Streets for Everyone: Lessons from Cities across the Globe

Transcription

1 Streets for Everyone: Lessons from Cities across the Globe John Pucher, Rutgers University Photo: Susan Handy Complete Streets Forum, Toronto, Canada, Oct 6, 2014 Photo: Ralph Buehler

2 Complete Streets Facilitate Walking and Cycling for All Ages and Abilities Expanded and improved plazas, sidewalks, crosswalks, and intersection crossings for pedestrians, designed for convenient wheelchair accessibility Addition or improvement of cycling facilities, such as wider bike lanes, colored bike lanes, buffered bike lanes, bus+bike lanes, physically protected cycle tracks Signal priority for pedestrians and cyclists Shared streets/home zones (5mph) and traffic-calmed streets (20mph)

3 Walking and Cycling: the most sustainable transport modes Most environmentally friendly: >Virtually no pollution at all >Almost no nonrenewable resources used Most equitable: >Financially affordable by virtually everyone >Physically possible by all but the severely disabled Most economical: >Minimal private and public costs >Although they take more time, they provide exercise that reduces medical costs and greatly extends our healthy life expectancy

4 50 Walking Cycling Share of Trips by Percent of trips by cycling and walking Cycling and Walking Source: Pucher and Buehler, City Cycling, MIT Press, 2012

5 Europeans cycle for many trip purposes

6 70% Cycling Walking Women s Share of Bike and Walk Trips in Europe and North America Percent of trips by women 60% 50% 40% 30% 25% 52% 27% 53% 30% 56% 55% 60% 49% 49% 56% 56% 20% 10% USA UK Canada Denmark Germany Netherlands

7 Photo Susan Handy

8 70 Percent of bicyclists who are female Toronto Washington Vancouver Chicago More women on bikes = More cycling More cycling = More women on bikes Montreal Portland Minneapolis San Francisco Melbourne Sydney Berlin Tokyo Bicycle share of trips and percentage of female cyclists in 14 large cities Copenhagen Amsterdam 10 0 Source: Garard, Handy, and Dill, Women and Cycling, in Pucher and Buehler (eds.), City Cycling. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, Percent of trips by bicycle

9 Age Group 70 Walking Cycling Bike and Walk Share 60 of Trips by Age Group ' Percent of trips by foot and bike USA UK Germany Denmark Netherlands

10 Cycling for all ages Foto by Marie Demers

11 Photo: NJ Bike Walk Coalition Ann and Mike s Triple Take Tandem Cycling facilities should also be safe for persons with disabilities, and bikes CAN be adapted to their needs Pucher: Walking and Cycling for

12 Make Walking and Cycling Safe for Everyone! Especially important for the young, the old, for anyone with disabilities, for the timid or risk-averse Women more sensitive to safety than men Safety of walking and cycling in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany helps explain high levels of walking and cycling there

13 Cycling Safety Crucial Especially important for the young, the old, for anyone with disabilities, for the timid or risk-averse Women more sensitive to safety than men Safety of cycling in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany helps explain high levels of cycling there

14 20.0 Cylists killed per 100 million km cycled 33.5* 18.0 Cylists injured per 10 million km cycled 16.0 Pedestrians killed per 100 million km walked Fatalitities and injuries per trip and per kilometer Pedestrians injured per 10 million km walked Cyclist and Pedestrian Fatality and Injury Rates NL DK GER UK USA

15 Trends in Cyclist Fatalities, (relative to 1970=100) USA Sources: Graph created by Ralph Buehler based on data provided by Statistics Canada, US Department of Transport, and the European Union. Canada

16 Trends in Pedestrian Fatalities, (relative to 1970=100) USA Canada Sources: Graph created by Ralph Buehler based on data provided by Statistics Canada, US Department of Transport, and the European Union.

17 SAFETY IN NUMBERS As levels of cycling and walking increase, injury and fatality rates per trip and per km traveled fall dramatically Thus, if we can increase cycling and walking, they will almost inevitably become safer ways to get around

18 9.0 Annual Fatalities per 10,000 Cyclists 8.0 New York Safety in Numbers: 7.0 Cyclist fatality rate 6.0 falls as cycling levels 5.0 increase. Chicago Washington Montréal Minneapolis Portland Toronto San Francisco 1.0 Vancouver Vancouver has safest cycling Source: Pucher and Buehler, City Cycling. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012 Bike Share of Workers

19 Reversal in Public Policies in Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands in 1970s Pro-car policies in European cities in 1950s and 1960s caused huge decline in cycling and walking Dramatic policy turn-around since 1970s to limit car use and promote cycling, walking, and public transport in Dutch, Danish, and German cities

20 Bridge in Freiburg BEFORE and AFTER reforms 1960s Today

21 Typical residential street in Freiburg AFTER traffic calming reforms Typical residential street in Freiburg BEFORE traffic calming reforms

