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User-Rated Comfort and Preference of Separated Bike Lane Intersection Designs
Abstract
Improved bicycle infrastructure has become increasingly common in the United States as cities seek to attract new riders, including the demographic who do not feel comfortable riding with motor vehicle traffic. A key tool in designing low-stress networks is the use of separated or protected bicycle lanes, and intersections are the critical links. This paper presents an analysis of the perceived level of comfort of current and potential bicyclists from 277 survey respondents who rated 26 first-person video clips of a bicyclist riding through mixing zones, lateral shifts, bend-in, bend-out, and protected intersection designs. A total of 7,166 ratings were obtained from surveys conducted at four locations in Oregon, Minnesota, and Maryland, including urban and suburban locations. Survey respondents were categorized into four groups based on their response to attitudes and bicycling behavior by cluster analysis. Descriptive analysis and regression modeling results find that designs that minimize interactions with motor vehicles, such as fully separated signal phases and protected intersections, are rated as most comfortable (72% of respondents rated them as very comfortable or somewhat comfortable). Mean comfort drops off significantly for other designs and interactions with turning vehicles result in lower comfort ratings though there are differences for each design. Importantly, as the exposure distance, measured as the distance a person on a bicycle is exposed to traffic, increases the comfort decreases.
... Improving perceptions of how comfortable and safe it is to walk and cycle is imperative to increasing uptake of active transportation modes. Factors affecting perceptions of comfort and safety that have previously been investigated for pedestrians and cyclists include environmental factors such as proximity of motor vehicles, street lighting, and facility design, and personal factors such as travel habits, socio-demographics, and experience (Bigazzi et al., 2021;Fitch & Handy, 2018;Gkekas et al., 2020;Habib et al., 2014;Kaparias et al., 2015;Landis et al., 1997;Li et al., 2012;Monsere et al., 2020;Peña-García et al., 2015). Analyses of walking determinants have historically been biased towards objective measures of the built environment, and further investigation of subjective measures is needed (Bozovic et al., 2020). ...
... The existing research on travel perceptions and behaviour, to date, has primarily been conducted using quantitative methods (Handy et al., 2014;Naess, 2020;Poulenez-Donovan & Ulberg, 1994). Perceptions of comfort and safety are most often measured using Likert-scale ratings after study participants have either experienced a situation first-hand (Fitch & Handy, 2018;Landis et al., 1997;Li et al., 2012;Peña-García et al., 2015) or watched videos of other road users in some situation (Bigazzi et al., 2021;Fitch & Handy, 2018;Monsere et al., 2020). These closed-response, Likert-style questions restrict the dimensions of inquiry, which facilitates rigorous statistical analysis but can over-simplify respondents' concerns and relies on the researchers' a priori conceptualization of the issue (Poulenez-Donovan & Ulberg, 1994). ...
Purely quantitative or qualitative studies of perceived comfort and safety have different strengths and limitations related to scope, reliability, and generalizability. To pursue new insights about perceptions of pedestrian comfort and safety, this study uses the novel approach of Structural Topic Modeling to organize open-response comments into prominent topics, or themes, and explore the factors affecting the prevalence and content of topics. The study data come from a survey in which participants rated short video clips of pedestrians interacting with motor vehicles or bicycles at unsignalized crosswalks, and then provided optional open-response comments about each video. Modeling results identified six topics in the text data: (1) driver behaviour and pedestrian risk, (2) pedestrian risk assessment and mitigation, (3) pedestrians not waiting before crossing, (4) cyclists leaving the bicycle lane, (5) cyclists’ yielding necessity, and (6) and cyclists’ speed modifications. The prevalence of the topics was significantly affected by attributes of the interaction (vehicle type—bicycle or car—and its proximity), and attributes of the perceiver (travel habits and self-reported risk aversion). Topic prevalence was unrelated to participants’ comfort and safety ratings for the same interactions, indicating that topic modeling provides a fundamentally different source of information than quantitative severity ratings. The findings help to illuminate why pedestrian-cyclist interactions may attract disproportionate attention from the travelling public, despite their relatively lower risk than interactions with motor vehicle drivers.
... In first-person evaluations, pedestrians are intercepted to obtain their perceived safety and comfort after a real-world (Lord et al., 2018) or simulated (Deb et al., 2018) experience. In third-person evaluations, perceptions are obtained from a participant viewing an environment or event in which they do not take part, usually photos or video recordings (Kang & Fricker, 2016;Lehtonen et al., 2016;Monsere et al., 2020;Park & Garcia, 2020). Repeated use of recorded images for multiple observers allows researchers to confidently measure variations in perceptions across individuals, controlling for the multitude of factors that can vary in complex traffic environments and interactions. ...
... In other third-person studies, the observer is asked to evaluate the experience they imagine they would have if they were travelling in the observed environment or a party to the observed event. These studies have asked participants to evaluate their imagined comfort, caution, safety, level of service (A through F), and willingness to cross (Clark et al., 2021;Dey et al., 2019;Foster et al., 2015;Monsere et al., 2020;Petritsch et al., 2010). Some studies ask respondents to rate the safety of an environment or facility but are ambiguous as to the specific subject of risk (Clark et al., 2021;Park & Garcia, 2020;Wang & Akar, 2018). ...
