FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION APPLICATION REQUEST FOR PERMISSION TO EXPERIMENT WITH A BICYCLE BOX INTERSECTION TREATMENT Submitted by: City of Columbus Department of Public Service Date: June 26, 2009
Background Request for Permission to Experiment In June of 2008, the City of Columbus adopted the Bicentennial Bikeways Plan (BBP). As stated in the plan, Columbus, unlike most of the country, has seen a slight increase in bicycle commuting to work, with 0.4% bicycling to work in 1990, 0.3% bicycling to work in 2000, and 0.6% bicycling to work in 2005. Columbus has an excellent shared-use path system that has been developed primarily along north-south river corridors. The 14-mile Olentangy River Trail connects the city of Worthington, the Clintonville neighborhood, The Ohio State University, the Harrison West neighborhood and Downtown and is well-used by many residents. This pathway includes two bridges that cross the Olentangy River. The pathway was built over many years, and as such varies in width from 8 to 10 of paved surface. This popular trail serves many neighborhoods and provides a prime commuter route between residential neighborhoods to the north and downtown Columbus. While the trail is nearly continuous for its entire length, trail users must currently use onstreet facilities between Northmoor Park and Clinton-Como Park for a distance of approximately one mile. The local neighborhood streets utilized include (from north to south) Olentangy Boulevard, Kenworth Road, Milton Avenue, Delhi Avenue, and Riverside Drive. While these streets are primarily residential, Milton Avenue crosses North Broadway which is an east-west arterial roadway. North Broadway had an ADT 16,600 according to a 2005 survey conducted by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. Milton Avenue had an ADT of 2,225 south of North Broadway and 2,639 north of North Broadway according to a survey conducted by the City of Columbus in 2008. Recently, the City transformed Milton Avenue into a bicycle boulevard. A bicycle boulevard, also known as a bicycle priority road, is a roadway that allows all types of vehicles, but which has been modified to enhance bicycle safety and security. A picture of the pavement markings and signs on Milton Avenue is shown in Figures 1 and 2. Bicycle boulevards have been implemented in a variety of locations including Berkeley, Palo Alto and Davis, California, and Portland, Oregon. Recognizing the transportation, health, environmental, economic, and livability benefits of increased bicycle use, the Columbus Department of Public Service is developing an integrated approach to improving bicycle safety through tailored engineering, education, encouragement and enforcement strategies. 2
Request for Permission to Experiment June 26, 2009 Figure 1: Existing Milton Avenue Bicycle Boulevard Pavement Markings Figure 2: Existing Milton Avenue Bicycle Boulevard Signs 3
Proposed Changes The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Safety has identified the need for safe, convenient, and attractive facilities to encourage safe biking. This need is magnified in cities such as Columbus, which has seen an increase in bicycle commuting. Safety is a major concern for bicyclists and is commonly cited as one of the most compelling reasons not to bicycle. According to a 1996 study conducted by the Federal Highway Administration (Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Types of the Early 1990's, FHWA-RD-95-163) of 3,000 bicycle crashes, the most frequent parallel-path crashes were motorist turn/merge into bicyclist's path (12.2 percent). Collisions with motor vehicles led to serious and fatal injuries to bicyclists in just over 18 percent of the crashes The engineering solution identified in the BBP to address the common right- (and left-) hook crash involves installation of a colored bicycle box and accompanying colored bicycle lanes at the intersection of North Broadway and Milton Avenue. The presence of this treatment is intended to heighten the visibility of bicyclists at street crossings by allowing cyclists to move ahead of motor vehicle traffic, which is queuing behind an advanced stop line during the signal s red phase. Proposed improvements include an advanced stop line, colored pavement surface with bicycle symbol, intersection striping, enhanced signal detection for bikes, and regulatory signage. Motor vehicles will no longer be permitted to turn on red at the improved intersection. A communication plan will be implemented to educate motorists and bicyclists of the new traffic devices. In addition, the Department of Public Service will partner with the Columbus Police Division on appropriate enforcement activities in conjunction with the installation of the treatments. Although the bicycle box is not currently covered by the Federal Highway Administration Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), the treatment is prevalent on streets in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. The bicycle box has been proven an effective treatment in North American cities, such as Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia in Canada, as well as, Portland, Oregon and New York, New York in the United States. The advanced stop line and no turn on red are all standard treatments. The proposed device deviates from standards contained in the MUTCD, principally through the application of color and markings in the area between the advanced stop line of back of crosswalk as an exclusive waiting area for cyclists. Proposed Implementation The proposed intersection improvements represent refinements to best practices for bicycle box design based on cases identified from around the world. Green colored pavement Chicago, Illinois; San Francisco, California; and New York, New York Bike symbol in the bicycle box United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Vancouver, and British Columbia Access bike lane approaching the intersection United Kingdom and the Netherlands 4
