Promoting Safe Walking and Cycling: Lessons from Europe and North America John Pucher, Rutgers University, and Ralph Buehler, Virginia Tech
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
WALKING AND CYCLING ARE HEALTHY! GREAT source of physical activity: Both for daily travel and for recreation Cheaper, easier, and more dependable than formal exercise routines Can be integrated into daily lifestyle to achieve practical travel needs
50 Walking Cycling Share of Trips by Percent of trips by cycling and walking 40 30 20 Cycling and Walking 10 9 9 3 4 2 4 8 18 26 10 0 0.5 3 1 5 1 1 2 11 11 11 22 16 22 21 22 22 23 24 16 25 Source: Pucher and Buehler, City Cycling, MIT Press, 2012
Bike Share of Trips in Selected cities in UK, Canada, USA, and Australia (2000-2009) Cambridge Oxfordshire Petersborough Norfolk Exeter Northampton London Victoria Vancouver Montreal Ottawa Winnipeg Toronto Calgary Davis Boulder Portland Minneapolis Madison San Francisco Washington Chicago New York 2.5% 4.0%5.8% 2.0% 6.0% 7.5% 21.0% 2.4% 3.7% 9.5% 2.2% 1.8% 1.7% 1.4% 9.6% 6.0% 1.2% 2.3% 2.7% 4.2% 4.3% 0.6% United Kindom Canada 15.5% USA Source: Pucher, J., Buehler, R. (eds.), City Cycling. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012 Canberra Perth Brisbane Melbourne Adelaide Sydney 1.3% 2.0% 3.0% 3.1% 1.2% 0.7% Australia 0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0%
Bicycle Share of Work Commuters in the USA (2007) and Canada (2006) Source: Pucher, J., Buehler, R., Seinen, M. 2011 Bicycling Renaissance in North America? An Update and Re-Assessment of Cycling Trends and Policies, Transportation Research A, Vol. 45, No. 6, pp. 451-475.
Increase in Bike Share of Trips in Cities Around the World Source: Pucher et al, Infrastructure, Programs, and Policies to Increase Bicycling, Preventive Medicine, Jan 2010, Vol. 50, S.1, pp. S106-S125.
Increase in Bike Share of Trips in Cities Around the World Source: Pucher et al, Infrastructure, Programs, and Policies to Increase Bicycling, Preventive Medicine, Jan 2010, Vol. 50, S.1, pp. S106-S125.
Source: City of Cambridge Almost a quadrupling in cycling in Cambridge in past 10 years
Source: Pucher, J., Buehler, R., Seinen, M. 2011 Bicycling Renaissance in North America? An Update and Re-Assessment of Cycling Trends and Policies, Transportation Research A, Vol. 45, No. 6, pp. 451-475. Trends in Cycling to Work in 9 US and Canadian Cities
Source: Pucher, J., Buehler, R., Seinen, M. 2011 Bicycling Renaissance in North America? An Update and Re-Assessment of Cycling Trends and Policies, Transportation Research A, Vol. 45, No. 6, pp. 451-475. Bike Mode Share of Workers in 9 US and Canadian Cities
Spatial Variation in Bicycle Share of Work Commuters in New York City Area, 2005-2009 Pucher, J., Buehler, R., Seinen, M. 2011 Bicycling Renaissance in North America? An Update and Re- Assessment of Cycling Trends and Policies, Transportation Research A, Vol. 45, No. 6, pp. 451-475.
Spatial Variation in Bicycle Share of Work Commuters in Washington, D.C. Area, 2005-2009 Pucher, J., Buehler, R., Seinen, M. 2011 Bicycling Renaissance in North America? An Update and Re- Assessment of Cycling Trends and Policies, Transportation Research A, Vol. 45, No. 6, pp. 451-475.
