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• 1. [Article] A Level-of-Service Model for Protected Bike Lanes

  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 and, of ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: A Level-of-Service Model for Protected Bike Lanes Author: Foster, Nick, Monsere, Christopher, Dill, Jennifer, Clifton, Kelly Year: 2015 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 and, of those that do, none is based on empirical data from the US. This is problematic as engineers, planners, and elected officials are increasingly looking to objective performance measures to help guide 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 developed from data collected during in-person video surveys. The surveys were conducted in Portland, OR with video footage gathered in Chicago, IL, Portland, OR and San Francisco, CA. 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 vs. 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 an A (most comfortable) – F (least comfortable) scale for all protected bike lane clips 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. Title: A Level-of-Service Model for Protected Bike Lanes Author: Foster, Nick, Monsere, Christopher, Dill, Jennifer, Clifton, Kelly Year: 2015 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 and, of those that do, none is based on empirical data from the US. This is problematic as engineers, planners, and elected officials are increasingly looking to objective performance measures to help guide 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 developed from data collected during in-person video surveys. The surveys were conducted in Portland, OR with video footage gathered in Chicago, IL, Portland, OR and San Francisco, CA. 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 vs. 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 an A (most comfortable) – F (least comfortable) scale for all protected bike lane clips 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. Close

• 2. [Article] Evaluating the Level-of-Service of Protected Bike Lanes

  Summary: The most recent edition of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) contains analysis procedures for measuring the level-of-service (LOS), also referred to as quality of service, provided by an urban ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Evaluating the Level-of-Service of Protected Bike Lanes Author: Foster, Nick Year: 2014 Summary: The most recent edition of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) contains analysis procedures for measuring the level-of-service (LOS), also referred to as quality of service, provided by an urban roadway to bicyclists. The method uses different design and operating features of the roadway segment (e.g. width, motor vehicle volumes and speeds) to assess an LOS grade of A (best) to F (worst). These procedures are used by planners and engineers to recommend how existing streets could be retrofitted or new streets designed to better serve people on bicycles (and other modes). However, the current HCM does not include methods that address protected bike lanes (aka “cycle tracks” or “separated bike lanes”), only conventional striped bike lanes, shoulders, and shared streets. There are other methods for predicting comfort from a bicyclist’s perspective that do consider protected bike lanes, but they are either based only on expert opinion or on surveys in Denmark. This presentation will describe how to evaluate the level-of-service of a protected bike lane using results from surveys conducted in the United States. The model developed by this project could be used to supplement the current HCM to objectively consider a wider range of options for improving the environment for bicycling. This is increasingly important as the implementation of, and demand for, protected bike lanes surges around the US. Title: Evaluating the Level-of-Service of Protected Bike Lanes Author: Foster, Nick Year: 2014 Summary: The most recent edition of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) contains analysis procedures for measuring the level-of-service (LOS), also referred to as quality of service, provided by an urban roadway to bicyclists. The method uses different design and operating features of the roadway segment (e.g. width, motor vehicle volumes and speeds) to assess an LOS grade of A (best) to F (worst). These procedures are used by planners and engineers to recommend how existing streets could be retrofitted or new streets designed to better serve people on bicycles (and other modes). However, the current HCM does not include methods that address protected bike lanes (aka “cycle tracks” or “separated bike lanes”), only conventional striped bike lanes, shoulders, and shared streets. There are other methods for predicting comfort from a bicyclist’s perspective that do consider protected bike lanes, but they are either based only on expert opinion or on surveys in Denmark. This presentation will describe how to evaluate the level-of-service of a protected bike lane using results from surveys conducted in the United States. The model developed by this project could be used to supplement the current HCM to objectively consider a wider range of options for improving the environment for bicycling. This is increasingly important as the implementation of, and demand for, protected bike lanes surges around the US. Close