Interactions with other road users influence the perceived safety and comfort of pedestrians. Yet the relationships among perceptions of yielding, safety, and comfort are poorly understood. To enhance understanding of these key concepts, the objectives of this study are to determine how perception of pedestrian safety at unsignalized crosswalks differs from perception of comfort, and the relationship of each with perception of yielding. A generalized structural equations model is developed using data from an online survey in which 366 participants (i.e., “perceivers”) rated yielding, safety, and comfort for sample videos of pedestrian interactions with motor vehicles and bicycles. Results show that an individual’s perception of yielding plays a crucial role in mediating the effects of interaction attributes (e.g., vehicle speed, proximity) and perceiver attributes (e.g., travel habits) on their perceptions of pedestrian safety and comfort. For example, people who bicycle more frequently perceive pedestrians as more comfortable than people who walk more frequently, rooted in misalignment on what constitutes adequate yielding. Strategies to address pedestrian comfort can focus on a set of key yielding behaviors by drivers and cyclists – particularly allowing the pedestrian to cross first. Motor vehicle drivers must exhibit stronger yielding behavior (e.g., allow a larger time gap) than bicycles to achieve the same level of perceived pedestrian safety and comfort. Although perceptions of safety and comfort are strongly related and similarly impacted by yielding, researchers should be cautious about using the concepts interchangeably because they are differently impacted by attributes of the interaction and perceiver.
... According to the survey findings, security emerged as a significant problem of the bicycle network in Thessaloniki. Previous research also demonstrated that the level of safety of bike infrastructures has a significant impact on user satisfaction [55][56][57]. ...
The parameters that affect bicyclists’ satisfaction are of vital importance when it comes to determining the reasons that endure bicycle usage in an urban environment. This research refers to the factors that affect bicycle users’ satisfaction with the existing infrastructure in the Municipality of Thessaloniki, Greece. Bicycle dependence in Thessaloniki is relatively limited when it is compared to other European cities with similar topological and demographic characteristics. This article aims to determine the most suitable measures that policymakers should implement to enhance bicycle infrastructure. The data collection process was realized through an online questionnaire survey addressed to the bicycle organizations and groups that are situated in Thessaloniki. Inferential statistical analysis investigated the dependency between the perceived satisfaction and the perceived level of safety of cyclists. Ordinal and multinomial logistic regressions were applied to identify the significant problems that influenced cyclists’ satisfaction, as well as the most important improvement measures suggested by the survey participants. The findings revealed that the lack of safety and urban integration of bicycle infrastructures were the statistically significant issues affecting users’ satisfaction. The development of a safe, integrated, and interconnected bicycle network area emerges as a priority to increase cyclists’ satisfaction and daily bicycle trips in cities with low bicycle culture.
... Cycling networks must be fully integrated and interconnected within cities (Pucher and Buehler 2007). As the crucial (and most accident-prone) links of the cycling network, intersections must also be carefully designed to reduce the risks of collisions and achieve seamlessness (Monsere et al. 2020). So far, the Netherlands has the most extensive urban network of segregated cycling paths in the world (37,000 kilometres), relative to the population (Dutch Cycling Embassy 2021). ...
... Bike facilities with physical separation, such as posts or curbs, also improved comfort [2]. Furthermore, the study shows that having suitable designs may be critical to increasing the number of people who ride bicycles beyond the existing bicyclists [3]. Moreover, reallocating the roadway from motor vehicles to cycling is vital to providing facilities for cyclists [4]. ...
The Philippines, along with 191 other countries, was affected by the coronavirus disease in 2020. The government encourages people to ride bicycles to help prevent the spread of the Corona Virus disease 2019 (COVID-19 virus), which benefits people's overall health and well-being. However, as the number of cyclists rises, conflicts involving bicycles and motor vehicles also rise. This research aims to mitigate bicycle-vehicle intersection conflicts by designing a bike-friendly protected intersection between A. Soriano Avenue and Juan Luna Avenue Extension, Cebu City. Moreover, the researchers summarized the volume counts in 15-minute intervals over an hour, and the observation was done twice a day for two days. The results and significant findings showed that the volume of bicycles that passed through the intersection was 126 per hour. In addition, the average number of right-turning motor vehicles per hour was 711. Furthermore, the road width along the intersection was 11.875 meters and had a bike lane width of 2.44 meters. It was necessary to design and construct a bike-friendly protected intersection in the area studied to reduce the conflict points at the intersection between bicycles and motor vehicles. Finally, the bike-friendly protected intersection design will significantly improve the safety of all road users.
... Cycling networks must be fully integrated and interconnected within cities (Pucher and Buehler 2007). As the crucial (and most accident-prone) links of the cycling network, intersections must also be carefully designed to reduce the risks of collisions and achieve seamlessness (Monsere et al. 2020). So far, the Netherlands has the most extensive urban network of segregated cycling paths in the world (37,000 kilometres), relative to the population (Dutch Cycling Embassy 2021). ...
