Walking and Biking: Collaborative Analysis to Improve the Non-Motorized Built Environment Kelly Corbin MDH Michael Petesch MNDOT
Agenda Why count bikes and pedestrians? Community Examples Technical side Show and Tell with counters Question & Answers 2
Introductions 3
What do we always hear when a new bike lane or sidewalk is proposed? 4
Gil Penalosa of 8-80 Cities We don t build bridges because people are driving into rivers... 5
Number 1 tip for communities Collect Data! 6
Decision Makers Like to data to make decisions ADT Average Daily Traffic is readily available for cars Driving is more common for personal perspective So most often, bike/ped infrastructure decisions are not being made in the same way other infrastructure is being made due to lack of local data. 7
Without a connected bike/ped network Bicyclists and pedestrians take alternative routes that are safer or more convenient Bicyclists and pedestrians may alter their times of travel outside of rush hour traffic for safety or convenience Trails may not be easily visible to see use and are not seen as often by decision makers or the public 8
When to Count Bicyclists and Pedestrians 1. To justify a infrastructure change Adding new crosswalks, bike lanes or curb cuts Adding lighting or benches 2. To justify a policy change Complete Streets Snow removal 3. To monitor use of existing bike/ped facilities and trails 9
Community Examples - Mankato Pedestrian Counts were conducted on Monks Avenue in Mankato prior to a road-reconstruction/road diet to justify crosswalks for pedestrians going to/coming from MSU-Mankato. There weren t any midblock crossings planned They counted pedestrians at 3 points along the road with a total of over 1,900 pedestrians crossing at mid-block. We were hoping for one crosswalk, but when the city saw our data, they put in crosswalks at each of the 3 points we collected data from. 10
Community Examples - Rochester MNDOT Permanent Counter placed near bridge over highway. Bicyclists wanted bridge and trail connection into downtown plowed in the winter Data from counters helped sway skeptical City Councilors. 11
Community Examples Grant Marais We used bike/ped counting data that we collected through both automatic counters and some in person to complement in the Health Impact Assessment process we did around the Highway 61 corridor project. Because of this a multi-use trail will be built along side the reconstructed Highway 61 projects 12
Community Examples - Alexandria The City of Alexandria used an automated bicycle counter to demonstrate the need for a bicycle lane during a pilot project in downtown Alexandria during the summer of 2016. Before the count took place, a number of community leaders were skeptical about the need for a bicycle lane at that location. The project planning team was able to conduct a one week long count in the project area to show the high numbers of bicyclists that used the bicycle lane during the pilot project. As a result of the high usage numbers, people began viewing the bicycle lane not as a luxury for cyclists but rather a necessity. In 2017, a preliminary design that includes bicycle lanes has been approved by City of Alexandria leaders for a permanent build in the future. 13
Community Examples Albert Lea We have been doing pedestrian counts since 2010. We start with a base count of the project and then continue to repeat counts every 1 or 2 years depending on the project. Project #1: In 2010 was on the five mile sidewalk/trail around Fountain Lake. The counts increased pedestrian and bike traffic by 89% the first year. Project #2: 2011 Front Street Bike Lane increased by 65% By 2012 overall counts rose by 40% and have held throughout the years These strong numbers helped us build the advocacy to continue filling in sidewalk gaps (we are now at 8 miles) and Bike Lanes (now at 3 miles). Project # 3: 2013 The North Broadway Downtown Streetscape. Pedestrian counts showed a 96% increase in 2 years and strong public support for curb extensions and stop signs verses stop lights. These strong numbers created the public support for the South Broadway redesign. Project #4: 2015 South Broadway which we partnered with MNDOT on. This design included a rode diet with curb extensions and additional bike lanes. 14
MnDOT s Strategic Directions 2050 Vision Minnesota Go: Multimodal transportation system that maximizes the health of people, the environment & our economy Complete Streets: Understand people & vehicle interactions Achieve transportation goals Toward Zero Deaths: Assess exposure and effectiveness of safety programs Performance measures: Increase bicycling, walking and transit Bicycle and Pedestrian System Plans 15