8.0 7.2 7.0 6.0 Cycling rate in Cambridge NINE times higher than for Boston metro area Percent of Commuters by Bicycle 5.0 4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0 4.8 3.8 2.2 1.7 Variation in cycling rates among different towns in the Boston metro area 1.5 1.3 1.0 0.8 0.8 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.0 Source: Calculated by authors from American Community Survey, 2006-2010, US Census Bureau
Percent of workers WALKING to work as main means of travel, 2006-2010 Source: Map created by Metropolitan Area Planning Council from American Community Survey, U.S. Bureau of the Census
Percent of workers CYCLING to work as main means of travel, 2006-2010
Lots of Potential for Increased Walking and Cycling: Many daily trips in American and Canadian urban areas are short enough to walk or bike! ~27% of all trips in the U.S. were a mile or shorter in 2009 ~41% of all trips were shorter than two miles
80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 2 36 Share of Short Trips by Walking Cycling Cycling and Walking USA GER DK NL 16 31 29 2 6 24 35 47 18 12 39 7 25 18 14 13 9 10 2 1 24 3 Percent of trips by cycling and walking 0<2.5km 2.5km<4.5km 4.5km-6.5km 0<2.5km 2.5km<4.5km 4.5<6.5km 0<2.5km 2.5km<4.5km 4.5km-6.5km 0<2.5km 2.5km<5km 5<7.5km Trip distance category
Europeans cycle for many trip purposes
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
70 Copenhagen 60 Percent of bicyclists who are female 50 40 Toronto 30 20 Washington Vancouver Chicago Montreal Portland Minneapolis San Francisco Melbourne Sydney Berlin Tokyo Bicycle share of trips and percentage of female cyclists in large cities Amsterdam 10 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Percent of trips by bicycle Source: Pucher, J., Buehler, R. (eds.), City Cycling. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012
50% 45% 40% Percent of cyclists who are female 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% Stonnington Maribyrnong Moonee valley Glen Eira Wyndham Banyule Boroondara Frankston Bayside Kingston Whitehorse Casey Knox Darebin Moreland Melbourne Port Phillip Bicycle share of commuter trips and percentage of female cyclists by local government area in the Melbourne Metro Area Yarra 5% Hume Source: Pucher, J., Buehler, R. (eds.), City Cycling. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012 0% 0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 8% Cycling to work mode share
Source: Susan Handy
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 40 15 25 15 15 21 22 0.5 2 10 10 32 2 9 20 1 1 2 7 7 14 14 15 3 0.8 0.8 0.7 32 31 30 31 24 20 20 21 17 19 22 19 18 18 21 24 23 19 21 13 13 13 18 21 15 11 12 10 9 23 28 Percent of trips by foot and bike 5-15 16-24 25-39 40-65 65 + 0-16 17-29 30-59 60-65 65+ 0-17 18-25 26-45 46-60 60-65 65 + 10-19' 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-84 0-17 18-25 26-44 45-64 65 + Walking Cycling Bike and Walk Share of Trips by Age Group USA UK Germany Denmark Netherlands Age Group
Cycling for all ages Foto by Marie Demers
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
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 14.0 12.0 10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 Pedestrians injured per 10 million km walked Cyclist and Pedestrian Fatality and Injury Rates 5.7 4.7 3.6 3.3 3.3 5.5 9.7 13.7 2.0 1.1 1.6 1.6 2.3 1.6 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.6 1.9 2.4 0.0 NL DK GER UK USA
1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 0 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 Trends in Cyclist Fatalities USA UK Denmark Germany Netherlands 1970 1972 1974 Total cyclist fatalities relative to 1970 (=100
1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 0 120 100 80 60 40 20 Trends in Pedestrian Fatalities USA UK Denmark Germany Netherlands 1970 1972 1974 Total pedestrian fatalities relative to 1970 (=100
SAFETY IN NUMBERS As levels of cycling increase, injury and fatality rates per trip and per km traveled fall dramatically Thus, if we can increase cycling, it will almost inevitably be safer
9.0 8.0 New York Safety in Numbers: 7.0 Cyclist fatality rate 6.0 falls as cycling levels Annual Fatalities per 10,000 Cyclists 5.0 4.0 3.0 2.0 Chicago Toronto Washington increase. Montréal San Francisco Minneapolis Portland 1.0 Vancouver 0.0 0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 Source: Pucher and Buehler, City Cycling. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012 Bike Share of Workers
Decreasing Crash Rate in Portland Daily Bicycle Trips 10,000 Crashes/Crash Rate 600 550 500 7,500 5,000 2,500 0 Annual Crashes Crash Rate Bridge Bicycle Traffic 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 Year
Public Policies Crucial to Walking and Cycling Pro-car policies in European cities in 1950s and 1960s caused huge decline in walking and cycling Dramatic policy turn-around since 1970s to limit car use and promote cycling, walking, and public transport in Dutch, Danish, and German cities
Bridge in Freiburg BEFORE and AFTER reforms 1960s Today
Typical residential street in Freiburg AFTER traffic calming reforms Typical residential street in Freiburg BEFORE traffic calming reforms
Cathedral Square in Freiburg AFTER transport and urban planning reforms Cathedral Square in Freiburg BEFORE transport and urban planning reforms
Mass Ave Road Diet in 1996: road narrowing and improvement of ped/bike facilities Before 1996 After 1996
Longfellow Bridge: Great view but abominable conditions for pedestrians and cyclists.