... In a first-person, post-experience survey, participants rate a given corridor, segment, or intersection after a brief walk-or ride-through (Landis et al., 1997(Landis et al., , 2001. In a third-person, imagined-experience survey, participants give a rating after viewing a video or photograph of a facility or interaction (Kang et al., 2013;Monsere et al., 2020). Comparisons of the two approaches suggest that third-person and imagined-experience assessments of PSC can vary systematically, positively and negatively, from first-person assessments (Fitch and Handy, 2018;Götschi et al., 2018). ...
Understanding perceptions of safety and comfort (PSC) while walking or cycling is essential to accommodating and encouraging active travel, but current measures of PSC, primarily surveys, suffer from validity and reliability issues. Physiological markers of stress like electrodermal activity and heart rate variability have been proposed as alternative, objective measures of PSC. This paper presents a literature summary and conceptual framework examining the use of physiological stress markers during walking and cycling. The existing studies of active traveller stress markers report inconsistent findings and account for limited controls. We propose a comprehensive conceptual framework to describe the array of dynamic stimuli experienced during active travel, with complex appraisals and multidimensional stress responses that feedback to travel behaviour and stimuli exposure, and culminate in a set of physiological outcomes triggered by activation of the autonomic nervous system – all moderated by numerous personal and trip-related factors. The key challenge of inferring traffic-related fear or discomfort from physiological markers measured on-road is potential confounding effects of: (1) non-traffic factors that induce or modify stress responses, (2) traffic factors that induce stress responses not associated with safety or comfort, and (3) personal and environmental factors that directly influence physiological measurements outside of a stress response. No physiological stress marker has yet been shown to be reliable for on-road active travellers, particularly not for inter-subject comparisons. Physiological markers have the potential to provide high-resolution, objective information about pedestrian and cyclist PSC, but further research, particularly controlled experiments, and more precise study framing are needed to ensure validity and address moderating and confounding factors.
For a variety of environmental, health, and social reasons, there is a pressing need to reduce the automobile dependence of American cities. Bicycles are well suited to help achieve this goal. However, perceptions of rider safety present a large hindrance toward increased bicycle adoption. These perceptions are largely influenced by the design of our current road infrastructure, including the crossing distances of large intersections. In this paper, we examine the role of intersection crossing distances in modifying rider behavior through the construction of a novel dataset integrating street widths and probable trip routes from Chicago’s Divvy bikeshare system. We compare real trips to synthetic trips that are not influenced by the width of intersections and exploit behavior differences that result from the semi-dockless nature of the bikeshare system. Our analysis reveals that bikeshare riders do avoid large intersections in limited circumstances; however, these preferences appear to be heavily outweighed by the relative spatial positions of origins and destinations (i.e., the urban morphology of Chicago). Our results suggest that specific infrastructural investments such as protected intersections could prove feasible alternatives to reduce the perception and safety concerns associated with large road barriers and enhance the attractiveness of non-motorized mobility.
Bicycle treatments are installed to elevate motorists’ awareness of the presence of bicyclists and to enhance bicycle safety and mobility. To date, no studies have compared the safety benefits of sharrows and protected- and conventional bike lanes, or intersection-level treatments like bike boxes and intersection-crossing pavement markings. One factor that limits bicycle safety research is the lack of adequate bicycle exposure data. For this study, a crowdsource app was used for estimating networkwide bicycle demand data for Portland, OR. Crash prediction models were developed for road segments and signalized intersections to associate bicycle treatment presence and type with crash frequency. Compared with the “no treatment” case, protected bike lanes (odds ratio [OR] = 0.032), sharrows (OR = 0.211), and conventional bike lanes (OR = 0.552) were safer for road segments. Signalized intersections where segment-level bicycle treatments exist at more than one of the intersecting roads were associated with higher crash frequency. Specifically, for signalized intersections with one conventional bike lane, with two conventional bike lanes, or with a conventional- and a protected bike lane, the respective CMFs were 1.94, 2.07, and 3.38. Signalized intersections with at least one bike box or intersection-crossing pavement markings experienced higher crash frequency than intersections with no treatments, however not necessarily in the approach where the treatment was located. The respective Crash Modification Factors (CMFs) were 1.39 and 1.76. The findings could guide practitioners in selecting bicycle treatments for segments, whereas the models for signalized intersections could identify intersections with high crash frequency that need safety improvements.
As roundabouts become increasingly common, there is very limited research about bicycle safety at roundabouts and, specifically, a lack of information about preferences for roundabouts among people bicycling. To address this gap, we conducted a discrete choice experiment involving an online survey of 613 US adult bicyclists to understand stated preferences for roundabouts with different design and operational characteristics: central island size, number of circulating lanes, bicycle facility type, motor vehicle volumes, and approach speed limit. For each respondent, the experiment included six (from among 18) choices between two roundabouts with different attributes, represented using text and simulated images. We analyzed these data using panel mixed multinomial logit models with random and systematic preference heterogeneity due to respondent characteristics. Overall, US bicyclists seem to prefer roundabouts with: smaller central islands, fewer travel lanes, lower traffic volumes, lower speed limits, and separated bicycle lanes; although, shared lane bicycle markings and signs were also preferred over bicycle ramps to the sidewalk or no bicycle facilities. Additionally, there were significant variations in preferences for bicycle facilities at roundabouts. Women, infrequent cyclists, and “interested but concerned” cyclists had stronger preferences for separated bicycle lanes, but “strong and fearless” and/or “enthused and confident” cyclists had significantly weaker preferences for these more protected facilities. This research offers insights into bicycling preferences that may help to create roundabouts that are safer and more attractive for people bicycling of all ages and abilities.