Request for Permission to Experiment June 26, 2009 Figures 3 and 4 show pictures of the existing pavement markings at the intersection of Milton Avenue and North Broadway. Figure 5 shows a location map for the Milton Avenue Bicycle Boulevard project. Figure 6 shows an aerial view of the project. Figure 7 shows the proposed bike box intersection treatment details at Milton Avenue and North Broadway complete with signing and markings. Figure 8 is a closer view of the south approach. Figure 3: Existing Intersection Markings at Milton and North Broadway North Approach Figure 4: Existing Intersection Markings at Milton and North Broadway South Approach 5
Request for Permission to Experiment June 26, 2009 Figure 5: Location Map 6
Figure 6: Aerial View of Milton Avenue Bicycle Boulevard Project 7
Figure 7: Proposed Intersection Treatment at Milton and North Broadway 8
Figure 8: Proposed Intersection Treatment at Milton and North Broadway South Approach 9
Timeline The timeline for the staged evaluation including both the north and south approaches is proposed as follows: Stage 1- Initial Installation Spring 2009: The City of Columbus collects preliminary data to establish before conditions at the intersection. Summer 2009: Initial installation of the bike box without solid green pavement marking: The City of Columbus installs the intersection treatment by applying bike lane and signal detection pavement markings and associated signage only. 1-month subsequent to the initial installation: The City of Columbus collects after data to evaluate the initial stage of the project. Stage 2- Second Installation- Green Pavement Marking Immediately upon the collection of data from the initial stage of the project, the second installation consisting of the addition of solid green pavement marking in both the bike box and lead-in bike box access lane is completed. 1-month subsequent to the second installation: The City of Columbus collects after data to evaluate the second stage of the project. Six Month Evaluation 6-months subsequent to the initial installation: The City of Columbus collects after data to evaluate further implications of the project. Final Report 9 months subsequent to installation: The City of Columbus will complete all data, evaluate the results, and provide the FHWA with a detailed report and evaluation of the experiment. Evaluation Plan Experimentation requirements outlined in the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices will be used to guide this process. The project will involve before and after studies tracking progress of the experiment and evaluating the performance of the new facility. One before study will be conducted and three after studies will be conducted (one month, two months and six months) after implementation of the bike boxes. These before and after studies will consist of: ADT Volume counts on Milton Speed counts on Milton Crash data at the intersection of Milton and North Broadway 48 hour video of the North Broadway/Milton intersection. This video will be used to document: Wrong way riding Bicycle lane use Vehicle encroachment into the bike lane or bicycle box Vehicle No Turn on Red compliance Conflicts between cyclists and motorists 10
Cyclist s position in the bicycle box Bicycle/Pedestrian volumes Agreements The City of Columbus agrees to terminate the experiment under FHWA interim approval at any time that the City determines significant safety concerns are directly or indirectly attributable to the experimentation. The City of Columbus agrees that the FHWA has the right to terminate the interim approval of the experimentation at any time there is an indication of safety concerns and will abide by that decision. The City of Columbus agrees to restore the site to pre-experiment conditions within three months following the end of the time period to experiment unless the device demonstrates an improvement and a request is made to change the MUTCD to include this device and an official rulemaking action occurs. Patent or Copyright To the best of our knowledge the concept of the bike box is not protected by a patent or copyright. Conclusion The bicycle box intersection treatment proposed for experimentation by the City of Columbus is a potentially important tool to enhance safety conditions for the growing number of Columbus residents who bicycle on city streets. Should the results of this experiment conclude that the bicycle box treatments have been effective and successful in improving bicycle safety; the FHWA should consider a guideline for this type of traffic control device in a future update of the MUTCD. 11