What this crossing should look like! Livable Streets Alliance Improved crossing for pedestrians and cyclists on Longfellow Bridge
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
Lively pedestrian zone in Québec City Source: Marie Demers
Safe and pleasant Shared Street at Harvard Square Source: City of Cambridge
Pedestrian zones in downtown Boston Photos: David Loutzenheiser
Car-free Broadway in New York City Times Square Herald Square
High Line in New York City from an abandoned freight line to a popular promenade
Room for pedestrians, cyclists, and cars on this complete street
Santa Barbara coastal path: Safe and attractive both for cyclists and pedestrians Conversion of two car lanes to bike path and wider sidewalk Source: Ralph Fertig
Bikeway in Muenster, Germany with separate walkways on both sides Note exclusive cycle path in middle and completely separate pedestrian walkways on both sides
Source: City of Cambridge Minuteman Trail north of Boston Second most popular recreational trail in the country
Bike paths in Dutch cities make it safe and comfortable for all to bike: including women, children, and seniors
One-way cycle track in The Hague Source: Peter Furth
Raised crossing carries a two-way cycle track across a minor street at an intersection in Delft. Raised crossing, pavement markings, and good signage increase safety of cycle tracks at intersections
Advisory bicycle lanes on a two-way street in Delft, Netherlands
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 3000 3000 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 > 4000 2 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, 2012. cycle track or low speed service road
Almost 100km of 2-way cycle tracks in Montreal Separation from traffic via bollards and parked cars Separation from traffic via concrete barriers Photo: Peter Furth Photo: Velo Quebec
Provision of cycle track at this key underpass in Montreal: On the way down Photo: Velo Quebec
and here on their way back up Source: Vélo Québec
Bi-directional cycle track and bike sharing near metro station in Montréal Metro station BIXI bike docking station Cycle track Source: Vélo Québec
250 mi of new bike lanes and paths since 2005 doubling in bike trips halving of cyclist fatalities from 28 to 14 Photo: NYC DOT Traffic-protected cycle track on 9 th Avenue, NYC
Cycle Track on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington Connects the White House with the Capitol
Protected bike lanes (cycle tracks) on Vassar St and Concord Ave in Cambridge
Source: City of Cambridge Planned cycle track and pedestrian improvements on Western Ave, Cambridge
Why not remove the parked cars and create safe, protected cycle tracks? Source: Livable Streets Alliance Source: Livable Streets Alliance Bike lanes on Beacon Street and Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
Trend in Bike Paths and Lanes per 100,000 Population in Nine Large North American Cities, 2000-2010 80 70 2000 2010 70 73 Kilometers of Lanes and Paths per 100,000 Population 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 60 39 27 25 22 19 16 17 15 11 10 8 9 6 3 4 New York Chicago Toronto San Francisco Vancouver Montréal Washington Minneapolis Portland
Crucial to provide river crossings for cyclists Bike bridge over Yarra River in Melbourne, Australia Bike bridge over Ems River in Muenster, Germany
About 20,000 daily bike trips over Portland bridges
Crucial provisions for cyclists and pedestrians on bridges even during construction as here in Montreal Source: Velo Quebec
1,100 km of bicycling facilities in Berlin plus 3,800 km of traffic calmed streets = 10% bike share of all trips Source: City of Berlin
Special traffic signals and signs give priority to cyclists
Four-way all-green signal for cyclists in Portland Bike sensor in pavement
Superb bike crossing at busy intersection in Montreal
Red bike lanes for intersection crossings, connected with red brick sidepaths on both sides of every road Sources: City of Muenster Muenster, Germany
Bike boxes and advance stop lines
Raised curb protects bike path from cars Express bikeways for commuters Bike speed indicators Green wave for cyclists in Odense, Denmark Troels Andersen, Cycling in Odense, Denmark
Accommodation of cyclists at intersections in Cambridge
Protected left-turn lane for cyclists crossing Mass Ave to reach Church St. and Brattle St.
