| Bicyling Facilities Research University of Minnesota researchers have worked on several projects to develop guidelines for planners to use when implementing bicycling facilities. This work has been supported by grants from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) and the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Current research focuses on the correlation between implementation of bicycling facilities and increased bicycle commute mode share near these new facilities. The project is led by principal investigator Frank Douma (Humphrey Institute).
The motivation for the University's work on bicycling facilities stemmed from the belief among some
bicycle advocates and others that bicycle facilities can be marginalized
in the general transportation planning process because of a lack
of quantitative evaluation. Highway and transit investments are
evaluated and justified using standard methodologies to estimate
benefits and costs; no equivalent tools exist for bicycle-related
investments. The hope is that better quantitative estimation
tools not only will lead to better decisions regarding implementation of bicycling facilities, but will
further legitimize bicycle investments more generally.
The focus of this research has followed these four general objectives:
- To compare investments in bicycling with other modes.
- To quantify the benefits of bicycling facilities.
- To identify key indicators of successful bicycling facilities.
- To better integrate bicycling into the general transportation
planning process.
Current Project
The detailed
workplan for the current Mn/DOT Project "The Impact of Bicycling Facilities on Commute Mode Share" includes the following:
- Identifying case study cities with significant bicycle facility construction during the 1990s and gathering spatial data on these facilities.
- Comparing change in each city's bicycle commute mode share around facilities between 1990 (before construction) and 2000 (after construction).
- Performing statistical significance tests on the change in localized bicycle commute rates.
- Interviewing bicycle planning coordinators from each case study city to understand localized context for changing bicycle commuting rates.
- Identifying key factors that were present in cities that experienced statistically significant increase in bicycle commute mode share.
Previous Research
- Research manuscript: "Estimating the Economic Benefits of Bicycling and Bicycle Facilities: An Interpretive Review and Proposed Methods"
- Research manuscript: "The End of the Road: Factors Affecting Discontinuities of On-Street Bicycle Lanes in Urban Settings"
SLPP Bicycling Reports
Comprehensive bibliography of bicycle benefit and cost research.
Basic facts about bicycling in Minnesota and the U.S.
Report on the Economic Benefits of Bicycling in Minnesota
Vital stats
The State and Local Policy Program is currently involved in one bicycle facilities project sponsored by Mn/DOT and entitled "The Impact of Bicycling Facilities on Commute Mode Share." The project completion date is May 2009.
Contact
Frank Douma, 612-
626-9865, douma002@umn.edu
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