Bicycle Friendly Community Workshop

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Bicycle Friendly Community Workshop

• Rochester, MN
• March 5, 2007

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What is the Bicycle Friendly Community Workshop?

• Developed by Association of Pedestrian and
  Bicycle Professionals
• For the National Highway Traffic Safety
  Administration
• To help implement National Strategies to Advance
  Bicycle Safety
• Based on Leagues BFC award program
• Supported by Bikes Belong

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The workshop is?

• An introduction to issues affecting bicycle
  safety and use
• Focused on community leaders, decision-makers
• Non-technical and interactive
• To inspire an informed action plan to improve
  conditions for bicycling in Rochester

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Agenda

• Introduction to Bicycling
• Local issue identification
• Bikeability Checklist
• Report-back on Checklist
• Develop Action Plan

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What Do We Know About Bicycling?

• Sales
• Use
• Benefits
• Problems

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Bicycle Sales and Use

• 131 billion economic impact
• Min. 15 million bicycles sold annually
• 6.2 billion retail sales
• 5000 retailers, 2000 companies

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Bicycle Use

• 57 million adults ride bikes (BTS/NHTSA)
• 50 million children
• 490,000 daily commuters, 0.44 (2000 Census)
• 0.9 of all trips (2001 NHTS)

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Local Numbers
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Benefits of Bicycling

• are about more than just the bicycle. Bicycling
  is about
• Health
• Economics
• Freedom

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Health Physical Activity

• Easy way to get 30 minutes of routine physical
  activity
• Reduces heart and lung disease, cancers,
  osteoporosis, diabetes
• Obesity epidemic is huge national, local problem

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Health Environment

• Trails serve multiple objectives
• Transportation
• Recreation
• Stormwater management
• Corridor, habitat preservation

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Health Air Quality

• No emissions
• Reduces most polluting car trips

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Health Safety

• Can reduce death and injury toll
• Strength in numbers of cyclists
• Facilities for cyclists can calm traffic for
  everyone

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Govt. Finances avings

• Most expensive trails are 1 million per mile
• Bike lanes as little as 5,000 a mile
• Equip 20 bike cops for cost of one police cruiser
• Parking rack 100 for two spaces versus 30,000
  for one in garage

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Local Economy ales

• Bicycle tourism and rides are big business
• Bicycle vacations 3 outdoor vacation activity in
  US
• La Route Verte (Can) generates 100 million
• Cross state and disease rides raise money,
  taxes
• NCDOT reports 9-1 return on investment for Outer
  Banks bike improvements

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Use of Roads pace
Source Tampa Tribune
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Parking for 14, Corvallis, OR
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Personal Finances avings

• Avoids need for 2nd car (3000 a year)
• Reduces health costs (550 a year)
• Living near a trail increase home value (4-6)

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Quality of Life ales

• Home buyers want quality of life
• Businesses want QOL for employees
• Bicycling and walking are indicator species

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Equity Freedom

• 1/3 of population cant drive
• Bike serves all ages and incomes
• Increases accessibility of transit

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Access Freedom

• Less than 1,000 to buy and equip good quality,
  reliable bike that will last ten years
• Bike can be used from age 9/10 and is a lifetime
  activity

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Choice Freedom

• Bicycling should be a real option
• Dangerous to have monocultural transportation
  system

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Congestion Relief Freedom

• Excellent traffic reduction strategy
• 20 of trips in a.m. rush are school based
• 11 of all trips are escort trips, driving kids
  to school
• Saves time and frustration

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Trip Distances Still Doable

• 69 of trips 1 mile or less currently made by
  car, which means
• 18 of all trips are car trips one mile or less

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Energy Independence Freedom

• Most energy-efficient mode of travel
• Can reduce motor pool/fleet costs
• With gas at 50 a barrel and 2 a gallon, looks
  better than ever!

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Bicycling is a Solution

• Not a problem
• Can help solve many local issues
• Powerful public policy reasons for improving
  conditions for bicycling, making it safer.

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Support for Bicycling

• Federal
• Congressional Bike Caucus
• ISTEA, TEA-21, SAFETEA-LU
• National Bicycling and Walking Study
• FHWA Design Guidance
• National Strategies to Advance Bicycle Safety

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Support for Bicycling

• State and Local Level
• Plans
• Funding
• Projects
• Leadership
• Promotion
• Policy

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Technical Knowledge Available

• National guidelines and manuals
• Professional associations developing materials
• Training courses and trainers available
• Research at Federal and State level
• PBIC (www.bicyclinginfo.org)
• National user groups

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Funding is Available

• SAFETEA-LU Funds
• Safe Routes
• TE, CMAQ, STP, 402
• LWCF, public health and other grants
• State funds (lotteries, drivers license fees)
• Local gas tax, sales tax, general funds

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So Why Are We Here?