22 Rebound of Bike Share of Trips in German, Dutch, and Danish Cities Percent of all trips Nuremburg ('76-'12) Berlin ('92-'08) Cologne ('76-'09) Munich ('91-'11) Freiburg ('82-'12) Muenster ('82-'10) Amsterdam ('70-'10) Source: Pucher, Dill, and Handy, Infrastructure, Programs, and Policies to Increase Bicycling, Preventive Medicine, Jan 2010, Vol. 50, S.1, pp. S106-S125. Copenhagen ('98-'10)

23 Recent Boom in Pro-Bike Policies in Many Cities Especially since 2000, European and North American cities without a tradition of cycling for daily travel have dramatically raised cycling levels Improved cycling infrastructure and many other measures to encourage cycling

24 Percent of Trips More and better cycling facilities and complementary programs have increased bike share of trips in cities without a tradition of cycling for daily travel London ('03-'10) Barcelona ('05-'12) Paris ('01-'10) Bogota ('95-'10) Sevilla ('06-'12) Source: Pucher, Dill, and Handy, Infrastructure, Programs, and Policies to Increase Bicycling, Preventive Medicine, Jan 2010, Vol. 50, S.1, pp. S106-S125.

25 Boom in Cycling to Work in 14 Large US and Canadian Cities Source: Pucher, J. and Buehler, R. City Cycling, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass, Bike Share of Regular Commutes (USA) / 1996 (Canada) 2011 (USA and Canada) * 2011 figures for Canadian cities are preliminary estimates *

26 How to Encourage More Cycling and Walking while Improving Safety Better cycling and walking facilities Integration of walk/bike with public transport Traffic calming of residential neighborhoods Mixed-use zoning and improved urban design Restrictions on motor vehicle use Traffic education and Safe Routes to School Traffic regulations and enforcement

27 Most European cities have extensive carfree districts ideal for walking and cycling

28 Source: Warren Salomon Bike paths in Dutch cities make it safe and comfortable for all to bike: including women, children, and seniors

29 One-way cycle track in The Hague Raised curb between cycle track and traffic lane Source: Peter Furth

30 Provision of cycle track at this key underpass in Montreal Separation from traffic via concrete barriers AND bollards Photo: Velo Quebec For 6 Montreal cycle tracks studied, injury rate averaged 28% lower and usage rate 2.5 times higher than on comparable reference streets without facilities (Lusk et al, 2011, Injury Prev)

31 380 mi of new bike lanes and paths since 2000 Quadrupling in bike trips since % decrease in serious cyclist injuries and fatalities per million bike trips Biggest increases in cycling on protected bike lanes (cycle tracks) Photo: NYC DOT Traffic-protected cycle track on 9 th Avenue, NYC

32 Economic benefits of this cycle track exceed costs by over three-to-one! Photo: Fiona Campbell Cycling has doubled in Sydney, Australia since installation of its cycle track network

33 Source: Alta Planning This cycle track in St. Petersburg, Florida has increased cycling by senior citizens and women

34 Photo: Robin Stallings Cycling in Sevilla, Spain increased more than 10-fold after these safe cycle tracks were installed

35 Protected cycle tracks on Sherbourne tripled cycling from 1,169 daily bike trips in 2012 (unprotected bike lanes) to 3,455 in 2014 Source: Dan Egan, City of Toronto Street-level cycle track Gerrard to Bloor Raised cycle track King to Gerrard

36 Before Simcoe Street Transformation of Simcoe Street into a Complete Street by installing a protected on-street cycle track and widening the sidewalk for pedestrians After Source: Dan Egan, City of Toronto

37 Before After Photo: Paul Krueger Transformation of Hornby Street in Vancouver with installation of first-class cycle track

38 Protected bike lanes on Adelaide, Simcoe and Richmond Streets Source: Dan Egan, City of Toronto Source: Nancy Lea Smith, TCAT Source: Dan Egan, City of Toronto Source: Dan Egan, City of Toronto

39 Source: Christina Bouchard, City of Toronto Contraflow bike lane on Shaw Street enables bi-directional travel for cyclists and provides a more direct and quicker route. By 2015, 22 contra-flow bike lanes will be installed in Greater Toronto

40 Before-and-After Impacts of Protected Bike Lanes (cycle tracks or buffered bike lanes): Buffered bike lanes on Spruce and Pine Streets in Philadelphia: +95% bike trips Buffered median bike lanes, DC, Pennsylvania Ave: +200% bike trips Cycle track, Kinzie St., Chicago: +55% bike trips Cycle track, NYC, Prospect Park West: +190% bike trips Cycle track, NYC, Columbus Avenue: +56% bike trips Cycle track, SF, Market St: +115% bike trips Cycle track, Vancouver, Canada, Dunsmuir St: +54% bike trips 6 cycle tracks in Montreal: 2.5 times more cyclists on cycle tracks than on comparable reference streets without facilities New system of 120km of cycle tracks in Sevilla, Spain led to over a 5-fold increase in number of daily bike trips and halving in cyclist fatality rate per 100,000 trips from 2006 to 2010

41 Cycling facilities are much cheaper to build than new or widened roadways Germany $12-$150 million per km for new or widened roadway $ million per km for physically separated cycle track $40k-90k per km for on-street bike lane $100k-250k per km of bike boulevard (also known as neighborhood greenways or local street bikeways) Roads about TEN times more expensive than even the most elaborate urban cycle tracks!