Bicycling is a key component of sustainable mobility. This paper gives an insight into the importance of bicycle-friendliness, also known as “bikeability” and its qualitative components like perception and emotions of the riders. The research applies a multi-methodical framework on bicycling aiming to identify stressful events on a bicycle ride. The goal was to test new bio-physiological sensors (like EDA device, eye tracker etc.) to develop a methodology on how sensor technologies can be integrated in the data collection processes and to discuss their practicability. The experiences in this field can help to foster a long-term integration of sensor technology into travel survey methodologies and further into transportation planning.
Objectives:
We studied state-adopted bicycle guidelines to determine whether cycle tracks (physically separated, bicycle-exclusive paths adjacent to sidewalks) were recommended, whether they were built, and their crash rate.
Methods:
We analyzed and compared US bicycle facility guidelines published between 1972 and 1999. We identified 19 cycle tracks in the United States and collected extensive data on cycle track design, usage, and crash history from local communities. We used bicycle counts and crash data to estimate crash rates.
Results:
A bicycle facility guideline written in 1972 endorsed cycle tracks but American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) guidelines (1974-1999) discouraged or did not include cycle tracks and did not cite research about crash rates on cycle tracks. For the 19 US cycle tracks we examined, the overall crash rate was 2.3 (95% confidence interval = 1.7, 3.0) per 1 million bicycle kilometers.
Conclusions:
AASHTO bicycle guidelines are not explicitly based on rigorous or up-to-date research. Our results show that the risk of bicycle-vehicle crashes is lower on US cycle tracks than published crashes rates on roadways. This study and previous investigations support building cycle tracks.
Background
This study examined the impact of transportation infrastructure at intersection and non-intersection locations on bicycling injury risk.
Methods
In Vancouver and Toronto, we studied adult cyclists who were injured and treated at a hospital emergency department. A case–crossover design compared the infrastructure of injury and control sites within each injured bicyclist's route. Intersection injury sites (N=210) were compared to randomly selected intersection control sites (N=272). Non-intersection injury sites (N=478) were compared to randomly selected non-intersection control sites (N=801).
Results
At intersections, the types of routes meeting and the intersection design influenced safety. Intersections of two local streets (no demarcated traffic lanes) had approximately one-fifth the risk (adjusted OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.66) of intersections of two major streets (more than two traffic lanes). Motor vehicle speeds less than 30 km/h also reduced risk (adjusted OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.92). Traffic circles (small roundabouts) on local streets increased the risk of these otherwise safe intersections (adjusted OR 7.98, 95% CI 1.79 to 35.6). At non-intersection locations, very low risks were found for cycle tracks (bike lanes physically separated from motor vehicle traffic; adjusted OR 0.05, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.59) and local streets with diverters that reduce motor vehicle traffic (adjusted OR 0.04, 95% CI 0.003 to 0.60). Downhill grades increased risks at both intersections and non-intersections.
Conclusions
These results provide guidance for transportation planners and engineers: at local street intersections, traditional stops are safer than traffic circles, and at non-intersections, cycle tracks alongside major streets and traffic diversion from local streets are safer than no bicycle infrastructure.
Objectives:
We compared cycling injury risks of 14 route types and other route infrastructure features.
Methods:
We recruited 690 city residents injured while cycling in Toronto or Vancouver, Canada. A case-crossover design compared route infrastructure at each injury site to that of a randomly selected control site from the same trip.
Results:
Of 14 route types, cycle tracks had the lowest risk (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.11; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.02, 0.54), about one ninth the risk of the reference: major streets with parked cars and no bike infrastructure. Risks on major streets were lower without parked cars (adjusted OR = 0.63; 95% CI = 0.41, 0.96) and with bike lanes (adjusted OR = 0.54; 95% CI = 0.29, 1.01). Local streets also had lower risks (adjusted OR = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.31, 0.84). Other infrastructure characteristics were associated with increased risks: streetcar or train tracks (adjusted OR = 3.0; 95% CI = 1.8, 5.1), downhill grades (adjusted OR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.7, 3.1), and construction (adjusted OR = 1.9; 95% CI = 1.3, 2.9).
Conclusions:
The lower risks on quiet streets and with bike-specific infrastructure along busy streets support the route-design approach used in many northern European countries. Transportation infrastructure with lower bicycling injury risks merits public health support to reduce injuries and promote cycling.
This study evaluates individual preferences for five different cycling environments by trading off a better facility with a higher travel time against a less attractive facility at a lower travel time. The tradeoff of travel time to amenities of a particular facility informs our understanding of the value attached to different attributes such as bike-lanes, off-road trails, or side-street parking. The facilities considered here are off-road facilities, in-traffic facilities with bike-lane and no on-street parking, in-traffic facilities with a bike-lane and on-street parking, in-traffic facilities with no bike-lane and no on-street parking and in-traffic facilities with no bike-lane but with parking on the side. We find that respondents are willing to travel up to twenty minutes more to switch from an unmarked on-road facility with side parking to an off-road bicycle trail, with smaller changes associated with less dramatic improvements.
