BIKE: Do bike lanes really improve bike safety?
Stuart Werbner
stuwerb
Wed Jan 5 10:20:11 PST 2005
Yo MBJ,
At the risk of hurting your feelings, after visiting your website, I can
understand why more people dont visit it.
I notice that you've got dated items still on there all the way back from
1999. Dude, like that's way too 20th century!
I have visited your site a number of times and have found some useful info
on it. But, I would venture a guess that if you kept your site more up to
date, more people would take it more seriously.
FYI,
__o
_`\<,_
(*)/ (*)
~~~~~~~~~
Stuart Werbner
Annuit Coeptis
"Any time of year it's a time of sorrow and sadness when we lose a loss of
life" -- the president
>From: Michael Bluejay <bikes>
>To: Fred Meredith <bikin-fred>
>CC: Austin Bikes <forum>
>Subject: Re: BIKE: Do bike lanes really improve bike safety?
>Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2005 02:00:39 -0600
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>
>I know that most of the time people find answers on the site we don't hear
>about it, that's very true. What makes me pull my hair out is when someone
>signs up for the list on BicycleAustin, then posts a question here whose
>answer is on the site where they signed up at, or when people search the
>far corners of the web for info that's been on BicycleAustin for years, and
>post that far-flung url as the place to start. I just doubt whether I've
>done a good enough job of getting the idea out there that BicycleAustin is
>a good resource. It doesn't have all the answers, but it has lots of them.
> Google says it has 333 pages, plus another 100 on BicycleUniverse.
>
>These days most of the traffic to the site is people looking for porn,
>thanks to that page I had up about the World Naked Bike Ride last year.
>Here are internal search queries on BicycleAustin for last week:
>
>- 6 for "naked"
>- 2 for "naked bike"
>- 2 for "world naked bike ride"
>- 1 for "51 cm sequoia elite road bike"
>- 1 for "beef"
>- 1 for "bicycle helmet safety"
>- 1 for "bicycle images"
>- 1 for "clothing"
>- 1 for "gas"
>
>And here were the Google, Yahoo, etc. ways people found the site in
>December, after removing queries relating to used bikes:
>
>#reqs: search term
>-----: -----------
> 78: naked people
> 65: naked bike
> 59: car cartoons
> 53: austin bike shops
> 50: naked bike ride
> 47: world naked bike ride
> 43: naked biking
> 34: bicycle posters
> 28: naked bicycling
> 27: naked world
> 27: austin bike shop
> 21: all naked
>
>Honestly, one reason I'm on edge these days about this is that I spend
>years building an information-rich site and a huge chunk of the traffic is
>just people looking for porn. It's kind of disheartening.
>
>On the other hand, the other message from the stats is that there's a
>market opportunity for people looking for used bikes:
>
> 260: used bikes
> 226: used bicycles
> 61: used road bikes
> 57: used mountain bikes
> 52: used bikes for sale
> 30: used bicycles for sale
> 26: used road bikes for sale
> 21: used mountain bikes for sale
>
>I should sell advertising to a big used bike dealer.
>
>-MBJ-
>
>
>On Jan 4, 2005, at 6:40 AM, Fred Meredith wrote:
>
>>Not true, Michael.
>>
>>Think about it a minute. If someone goes to the website and finds the
>>answer, are we likely to hear about it on the listserv? Probably not. All
>>you hear on the forum is the questions that did not get answered by a trip
>>to the site.
>>
>>So, don't despair. The big silent spots are where the website is working
>>and being used (maybe). At least that would be the "half-full glass"
>>answer.
>>
>>Fred
>>
>>On Jan 4, 2005, at 12:43 AM, Michael Bluejay wrote:
>>
>>>Why are you doing this to me?
>>>
>>>Information about the safety of bicycle lanes is available on --
>>>surprise, surprise -- BicycleAustin.
>>>
>>>It's just comical that the website that's the mother of this email forum
>>>is utilized to answer questions on that forum 0% of the time.
>>>
>>>But after nearly ten years, no one thinks to look on BicycleAustin. What
>>>the hell?
>>>
>>>BicycleAustin (and its companion, BicycleUniverse) definitely don't have
>>>all the answers -- but they have a lot of the types of things that are
>>>bandied about here.
>>>
>>>-MBJ-
>>>
>>>P.S. On another note, I hope everyone noticed Austin's own Monique
>>>Stinson (not Stimson) in the credits of the Cambridge article.
