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Browsing by Subject "Bicycle lanes"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Guidance for Separated/Buffered Bike Lanes with Delineators
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2021-05) Hourdos, John; Duhn, Melissa; Dirks, Peter; Lindsey, Greg
    Separated bicycle lanes (SBLs) are bicycle facilities that employ both paint and a vertical element as a buffer between vehicle traffic and bicycle traffic. In recent years, the installation of SBLs has increased in the U.S. as planners and engineers seek to reduce crash risk, increase safety and foster demand. In turn, public demand for these facilities has continued to grow. This project conducted a thorough literature search to identify knowledge gaps and aspects of design not addressed in depth in existing guides. In collaboration with the Local Road Research Board and MnDOT, the study identified which design elements were of the greatest local interest or missing from the guidance altogether. The identified subject areas were explored with the help of three major knowledge gathering approaches: interviews of industry professionals from local agencies currently operating SBLs, interviews with leading bicycle advocates representing the local cycling community, and an ambitious and lengthy online survey of people who cycle in Minnesota. As noted by several existing guidance documents and corroborated by the information collected and analyzed in this project, the SBL is one of the highest quality bikeway facilities available. This report adds to the existing guidance regarding the planning and operation of SBLs by refining the discussion and taking into account individual aspects of separate design elements and their implementation alternatives, as well as their influence and limitations on maintenance needs, especially in winter. The guidance identifies multiple considerations for each of the selected structural elements and maintenance considerations to inform the choices made during the design process.
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    If we build it, who will benefit? A multi-criteria approach for the prioritization of new bicycle lanes in Quebec City, Canada
    (Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2018) Grisé, Emily; El-Geneidy, Ahmed
    Many cities across the world are actively promoting cycling through investments in cycling infrastructure, yet ensuring that the benefits from these investments are distributed equally in a region and not benefiting only one group is an important social goal. The aim of this study is to develop a methodology that can help in identifying where new bicycle facilities can be built in a region while prioritizing investments for those who need them most. The study uses Quebec City, Canada, as an example since the city has recently made a strong commitment to provide safe and attractive bicycle infrastructure to its residents. It also uses a GIS-based grid cell model to identify priority areas for cycling investment in different parts of the city. This is followed by a proposal for a new set of facilities based on a multi-criteria approach. These proposed facilities are then evaluated through a level of usage analysis to determine which routes will provide the maximum benefit to existing and potential cyclists. Finally, an equity analysis is conducted to evaluate whether the new facilities will meet some of the travel needs of individuals residing in socially deprived neighborhoods. This step in the evaluation process proposes a new social equity component in bicycle planning processes. This research can be of value to planners, engineers and policymakers working toward investments in bicycle facilities because it shows the full process of planning and evaluating different cycling facilities while incorporating social equity principles.
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    Sample-Based Estimation of Bicycle Miles of Travel (BMT)
    (2001-10-01) Davis, Gary A.; Wicklatz, Trina
    This project provides a statistically defensible estimate of bicycle-miles of travel (BMT) for at a least substantial portion of the Twin Cities region and assesses the feasibility of monitoring bicycle volumes using sampling methods similar to those used to monitor motor vehicle traffic. Researchers used an ArcView database of the Twin Cities street system for the initial sampling frame and extended the database by manually adding information about average annual daily traffic volumes and about on- and off-road bicycle facilities. A stratified random sample of roadways links in Hennepin, Ramsey, and Dakota counties was drawn, and during the months of May through June and August through October 1998, the daytime bicycle volume for one day at each sampled site was obtained using time-lapse video. Researchers then used Cochrane's combined estimator to compute an estimate of average daytime BMT for the study area. Keywords-bicycle monitoring, bicycle miles of travel, BMT, GIS, bicycle volumes, bicycle traffic, bike lane
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    Traffic Impacts of Bicycle Facilities
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2017-06) Hourdos, John; Lehrke, Derek; Duhn, Melissa; Ermagun, Alireza; Singer-Berk, Lila; Lindsey, Greg
    Engineers need information about interactions between vehicles and bicyclists to design efficient, safe transportation systems. This study involved a review of design guidelines for bicycle facilities, observation of bicycle-vehicle interactions at nine roadways with different types of bicycle facilities, analysis of results, and description of design implications. Facilities observed included buffered and striped bicycle lanes, sharrows, signed shared lanes, and shoulders of various widths. Driver behaviors were categorized as no change in trajectory, deviation within lane, encroachment into adjacent lane, completion of a passing maneuver, and queuing behind cyclists. Drivers on roadways with bicycle lanes were less likely to encroach into adjacent lanes, pass, or queue when interacting with cyclists than drivers on roadways with sharrows, signs designating shared lanes, or no bicycle facilities. Queueing behind cyclists, the most significant impact on vehicular traffic flows, generally was highest on roads with no facilities or shared facilities without marked lanes. Statistical modeling confirmed the descriptive results. Given an objective of increasing predictability of driver behavior, buffered or striped bicycle lanes offer advantages over other facilities. Sharrows may alert drivers to the presence of cyclists, but traffic impacts on roadways with sharrows may not differ significantly from roadways with no facilities. Signs indicating bicyclists may occupy lanes also may alert drivers to the presence of cyclists, but this study provided no evidence that interactions on roadways marked only with signs differ from roadways with no facilities. From the perspective of reducing potential traffic impacts, bicycle lanes are to be preferred over sharrows or signage.