorized traffic. According to the report, speed reduction may be achieved through a variety of methods including physical traffic calming; urban design that changes the appearance and the (pedestrian) use of a street; and, possibly, the wider use of 20 mph speed limits, which are common in some cities.

The Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2190 is dedicated to bicycles and contains six papers that explore various topics related to bicycle transportation and planning, including:

• The influence of the built environment on route selection for bicycle and car travel
• Automated bicycle counts
• Multimodal travel choices of bicyclists
• Effects of gender on commuter cycling and accident rates
• On-street bicycle facility configuration effects on bicyclist and motorist behavior; and
• Parking lane width effect on bicycle operating space

This volume complements the volume on pedestrians, which we featured in an earlier post.

America Walks has released a report giving the results of a survey on walking, which we highlighted in a blog post in July.  The national online survey was designed to increase our understanding of attitudes towards and behavior related to walking.  The survey found that, while there are various reasons why people walk, “maintaining good health” was mentioned as the single most important motivator.  In line with this reasoning, the survey results indicate that the more frequently an individual walks, the fewer the number of diseases a respondent reports being afflicted with.

The U.S. Access Board has reopened the comment period on its proposed guidelines for accessible public rights-of-way (PROWAG) through February 2, 2012.  While the original comment deadline was November 23 (see our earlier blog post), the extension is in response to requests from interested parties, including government and trade associations, for additional time to submit comments on the rule, as indicated in a published notice.

The proposed guidelines address access to public streets and sidewalks, street crossings, on-street parking, and other components of public rights-of-way.  Comments can be submitted or viewed through the www.regulations.gov website.  Further information on this rulemaking is available on the Board’s website. 

A new Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) research report (FHWA-HRT-11-035) looks at methods to evaluate pedestrian and bicycle traffic control device.  The report, Pedestrian and Bicyclist Traffic Control Device Evaluation Methods, is part of a larger FHWA research effort to quantify the effectiveness of engineering countermeasures in improving safety and operations for pedestrians and bicyclists. 

This study focuses on existing and experimental engineering countermeasures that have not yet been comprehensively evaluated. The report describesmethods that practitioners can use to conduct reliable evaluations of pedestrian and bicyclist traffic control devices.  The report will be of interest to engineers, planners, and other practitioners who implement pedestrian and bicycle treatments and to state, regional, and local authorities responsible for public safety.

Los Angeles County has published a model street design manual entitled Model Design Manual for Living Streets (access requires a user agreement).   The manual was written by national experts in “living streets” concepts and focuses on accommodating all roadway users and all modes, seeking to achieve balanced street design that accommodates cars while ensuring that pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users can travel safely and comfortably.  Beyond typical engineering concerns, the manual also offers information and guidance on the street aesthetics, economic vitality, and environmental sustainability.

The manual is intended to be of assistance to cities around the country in updating current practice related roadway planning, design, and construction.  Cities may wish to adopt the entire manual, certain chapters only (in full or in part), or to modify or customize chapters to suit their own specific needs.  The manual can be downloaded in different file formats in order to simplify the editing and customization process.  The manual is intended for three major user groups:

• Municipalities who lack the resources to undertake a major revision of their manuals and are looking for examples to assist in re-tooling their current manuals.
• Municipalities that want to adopt the latest thinking in street design.
• Designers, planners, and engineers who are looking for tools to provide flexibility within their existing street design standards.

The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) has released the digital version of their Urban Bikeway Design Guide, laid out specifically for printing.  (See our earlier blog post on the online version of the guide.)

The Guide is now available for free as a PDF download (both low and high resolution versions).  In addition, a hard-copy, bound version is available free to NACTO members and for $40 to others.

Two new brochures have been published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program.  The  first brochure highlights best practices and policies among state departments of transportation (DOTs) for the scoping, design, and installation of raised medians and refuge islands.  Raised center, bull-nosed medians and pork-chop islands – in addition to reducing pedestrian crashes – provide additional benefits such as:

• Reducing motor vehicle crashes by 15 percent
• Decreasing delays (greater than 30 percent) for motorists
• Increasing capacity (greater than 30 percent) of roadways
• Reducing vehicle speeds on the roadway
• Providing space for landscaping within the right-of-way

The second brochure gives case studies on best practices and policies in state DOTs for policies and plans that promote good design and the installation of walkways and paved shoulders in roadway projects.  In addition to reducing pedestrian and other types of crashes, the benefits of well-designed and built walkways and shoulders can include:

• Improving roadway drainage
• Increasing effective turning radii at intersections
• Reducing shoulder maintenance requirements
• Providing emergency stopping space for broken down vehicles
• Providing space for maintenance operations and snow storage
• Providing an increased level of comfort for bicyclists

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released a report summarizing the results of five one-day regional livability workshops, one of the strategies in the FHWA’s livable communities project.

The goals of the initiative are to raise awareness of transportation linkages to livability and to provide resources to practitioners and the public to help them more effectively consider livability issues within the federal transportation planning process.

(An earlier blog post featured the related FHWA guidebook, “Livability in Transportation Guidebook: Planning Approaches that Promote Livability.”)

The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) National Partnership has released a 2011 policy report, Safe Routes to School: Helping Communities Save Lives and Dollars.  The report seeks to demonstrate the long-term financial benefits of the Safe Routes to School program and the projects it helps fund.  Among SRTS benefits, the report cites:

• Reducing school busing costs, alleviating the strain on school and local government budgets
• Decreasing short trips to school, easing traffic congestion, fuel expenditures and wear and tear on the roads
• Helping small rural towns and low-income communities access much-needed funds to improve safety
• Lowering medical costs from traffic injuries and fatalities and manage obesity costs

In conjunction with the publication of the policy report, the SRTS National Partnership has created fact sheet with excerpts and highlights from the report.