>>>
>>>
>>>On Jan 3, 2005, at 5:15 PM, Roger Baker wrote:
>>>
>>>>On Jan 3, 2005, at 11:22 AM, Thorne wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>I'm in favor of motor-assisted bikes for those who want to use them.
>>>>>But the
>>>>>idea of segregating bike or motorized bikes from the rest of traffic
>>>>>for
>>>>>safety reasons is a false hope. Cyclists are safer mixed in with
>>>>>traffic
>>>>>following traffic laws than they are on the segregated facilities.
>>>>>Getting
>>>>>bike-centric isn't a matter of facilities so much as a matter of
>>>>>getting out
>>>>>and riding. Surely, the roadways should be designed with bicycle
>>>>>traffic in
>>>>>mind, but I'll remind you that every lane you see is a bike lane.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>[From my point of view, this link and the documentation from the
>>>>Cambridge Mass. website seems to document the safety advantages of bike
>>>>lanes pretty conclusively. I expect there will always be non-believers.
>>>>-- Roger]
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>http://www.cambridgema.gov/~CDD/et/bike/bike_safety.html
>>>>
>>>>Safety Benefits of Bike Lanes
>>>>
>>>>Bike lanes help define road space, decrease the stress level of
>>>>bicyclists riding in traffic, encourage bicyclists to ride in the
>>>>correct direction of travel, and signal motorists that cyclists have a
>>>>right to the road. Bike lanes help to better organize the flow of
>>>>traffic and reduce the chance that motorists will stray into cyclists’
>>>>path of travel.1, 2 Bicyclists have stated their preference for marked
>>>>on-street bicycle lanes in numerous surveys.3 In addition, several
>>>>real-time studies (where cyclists of varying abilities and backgrounds
>>>>ride and assess actual routes and street conditions) have found that
>>>>cyclists are more comfortable and assess a street as having a better
>>>>level of service for them where there are marked bike lanes present.4
>>>>
>>>>In summary, bike lanes do the following:
>>>> • support and encourage bicycling as a means of transportation;
>>>> • help define road space;
>>>> • promote a more orderly flow of traffic;
>>>> • encourage bicyclists to ride in the correct direction, with the flow
>>>>of traffic;
>>>> • give bicyclists a clear place to be so they are not tempted to ride
>>>>on the sidewalk;
>>>> • remind motorists to look for cyclists when turning or opening car
>>>>doors;
>>>> • signal motorists that cyclists have a right to the road;
>>>> • reduce the chance that motorists will stray into cyclists’ path of
>>>>travel;
>>>> • make it less likely that passing motorists swerve toward opposing
>>>>traffic;
>>>> • decrease the stress level of bicyclists riding in traffic.
>>>>
>>>>Well-designed facilities encourage proper behavior and decrease the
>>>>likelihood of crashes. Numerous studies have shown that bicycle lanes
>>>>improve safety and promote proper riding behavior.5
>>>> • In 1996, over 2000 League of American Bicyclist members were
>>>>surveyed about the crashes (accidents) they were involved in over the
>>>>course of the previous year. From the information, a relative danger
>>>>index was calculated which shows that streets with bike lanes were the
>>>>safest places to ride, having a significantly lower crash rate then
>>>>either major or minor streets without any bicycle facilities; moreover,
>>>>they are safer than trails and sidewalks as well.6
>>>> • The addition of bicycle lanes in Davis, California reduced crashes
>>>>by 31 percent.7
>>>> • Bicycle lanes on a major avenue in Eugene, Oregon resulted in an
>>>>increase in bicycle use and a substantial reduction in the bicycle
>>>>crash rate. The crash rate per 100,000 bike miles fell by almost half
>>>>and the motor vehicle crash rate also fell significantly.8
>>>> • When the city of Corvallis, OR installed 13 miles of bicycle lanes
>>>>in one year, the number of bicycle crashes fell from 40 in the year
>>>>prior to the installation to just 16 in the year afterwards, and of the
>>>>5 crashes that occurred on streets with bike lanes, all involved
>>>>bicyclists riding at night with no lights.9
>>>> • In Chicago, Illinois, crash severity was reduced in one study of
>>>>marking bike lanes in a narrow cross section where 5 foot bike lanes
>>>>were marked next to 7 foot parking lanes.10
>>>> • In Denmark, bicycle lanes reduced the number of bicycle crashes by
>>>>35 percent.11 Some of the bike lanes reached risk reductions of 70 to
>>>>80 percent.12
>>>> • A comparison of crash rates of all types in major cities has shown
>>>>that cities with higher bicycle use have lower traffic crash rates of
>>>>all types than cities with lower bicycle use.13
>>>> • In a national study comparing streets with bike lanes and those
>>>>without, several important observations were made:14
>>>> • Wrong-way riding was significantly lower on the streets with bike
>>>>lanes.