Most individuals prefer bicycling separated from motor traffic. However, cycle tracks (physically separated bicycle-exclusive paths along roads, as found in The Netherlands) are discouraged in the USA by engineering guidance that suggests that facilities such as cycle tracks are more dangerous than the street. The objective of this study conducted in Montreal (with a longstanding network of cycle tracks) was to compare bicyclist injury rates on cycle tracks versus in the street. For six cycle tracks and comparable reference streets, vehicle/bicycle crashes and health record injury counts were obtained and use counts conducted. The relative risk (RR) of injury on cycle tracks, compared with reference streets, was determined. Overall, 2.5 times as many cyclists rode on cycle tracks compared with reference streets and there were 8.5 injuries and 10.5 crashes per million bicycle-kilometres. The RR of injury on cycle tracks was 0.72 (95% CI 0.60 to 0.85) compared with bicycling in reference streets. These data suggest that the injury risk of bicycling on cycle tracks is less than bicycling in streets. The construction of cycle tracks should not be discouraged.
Introduction
Despite bicycling being considered ten times more dangerous than driving, the evidence suggests that high-bicycling-mode-share cities are not only safer for bicyclists but for all road users. We look to understand what makes these cities safer. Are the safety differences related to ‘safety-in-numbers’ of bicyclists, or can they be better explained by built environment differences or the people that inhabit them?
Methods
Based on thirteen years of data from twelve large U.S. cities, we investigated over 17,000 fatalities and 77,000 severe injuries across nearly 8700 block groups via multilevel, longitudinal, negative binomial regression models. We hypothesize three pathways towards better road safety outcomes: i) travel behavior differences (e.g. ‘safety-in-numbers’ or shifts to ‘safer’ modes); ii) built environment differences (e.g. infrastructure that helps promote safer environments); and iii) socio-demographic/socio-economic differences (e.g. some cities may be populated by those with lower road safety risk).
Results
The results suggest that more bicyclists is not the reason these cities are safer for all road users. Better safety outcomes are instead associated with a greater prevalence of bike facilities – particularly protected and separated bike facilities – at the block group level and, more strongly so, across the overall city. Higher intersection density, which typically corresponds to more compact and lower-speed built environments, was strongly associated with better road safety outcomes for all road users. The variables representing gentrification also accounted for much of our explainable variation in safety outcomes.
Conclusions
This paper provides an evidence-based approach to building safer cities. While the policy implications of this work point to protected and separated bike infrastructure as part of the solution, we need to keep in mind that these approaches are complementary and should not be considered in isolation. Moreover, our results – particularly the safety disparities associated with gentrification – suggest equity issues and the need for future research.
Introduction:
While sophisticated plans have been adopted nationally and globally to increase bicycling's share of daily commutes, safety concerns have negatively impacted targeted bicycling growth. To investigate people's preferences for bicycling in dense urban areas, it is important to recognize how bicycling perceived level of comfort (PLOC) is constructed and how it could relate to safe versus risky behavior while interacting with motorized modes of transportation.
Method:
To examine these issues, we analyzed results from an online survey with 342 participants. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to systematically investigate the construct of bicycling PLOC and simultaneously analyze bicyclists' responses to the presence of a truck in the adjacent lane near an urban loading zone.
Results:
SEM estimation results indicated that participants who said that they engaged in more frequent distracted bicycling reported lower PLOC. On the other hand, those who felt that road users were more lawful and predictable, and who had more bicycling experience, reported higher levels of PLOC. Participants who bicycled for commuting purposes, who made shorter trips, who bicycled more frequently, and who had more exposure to downtown bicycling also reported higher levels of PLOC. Finally, findings showed that higher PLOC was significantly associated with the choice of a safe, rather than a risky response to the presence of a truck, suggesting that a way to improve bicyclist safety would be to build an environment that could increase bicyclists' PLOC.
Non-motorized travel modes, particularly cycling, are experiencing a resurgence in many United States (U.S.) states as well as in other countries. Still, most studies focus on bicyclists’ behaviors in areas with strong bicycling cultures. This paper discusses the findings of a survey (N = 1,178) deployed in six communities in Alabama and Tennessee, U.S., where cycling is not (yet) popular nor widely adopted. The analysis includes linear regression models built on respondents’ reactions to images of bicycling infrastructure and their perceptions of being comfortable, safe, and willing to try cycling on the displayed roadway type. Findings indicate a preference for more separated bicycle infrastructure types along with options that exclude on-street parking. Segmented models indicate that, compared with potential cyclists, the preferences of regular utilitarian cyclists can vary more than those of recreational/occasional cyclists. Results from this study provide useful insights into ways to maximize the return on investments, and design bike infrastructure that can attract patronage and be most successful in areas lacking a substantial bicycling population.