42 But bike lanes are definitely better than no separate bike facilities, but they do not provide nearly as much protection of cyclists from motor vehicles as cycle tracks Bike lanes used for car parking Bike lanes used for truck deliveries Dooring of cyclists

43 All streets should come complete with safe facilities for pedestrians and cyclists

44 Planned complete street along Highway 7 in Markham with widened sidewalk, protected cycle track, and HOV lane; spring 2015 construction Need to turn Highway 7 into a REAL Main Street for Markham, a complete Main Street! Current very incomplete road in Markham lacks sidewalks, bike facilities, and bus lanes

45 Charlotte, North Carolina: Transformation of East Boulevard

46 Crucial provisions for cyclists and pedestrians on bridges even during construction as here in Montreal Source: Velo Quebec

47 COMPLETE BRIDGES: Bike paths on the four East River bridges in NYC provide crucial connections from Brooklyn and Queens to Manhattan Source: Transportation Alternatives NYC

48 Traffic Calming of Residential Neighborhoods Speed limited by law to 30km per hour (19mph) or less Physical measures that force cars to slow down: Road narrowing, zigzag routing, chicanes Raised intersections and crosswalks Traffic circles Speed humps and bumps Mid-block closures and artificial dead-ends Bulb-outs at intersections and crosswalks, with sidewalk widening

49 Why Traffic Calming Saves Lives Speed Speed kills! kills! Source: World Health Organization (2008) and OECD Transport Research Centre (2006)

50 Source: Cara Seiderman Curb extensions, protective bollards, raised crosswalks, refuge islands Traffic calming increases pedestrian visibility and slows down cars Source: Source: Jeff Cara Rosenblum Seiderman

51 Photo: Transports Viables Cheap, easy, and very effective traffic diverters Traffic calming in Quebec City and Montreal Traffic Calming in Québec City Photo: Velo Quebec Source: Transports Viables

52 Photo: Paul Krueger Photo: Paul Krueger 152km of bike boulevards in Vancouver Photo: Paul Krueger

53 7 km/hr speed limit Shared streets: Typical traffic calming in new German and Dutch suburbs

54 Dutch bicycle facility selection matrix Lane Configuration Average daily traffic (vehicles / day) Urban local street Street type and speed limit Urban through street Rural local road Fast traffic road 30 km/h (19 mph) 50 km/h (31 mph) 60 km/h (37 mph) 70+ km/h (44+ mph) < 2500 advisory bike lane 4 2-way traffic with no centerline 2000 to to 5000 mixed traffic 1 bike lane 2 or cycletrack 3 bike lane 2 or cycle track 5 cycle track or low-speed service road > lanes (1+1) any 4 lanes (2 + 2) or more any bike lane or cycle track bike lane or cycle track (does not exist) bike lane or cycle track 3 bike lane or cycle track 3 Source: Peter Furth, Cycling Infrastructure, in Pucher and Buehler, eds. City Cycling, MIT Press, cycle track or low speed service road

55 Photo: Fiona Campbell After installation of this cycle track in Sydney, Australia, over a third of children now bike to school!

56 Children who bike or walk to school learn better: Students arrive at school awake and ready to learn More attentive and able to concentrate Advanced mental alertness by half a school year More benefit for mental development than having breakfast and lunch! Source: Egelund et al. (2012). Study of over 20,000 school children

57 Over 100,000 participants at LA s fourth annual CicLAvia in October 2012 Source: Ryan Snyder Open Streets events emphasize that streets belong to everyone

58 Implementation Strategies 1. Publicize both individual and societal benefits 2. Ensure citizen participation at all stages of planning and implementation 3. Develop long-range bike plans; regularly update them 4. Implement controversial policies in stages, easiest first 5. Combine incentives for cycling and walking with disincentives for car use 6. Build alliances among ped/bike groups and with transit, environmentalists, public health, business leaders, politicians, and media 7. Coordinate ped/bike advocacy and planning through local, regional, and national organizations 8. Local political leadership is essential

59 Laissez le bon temps rouler! EN VELO!!! Photo: Susan Handy Photo: SF Bike Coalition Photo: Greg Raisman San Antonio Photo: Ralph Buehler Photo: Bike Texas Photo: Marie Demers