Source: Cara Seiderman Then the cyclist can safety cross Mass Ave to continue onto Church Street or turn right onto Mass Ave going outbound.
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
Why Traffic Calming Saves Lives Speed Speed kills! kills! Source: World Health Organization (2008) and OECD Transport Research Centre (2006)
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
Convenient bike cut-thru for cyclists Foto by Peter Berkeley
Cheap, easy, and very effective traffic diverters Traffic calming in Quebec City and Montreal Traffic Calming in Québec City Source: Transports Viables
Traffic Calming in Freiburg, Germany Cheap, easy, fast, and effective improvement in cycling and walking safety
Fotos: Jonathan Maus Traffic calming turns these streets into bikeways Bike Boulevards in Portland
BIKE TRANSIT INTEGRATION
Over 50,000 buses in the USA now come equipped with bike racks Photo: Metro Transit
Bike on LRT in NJ and Minneapolis Photo: John Boyle Photo: Metro Transit
Bikes on Caltrain in San Francisco Photo: Ralph Buehler Photo: San Francisco Bicycling Coalition Photo: John Pucher
Bike Station next to main train station in Muenster, Germany Photo: Peter Berkeley
Bike Station next to Union Station in Washington, D.C. Photo: Ralph Buehler
300 bike parking spaces in two cages Bike-transit integration at Alewife Station on Red Line David Loutzenheiser
Main form of bike-transit integration in Europe for decades Photo: John Photo: Pucher Eva Heinen
Conversion of Car Parking to Bike Parking
Photo: Peter Berkeley Bikesharing in Paris and Berlin Photo: Peter Berkeley Easy bike rentals at Dutch transit stations Photo: German Railways
Nice Ride in Minneapolis Hubway Bikeshare in Cambridge, Boston, Somerville, and Brookline Over 20 bike sharing systems in North America Capital Bikeshare in Washington, DC
Traffic Education Improved motorist training, with much more emphasis on how to avoid endangering pedestrians and cyclists Compulsory traffic safety lessons for all school children by the age of 10, with testing by traffic police on actual traffic test courses, to ensure safe and defensive walking and cycling by an early age (as in the Netherlands and Germany)
German traffic laws generally favor cyclists and pedestrians over motorists
Cycling training and testing course in Berlin Most German and Dutch children take cycling lessons by the 3 rd or 4 th grade and must pass a police-administered cycling safety test!
Bike path leads directly to school in NL
Bike Training for Children in New Jersey Buehler and Pucher Promoting Walking and Cycling
Cycling training course for adults in Vancouver You are never too old to learn!!!
Summer Streets in New York City attracts 200,000 participants on Saturdays in August
Somerstreets in Somerville Source: City of Somerville
Fun bike rides for kids and parents Source: Cara Seiderman
Troels Andersen, Cycling in Odense, Denmark Guided Bicycle Tours for Seniors
CONCLUSIONS Walking and cycling are the most sustainable means of getting around our cities Broad range of environmental, social, economic, and health benefits Many ways to increase walking and cycling while making them safer Lots of daily trips in American cities are short enough to cover by walking or cycling Many cities in Europe and some in North America show what is possible and offer superb examples to follow
Forthcoming book with MIT Press http://citycyclingbook.wordpress.com About the authors: http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/ http://ralphbu.wordpress.com
Measures to Increase Cycling 1. Provide a comprehensive package of integrated measures 2. Build a network of integrated bikeways with intersections that facilitate cycling 3. Provide good bike parking at key destinations and public transport stations 4. Implement bike sharing programs 5. Provide convenient information and promotional events 6. Introduce individualized marketing to target specific groups 7. Improve cyclist education and expand bike to school programs 8. Improve motorist training, licensing, and traffic enforcement 9. Restrict car use through traffic calming, car-free zones, and less parking 10. Design communities to be compact, mixed-use, and bikeable
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 and regularly update them 4. Implement controversial policies in stages 5. Combine incentives for cycling and disincentives for car use 6. Build alliances with politicians, cycling organizations, and other bike friendly groups 7. Coordinate bike advocacy and planning through local, regional, and national organizations