Over the last decade, American cities have shown a growing interest in designing bicycle friendly intersections. Provisions of bicycle infrastructure at intersections, such as bicycle boxes, bicycle crossing signs and intersection crossing markings, may improve both perceived and actual bicycling safety, thereby encouraging more bicycling. Using survey data collected at the main campus of The Ohio State University, this study compares the influences of intersection design features on the safety perceptions of different bicyclist typologies. We group our respondents into four categories: (i) regular bicyclists, (ii) potential bicyclists, (iii) non-bicyclists who are pro-drive, (iv) non-bicyclists who are pro-public transit and pro-walk. We develop generalized ordered logit models for these four types of bicyclists. The model outcomes suggest that the effects of certain bicycle facilities vary across bicyclist typologies. For example, we find that installing two-stage turning boxes may promote the perceived safety levels of regular and potential bicyclists. However, this factor does not significantly affect non-bicyclists’ perceived bicycling safety at intersections. The results can be used by transportation planners to project the changes in different bicyclists’ safety perceptions with respect to changes in intersection features. The results also suggest specific infrastructure investments aimed at targeted groups for promoting bicycling for urban mobility.
Past research efforts have shown that cyclists’ safety, stress, and comfort levels greatly affect the routes chosen by cyclists and cycling frequency. Some researchers have tried to categorize cyclists’ levels of traffic stress utilizing data that can be directly measured in the field, such as the number of motorized travel lanes, motorized vehicle travel speeds, and type of bicycle infrastructure. This research effort presents a novel approach: real-world, on-road measurements of physiological stress as cyclists travel across different types of bicycle facilities at peak and off-peak traffic times. By matching videos with stressful events, it was possible to observe the circumstances of those stressful events. The stress data was normalized, and the method was carefully validated by a detailed analysis of the stress measurements. Novel statistical results from a multi-subject study quantifies the impact of traffic conditions, intersections, and bicycle facilities on average stress levels.
This article presents the results of an address-based sample survey (n = 351) conducted in the fall of 2016 for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) as part of an effort to provide guidance for building sidepaths. The survey investigated attitudes toward bicycling among drivers and bicyclists, bicycling habits, barriers to bicycling, and roadway design preferences regarding bicycle infrastructure in Michigan. In particular, this survey explored design preferences while bicycling with children, bicycling by oneself, and driving. Safety emerged as a key barrier to bicycling, as did distance, weather, and the difficulty of carrying things or traveling with others. Roadway design preferences were clearly weighted toward greater separation when sharing the roadway whether as a bicyclist or a driver, and this trend was most pronounced (p < 0.001) when considering bicycling with children. In all cases, ratings for one-way separated bike lanes were similar to those for sidepaths, suggesting that separated bike lanes could be a key part of addressing the safety and comfort concerns of more cautious riders. Preferences for separation were strongly associated with perceived safety as a barrier. These results were even stronger for non-transport-cyclists, although all groups, regardless of frequency or type of bicycling, preferred more separation. These results corroborate past research and add compelling evidence for separated facilities as a key part of expanding the potential for bicycling trips in general, and particularly with children. The survey findings will inform guidance about sidepath design for MDOT.
In dense urban environments, truck loading zones introduce multimodal conflicts that could decrease the bicyclist's perceived level of comfort (PLOC), potentially reducing bicycle mode share. This study investigated the PLOC of bicyclists near urban loading zones, according to different levels of ambient traffic (low traffic volume, high traffic volume, and truck traffic), bicycle lane pavement markings (white lane markings, solid green, and dashed green), and traffic signs (no sign or warning sign). An online survey was designed and randomly distributed to 10,000 potential participants. A total of 342 participants successfully completed the survey. Repeated-measures ANOVA results indicated that when bicycling on a conventionally striped bike lane, truck traffic had the most significant effect on bicyclist PLOC, decreasing it by more than 42%. Pavement markings were more effective than traffic signs at improving bicyclist PLOC, but no difference was observed between solid and dashed green lane markings. Finally, the results of cluster analysis indicated that the effect of gender and experience on bicyclist PLOC varied with different levels of traffic and engineering treatments. Women were more affected than men by the presence of a truck in the adjacent lane but they were also more prone to a considerable increase in PLOC values due to the implementation of engineering treatments. Findings of this study could inform future policies regarding transportation infrastructure design to support safer and more comfortable bicycling in dense urban environments.
To understand the makeup of a population in terms of how people view bicycling can help in planning bicycle facilities and programs. Roger Geller, bicycle coordinator for the City of Portland, Oregon, proposed a typology that characterized people as one of four types—strong and fearless, enthused and confident, interested but concerned, and no way, no how—with respect to their attitudes toward bicycling. The research presented here sought to find out how applicable the typology was nationally and explored motivating factors, barriers, and the appeal of various bicycle facility types for each type of cyclist or potential cyclist. This study followed up on an earlier study that tested Geller’s typology with Portland data. In this new study, a sample involved 3,000 adults who lived in the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. On the basis of respondents’ (a) stated level of comfort when they bicycled in different environments, (b) their interest in bicycling, and (c) their recent behavior, the study estimated ...
Transportation agencies are striving to increase the comfort of their bicycle networks in an effort to improve the experience of existing cyclists and to attract new cyclists. To increase bicycle mode share is challenging and has motivated research to understand where and what types of bicycle improvements yield the maximum net benefit in terms of increased ridership, comfort, and safety. Data sets related to cyclists’ comfort levels as a function of bicycle infrastructure are nonexistent at the state or local level. To fill this data gap, the Oregon Department of Transportation sponsored the development of ORcycle, a smartphone application designed to collect cyclist travel, comfort, and safety information. The research reported in this paper utilized ORcycle data to model cyclists’ comfort levels as a function of bicycle facility types, sources of stress along the trip, and trip characteristics (e.g., purpose, length, frequency, and day of the week). Ordinal logistic regression models were estimated, an...