>>>> • In approaching intersections, 15% of cyclists on streets without
>>>>bike lanes rode on the sidewalks, vs. 3% on the streets with bike
>>>>lanes.
>>>> • On streets with bike lanes, 81% of cyclists obeyed stop signs, vs.
>>>>55% on streets without.
>>>> • In Cambridge, sidewalk bicycling was cut in half after the
>>>>installation of bicycle lanes on Mass. Ave. in Central Square.15
>>>> • Corvallis and Eugene, Oregon, cities with good bikeway networks,
>>>>have the highest number of riders and rider behavior is the best:
>>>>wrong-way riding is minimal, fewer ride on the sidewalk than in other
>>>>Oregon cities.
>>>> • In looking at comparable streets with and without bicycle lanes in
>>>>Davis and Santa Barbara, California, the number of cyclists riding on
>>>>the wrong side of the street was one third as much on streets with
>>>>bicycle lanes.
>>>>
>>>>Return to Top
>>>>
>>>>Footnotes
>>>> 1. David L. Harkey and J. Richard Stewart, “Evaluation of Shared-Use
>>>>Facilities for Bicycles and Motor Vehicles in Florida,” Florida
>>>>Department of Transportation, March 1996.
>>>> 2. Cyclists are still permitted to travel in the regular vehicle
>>>>travel lanes even when a bike lane is present. Cyclists should signal
>>>>and make sure they have the attention of the people behind them before
>>>>moving into the vehicle travel lane from a bike lane. Motorists should
>>>>be aware that cyclists may merge into their lanes in front of them,
>>>>e.g., to avoid an obstacle or to make a left turn.
>>>> 3. Monique Stimson, “Analysis of Commuter Bicyclist Route Choice
>>>>Using Stated Preference Study,” TRB, 2003.; FHWA, Development of the
>>>>Bicycle Compatibility Index, December 1998.
>>>> 4. Bruce Landis et al., “Real-Time Human Perceptions: Toward a
>>>>Bicycle Level of Service,” Transportation Research Record 1578; FHWA,
>>>>Development of the Bicycle Compatibility Index, December 1998.
>>>> 5. Federal Highway Administration, Safety Effectiveness of Highway
>>>>Design Features, Volume VI, Pedestrians and Bicyclists, FHWA-RD-91-049,
>>>>1991.
>>>> 6. William E. Moritz, Ph.D., “Adult Bicyclists In The United States
>>>>Characteristics And Riding Experience In 1996,” TRB Preprint Paper,
>>>>1998.
>>>> 7. Federal Highway Administration, Bicycle Safety-Related Research
>>>>Synthesis, 1995.
>>>> 8. Ibid.
>>>> 9. Ibid.
>>>> 10. Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, Bike Lane Design
>>>>Guide, 2002.
>>>> 11. Danish Road Directorate, Safety of Cyclists in Urban Areas, 1994.
>>>> 12. Jan Grubb Laursen, Nordic Experience with the Safety of
>>>>Bicycling, 1993.
>>>> 13. Peter Newman, Lecture presented at the Conservation Law
>>>>Foundation, Boston, MA, January 9, 1997.
>>>> 14. Federal Highway Administration, Bicycle Lanes versus Wide Curb
>>>>Lanes: Operational and Safety Findings, May 1998.
>>>> 15. City of Cambridge data, unpublished.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>Get on or off this list here: http://BicycleAustin.info/list
>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>Get on or off this list here: http://BicycleAustin.info/list
>>>
>>>
>>When in doubt, ride your bike … or at least write about it!
>>
>>Fred Meredith
>>P.O. Box 100
>>Manchaca, TX 78652
>>512/282-1987 (voice)
>>512/282-7413 (fax)
>>512/636-7480 (wireless)
>>visit <http://2merediths.com> for writings and photos
>>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
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