• Low priority given to bicycling
• High potential benefits of bicycling
• Great opportunity to improve conditions for
  bicycling and improve safety of bicyclists in
  Rochester

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Bicycling faces obstacles

• Belief that bicycling can make a difference
• Commitment to making a change
• Willingness and ability of people to choose to
  ride
• Understanding of what will improve conditions for
  bicycling and improve safety

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Demand for Bicycling Exists

• Strong desire to ride more in every survey
• Harris polls (1991 and 1995)
• NHTSA/BTS (2003)
• Orlando Metro (2003)
• Lake Sosin (1997)
• America Bikes (2003)

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Bike Use High in Some Cities

• Davis
• Palo Alto
• Santa Barbara
• Eugene
• Boulder
• Portland
• Madison

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International Comparison

• Compare US cities with
• Copenhagen
• Amsterdam
• Tokyo
• Munich
• Beijing
• Victoria, BC

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Willingness, Ability to Ride

• Distance
• Weather
• Topography
• Personal security
• Personal hygiene

• Most people dont ride because they have no bike!
• Have nowhere to ride
• Dont feel safe riding in traffic
• Have no-one to ride with
• Have nowhere to park bike
• Worried about theft

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Bicyclist Fatalities, 1975-2005
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Is Bicycling Dangerous?

• Every Year
• 700 bicyclists killed and 40,000 injured in
  crashes with motor vehicles
• 42,000 fatal traffic crash victims, 3 million
  injured
• 200,000 deaths due to lack of physical activity
• 500,000 bicyclists injured in falls

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Most Common Crash Types

• 21.6 Motorist failed to yield
• 16.8 Bicyclist failed to yield at intersection
• 12.1 Motorist turned or merged into bicyclist
• 11.7 Bicyclist failed to yield mid block
• 8.6 Motorist overtaking bicyclist
• 7.3 Bicyclist turned or merged into motorist

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Cause of Bicycle Crashes?

• Falls
• Riding wrong way against traffic
• Riding on sidewalk
• Motorist inattention, misjudgment
• Riding without lights
• Running lights, signs

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National Strategies to Advance Bicycle Safety

• Provides roadmap for communities
• NHTSA/FHWA/CDC sponsored wide support from
  bicycle community
• Focused on strategies that will make biggest
  difference to bicycle safety

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1. Motorists Share the Road

• OR, FL, ME Share the Road PSAs
• Chicago transit ads
• Cambridge Tax Decals
• Chicago Professional Driver Training
• VA Drivers Test
• FL, OH License Plate

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2. Bicyclists Will Ride Safely

• TX Supercyclist
• ME, FL, CA programs teaching 000s of kids
• Safe Bicycling in Chicago
• Bicycle Ambassadors
• League BikeEd program
• 900 LCIs
• Adult, child courses

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3. Bicyclists Will Wear Helmets

• More than 20 states and 85 localities have helmet
  laws
• Many helmet promotions and give-aways
• Visit www.bhsi.org or www.safekids.org for more
  details

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4. Law Supports Safe Cycling

• NHTSA Enforcement officer training
• Chicago Enforcement for Bicycling Safety training
  video
• Madison enforcement campaigns
• Davis lowered fines for bicycle infractions

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5. Safe Accommodation

• OR, FL manuals
• WI, VT new manuals
• Chicago bike lane guide and 2015 Plan
• Sacramento, San Diego manuals
• USDOT Guidance
• AASHTO Manuals
• FHWA training
• Complete Streets

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Portland Case Study
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Developing the Bikeway Network
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Developing the Bikeway Network
1983
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Developing the Bikeway Network
1993
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Developing the Bikeway Network
1996
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Developing the Bikeway Network
1998
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Developing the Bikeway Network
2000
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Developing the Bikeway Network
2001
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Developing the Bikeway Network
2003
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Decreasing Crash Rate
Crashes/Crash Rate
Daily Bicycle Trips
8,000
260
220
6,000
180
140
4,000
100
2,000
60
20
0
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
Year
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Portland Key Numbers

• Population 530,000, 1.6 journeys to work by bike
• Metro area 1.9 million, 0.8 bike to work
• City bicycle network of 260 miles
• Bicycling to work doubled 1990-2000 (U.S. Census)
• Crash remained steady rate fell

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Portlands local streets
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Rochester isnt Portland!

• Good trails network under development
• Improving network of streets
• New BAC and downtown bike lane study
• Focus on major employers may bring rapid rewards

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No Time Like the Present

• Walkabout to see how the community accommodates
  bicycling now
• Discussion of what you find
• Breakout groups to discuss improvements and
  priorities
• Finish with an Action Plan I can present to
  City Council at 4pm!

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Issues during checklist Where should the
bicyclist be?
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Where to Ride?
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Conclusions

• Bicycling is a worthwhile activity to promote and
  make safe
• A lot goes into achieving that
• Education
• Engineering
• Enforcement
• Encouragement
• Evaluation and planning
• But it can be done

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The End

• Now its your turnto make Rochester more
  bicycle-friendly