Two trends in the United States—growth in bicycling and enthusiasm for complete streets—suggest a need to understand how various roadway users view roadway designs meant to accommodate multiple modes. While many studies have examined bicyclists’ roadway design preferences, there has been little investigation into the opinions of non-bicyclists who might bicycle in the future. Additionally, little research has explored the preferences of the motorists who share roads with cyclists—despite the fact that motorists compose the vast majority of roadway users in the United States and similarly developed countries.
This paper presents results from an internet survey examining perceived comfort while driving and bicycling on various roadways among 265 non-bicycling drivers, bicycling drivers, and non-driving bicyclists in the San Francisco Bay Area. Analysis of variance tests revealed that both drivers and bicyclists are more comfortable on roadways with separated bicycling facilities than those with shared space. In particular, roadways with barrier-separated bicycle lanes were the most popular among all groups, regardless of bicycling frequency. Striped bicycle lanes, a common treatment in the United States, received mixed reviews: a majority of the sample believed that they benefit cyclists and drivers through predictability and legitimacy on the roadway, but the lanes were rated significantly less comfortable than barrier-separated treatments—particularly among potential bicyclists.
These findings corroborate research on bicyclists’ preferences for roadway design and contribute a new understanding of motorists’ preferences. They also support the U.S. Federal Highway Administration’s efforts to encourage greater accommodation of bicyclists on urban streets.
Buffered and protected bike lanes are increasingly recognized as a valuable tool in enticing potential or wary cyclists to use a bicycle for transportation. These facilities-which provide extra space and (in the case of protected bike lanes) physical separation from motor vehicles-have been studied and are preferred by many bicyclists over traditional bike lanes. There has been little research, however, on the difference between buffer types and how they affect people's sense of the safety and comfort of bicycling. This paper uses data from surveys collected for a multicity study of newly constructed protected bike lanes to examine the influence of various hypothetical and actual buffered bike lane designs (both with and without physical protection) from the perspective of current bicyclists (n = 1,111) and of residents living near the new facilities (n = 2,283) who could be potential bicyclists. Findings suggest that striped or painted buffers offer some level of increased comfort, whereas buffers with some sort of physical protection, even protection as minimal as a plastic flexpost, yield signifi-cant increases in perceived comfort for potential cyclists with safety concerns (the interested but concerned). Of residents living near recently built protected bike lanes, 71% of all residents and 88% of the interested but concerned indicated that they would be more likely to ride a bicycle if motor vehicles and bicycles were physically separated by a barrier.
Several methods exist for quantifying the quality of service provided by a roadway from a bicyclist's perspective; however, many of these models do not consider physically protected bike lanes. Of those that do, none was developed on the basis of empirical data from the United States. This gap is problematic because engineers, planners, and elected officials are increasingly looking to objective performance measures to help guide both transportation project design and funding prioritization decisions. This paper addresses this gap by presenting a cumulative logistic model to predict user comfort on protected bike lanes that was developed from data collected during in-person video surveys. The surveys were conducted in Portland, Oregon, with video footage gathered in Portland; Chicago, Illinois; and San Francisco, California. The model is for road segments only and not signalized intersections. It complements the Highway Capacity Manual 2010 level-of-service methods by providing an analysis procedure for a facility type that is not currently included in the manual. The model indicates that the type of buffer, direction of travel (one-way versus two-way), adjacent motor vehicle speed limit, and average daily motor vehicle volumes are all significant predictors of bicyclist comfort in protected bike lanes. The model predicts a mean value of A or B on a scale of A (most comfortable) to F (least comfortable) for all protected bike lane video clips that were used in the survey. Consistent with previous research findings, survey respondents report that protected bike lanes are generally more comfortable than other types of on-street infrastructure.
Cities in North America have been building bicycle infrastructure, in particular cycle tracks, with the intention of promoting urban cycling and improving cyclist safety. These facilities have been built and expanded but very little research has been done to investigate the safety impacts of cycle tracks, in particular at intersections, where cyclists interact with turning motor-vehicles. Some safety research has looked at injury data and most have reached the conclusion that cycle tracks have positive effects of cyclist safety. The objective of this work is to investigate the safety effects of cycle tracks at signalized intersections using a case-control study. For this purpose, a video-based method is proposed for analyzing the post-encroachment time as a surrogate measure of the severity of the interactions between cyclists and turning vehicles travelling in the same direction. Using the city of Montreal as the case study, a sample of intersections with and without cycle tracks on the right and left sides of the road were carefully selected accounting for intersection geometry and traffic volumes. More than 90h of video were collected from 23 intersections and processed to obtain cyclist and motor-vehicle trajectories and interactions. After cyclist and motor-vehicle interactions were defined, ordered logit models with random effects were developed to evaluate the safety effects of cycle tracks at intersections. Based on the extracted data from the recorded videos, it was found that intersection approaches with cycle tracks on the right are safer than intersection approaches with no cycle track. However, intersections with cycle tracks on the left compared to no cycle tracks seem to be significantly safer. Results also identify that the likelihood of a cyclist being involved in a dangerous interaction increases with increasing turning vehicle flow and decreases as the size of the cyclist group arriving at the intersection increases. The results highlight the important role of cycle tracks and the factors that increase or decrease cyclist safety. Results need however to be confirmed using longer periods of video data.
