What Happened
This past week, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced its TIGER grant award winners, one of which was the City of Houston, which received $15 million to pay for projects that will upgrade and link 18 miles of bike paths into one usable network. Cities and towns across the U.S. are incorporating or considering master bike plans, but only about eight percent of citizens are comfortable using bikes on main roads. Gov1 looks at a solution known as “cycle tracks” that is dramatically increasing usage.
Background
One of the biggest impediments to bike usage on main streets is the common fear of cars and trucks. “Cycle tracks,” which are protected areas of road for use only by cyclists, attempt to alleviate that fear.
A cycle track is an exclusive biking facility that combines the user experience of a separated path with the on-street infrastructure of a conventional bike lane. Cycle tracks provide space that is separated from vehicle travel lanes, parking lanes, and sidewalk by pavement markings or colorings, curbs, and medians. You can read an in-depth report on cycle tracks from Alta Planning which details various methods of usage and recommendations based on municipal experiences in Europe and here in the US.
The report says that cycle tracks can increase bike lane usage by up to 20 percent; and claims that fewer cyclists are hit by cars, whether turning, from behind or by the opening of car doors.
The report also details best practices, including:
- parking placement
- channelization
- mountable curbs
- bollards and pavement markings
- cycle track widths (a minimum of 6.5 feet)
- dealing with intersections and turns
- visibility
- two way cycle tracks
There are also numerous illustrations of recommended street designs included in the report.
Research
Many cities and towns around the U.S. are incorporating master bike plans into their planning efforts. Seattle has had a master plan since 2007 and will be updating it this year. Los Angeles adopted a bicycle plan in 2011, including a technical design handbook and five year implementation strategy.
In 2010, Portland, Oregon, adopted the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030, including the following “key principles":
- Attract new riders
- Strengthen bicycle policies
- Form a denser bikeway network
- Increase bicycle parking
- Expand programs to support bicycling
- Increase funding for bicycle facilities
Fresno, California released its Bicycle, Pedestrian and Trails Master Plan in 2010. Many of the recommended projects will be funded by a half-cent sales tax the city passed in a ballot measure.
Rochester, NY, developed a long-term master plan for bicycling infrastructure and services which was completed in January 2011. On its website you can see the public meeting presentation as well public workshops, the final master plan and the project schedule.
Greenville, South Carolina, adopted a Bicycle Master Plan this past fall. Working with Alta Planning + Design, the city utilized extensive public participation and input in an effort to develop a uniform plan to expand an existing bikeway network. Included in the plan are a holistic approach coined as the “Six E’s” of a Bicycle Friendly Community: Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, Evaluation & Planning and Equity.
Two other research “toolkits” might also prove useful: A TIGER Grant Toolkit from The Ferguson Group, along with EfficientGov’s proprietary BikeShare Toolkit.