Technical Information - Manual Counts 50 MN cities counted between 2013-16, 2 hrs per site per year, weather dependent, good for determining automated sites, increase public awareness, build advocacy, etc. 16
Technical Information Automated Counters St Paul Jackson St Alexandria Broadway St Willmar Lakeland Dr Bemidji Minneapolis Franklin Ave 3rd Ave Rochester Douglas Tr Detroit Lakes West Lake Dr 17 Mankato Victory Mem. Bridge
Technical Information - Counters Permanent: 13 trail locations 9 on road locations Worked with District Offices, planning organizations and other stakeholders to determine the best locations. MnDOT maintains equipment & creates adjustment factors for short duration counts Portable: 8 sets of portable counters (two counters per MnDOT District) for collecting ped and bike data Free to use for local data collection needs Data accessible to locals and MnDOT 18
Technical Information - Permanent Counters Weekly Profile Hourly Profile during the Weekend
Technical Information - Permanent Counter Data SITES TYPE MEAN MAX MEDIAN MIN Duluth Lakewalk Trail cyl 269.1 1611 140 1 Duluth Lakewalk Trail ped 872.1 2852 746 23 Duluth Scenic 61 cyl 39.6 358 20 0 Cass Lake High School cyl 0.9 7 0 0 Cass Lake High School ped 6.2 26 4 0 Brainerd Paul Bunyon Trail cyl 0.9 4 0 0 Brainerd Paul Bunyon Trail ped 6 21 6 0 St Cloud Beaver Island Trail cyl 48.6 239 36 0 St Cloud Beaver Island Trail ped 30.9 138 22 0 Moorhead TH 75 Trail cyl 13.1 32 10 1 Moorhead TH 75 Trail ped 38.5 194 30 5 Lanesboro Root River Trail cyl 1.6 14 0 0 Lanesboro Root River Trail ped 10.7 46 8 0 Rochester Macnamara Bridge cyl 0.9 29 0 0 Rochester Macnamara Bridge ped 241.7 922 199 0 Mankato Victory Memorial Bridge none 243.1 4571 134 0 Willmar Lakeland Drive cyl 0.5 4 0 0 Brooklyn Park Rush Creek cyl 214.2 1164 120 0 Brooklyn Park Rush Creek ped 90 283 82 1 Eagan Trunk Highway 13 cyl 42 144 35 0 Minneapolis Central Ave cyl 77.3 382 76 0 Minneapolis Franklin Ave Bridge cyl 471 1210 390 17 Minneapolis Park Ave cyl 276.8 631 264 14 Minneapolis West River Greenway cyl 855.9 3502 683 0 Minneapolis West River Greenway ped 474.6 1495 433 52 Orono Shadywood Drive cyl 13.5 176 4 0 St Paul Jackson St cyl 22.7 95 14 0 St Paul Jackson St ped 208.9 456 206 18 St Paul Summit Ave cyl 506.3 1899 472 4 Duluth Lakewalk Trail cyl 515.6 2724 485 4 Trend Considerations: Facility type City Class / Pop Land use Geography AADB/P Total Volume Weather Events Changes in Facility Average Annual Daily Bicyclists at some Counters: City Site Facility 2013 2014 2015 2016 Duluth Lakewalk Trail Trail n/a 152 274 269 Duluth Scenic 61 Shoulder n/a 58 42 40 Brooklyn Park Rush Creek Trail Trail n/a n/a 41 214 Eagan Trunk Highway 13 Shoulder 6 41 43 42 Minneapolis Central Ave Bike Lane 26 70 76 77 Minneapolis Park Ave Buffered Bike Lane n/a n/a 183 277 Minneapolis West River Greenway Trail n/a 957 921 856 St Paul Summit Ave Bike Lane n/a n/a 243 506
Permanent Counters Key Outcomes Local Governments: Planning and Monitoring Alexandria: pre-counts on missing link Demonstration Duluth: Expanded bike monitoring activities ARDC: Purchased counters for Gitchee Gami Trail monitoring Hennepin County: Master bike counting plan (~70 locations) Ped bridge monitoring over I-94 in St Paul Moorhead, St Cloud, Minneapolis and St Paul have robust annual manual counting programs with volunteers Mankato City constructed 3 mid-block crossings because of crossing counts Local Governments: Better Decisions Mankato: new mid-block crossings based on counts Grand Marais: data for Hwy 61 reconstruction (higher priority for funding) Others? 21
Technical Info - Portable Equipment Kits FREE TO USE!! Infra-red counter (PYRO) Tube counter + rubber tubes Tablet to connect via Bluetooth Basic tools and hardware Lock and chain Safety vest
Portable Equipment Contacts MNDOTDistrict Point Person Agency Email Location D-1 Charlie Moore ARDC cmoore@ardc.org Duluth D-2 Darren Laesch MnDOT darren.laesch@state.mn.us Bemidji D-3 Joseph Mueller APO mueller@stcloudapo.org St Cloud D-4 Wayne Hurley WCI andrew@wcif.org Fergus Falls D-6 Kurt Wayne MnDOT ronda.allis@state.mn.us Rochester D-7 Brett Paasch MnDOT brett.paasch@state.mn.us Mankato D-8 Lindsey Knutson MnDOT lindsey.knutson@state.mn.us Willmar METRO Mackenzie Turner-Bargen MnDOT mackenzie.turnerbargen@state.mn.us Roseville 23
Show and Tell Lets take a look at some counters!
Questions? What can we do to help you count more?
Thank you again! http://www.dot.state.mn.us/bike Kelly.corbin@state.mn.us Michael.Petesch@state.mn.us 26