The labeling and the categorizing of cyclists have been occurring for more than a century for a variety of purposes. This study examined a typology developed by the City of Portland, Oregon, that included four categories of cyclists: "the strong and the fearless," "the enthused and confident," "the interested but concerned," and "no way, no how." Unlike several other typologies, this widely referenced typology was intended to apply to all adults, regardless of their current cycling behavior. An analysis was conducted with data from a random phone survey (n = 908) of adults in the Portland region. Adults were placed into one of the four categories primarily on the basis of their stated comfort level with cycling on a variety of facility types, their interest in cycling as transportation, and their physical ability to bicycle. Nearly all of the sampled population fit clearly into one of the four categories. A majority (56%) of the region's population fit in the interested but concerned category, which was thought to be the key target market to increase the use of cycling as a form of transportation. The analysis indicated that a reduction in traffic speed and an increase in the separation between bicycles and motor vehicles (e.g., cycle tracks) might increase levels of comfort and cycling rates. Women and older adults were underrepresented among the more confident adults and those who currently cycled for transportation.
This paper documents a study sponsored by the Florida Department of Transportation and conducted to create a model that reflects bicyclists' perceptions of how a shared-use path adjacent to a roadway meets their needs. A user-validated level-of-service (LOS) model for shared-use paths adjacent to roadways (sidepaths) has been created. The resulting model will enable transportation professionals to translate the geometric, physical, and operational characteristics of a sidepath into a reliable LOS measure for the proposed facility. Data for the new sidepath LOS model were obtained from the Video Ride for Science (VRFS) 2009 event, held at the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, Florida. The data consist of participants' perceptions of how well roadways met their needs as they viewed video simulations from a bicyclist's eye view on the selected segments. The sidepath LOS model is based on Pearson correlation analyses and stepwise regression modeling of approximately 1,700 combined real-time video perceptions (observations) from VRFS 2009 participants. The study participants represented a cross section of individuals by age, gender, riding experience, and residency. This model has a fairly high correlation coefficient (R2 = .68) with the average observations and is transferable to the vast majority of metropolitan areas in the United States.
To better understand bicyclists’ preferences for facility types, GPS units were used to observe the behavior of 164 cyclists in Portland, Oregon, USA for several days each. Trip purpose and several other trip-level variables recorded by the cyclists, and the resulting trips were coded to a highly detailed bicycle network. The authors used the 1449 non-exercise, utilitarian trips to estimate a bicycle route choice model. The model used a choice set generation algorithm based on multiple permutations of path attributes and was formulated to account for overlapping route alternatives. The findings suggest that cyclists are sensitive to the effects of distance, turn frequency, slope, intersection control (e.g. presence or absence of traffic signals), and traffic volumes. In addition, cyclists appear to place relatively high value on off-street bike paths, enhanced neighborhood bikeways with traffic calming features (aka “bicycle boulevards”), and bridge facilities. Bike lanes more or less exactly offset the negative effects of adjacent traffic, but were no more or less attractive than a basic low traffic volume street. Finally, route preferences differ between commute and other utilitarian trips; cyclists were more sensitive to distance and less sensitive to other infrastructure characteristics for commute trips.
Some surveys indicate that providing bicycle lanes and paths may encourage more people to commute by bicycle. The presence of a striped lane or separated path can increase a cyclist's perception of safety. With growing concerns over traffic congestion and vehicle pollution, public policy makers are increasingly promoting bicycling as an alternative for commuting and other utilitarian trip purposes. State and local spending on bicycle facilities has increased significantly over the past decade. Previous studies have linked higher levels of bicycle commuting to various demographic and geographic variables. At least one analysis showed that cities with higher levels of bicycle infrastructure (lanes and paths) witnessed higher levels of bicycle commuting. Research was conducted that affirms that finding by analyzing data from 43 large cities across the United States. This cross-sectional analysis improves on previous research by including a larger sample of cities, not including predominantly college towns, and using consistent data from the Bureau of the Census 2000 Supplemental Survey. Although the analysis has limitations, it does support the assertion that new bicycle lanes in large cities will be used by commuters.
In a survey of 1,402 current and potential cyclists in Metro Vancouver, 73 motivators and deterrents of cycling were evaluated.
The top motivators, consistent among regular, frequent, occasional and potential cyclists, were: routes away from traffic
noise and pollution; routes with beautiful scenery; and paths separated from traffic.In factor analysis, the 73 survey items
were grouped into 15 factors. The following factors had the most influence on likelihood of cycling: safety; ease of cycling;
weather conditions; route conditions; and interactions with motor vehicles. These results indicate the importance of the location
and design of bicycle routes to promote cycling.
KeywordsBicycle-Survey-Infrastructure-Influence-Non-motorized transport
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