V. FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPING A
BICYCLE FRIENDLY REGION
"Bicycle Friendly" is the phrase applied to a number of characteristics that in combination make an area, community, or street safe for bicyclists. The following chapter describes the many related components that work together in making bicycle friendly communities.
The Colorado Bicycle/Pedestrian Plan Development Guidebook describes the four "E's" of comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian planning (Colorado Department of Transportation 1993). All bicycle and pedestrian related issues fall into one or more of these four categories:
Engineering;
Education;
Enforcement; and,
Encouragement.
All local and regional plans should address every element, because in neglecting one or more of them, the planning goals will likely fall short of their mark. The following description of the four elements is drawn from the Colorado Guidebook and can be used to support local and regional planning.
Experience has taught us that "if you build it, they will come." Experience also tells us that if you build it well, and you build it where people want to, they will come in droves!
Engineering includes facilities, maintenance, and parking. An adequate bicycle or pedestrian transportation system is one which allows users with varying abilities to safely and efficiently travel from origin to destination. An adequate region-wide bikeway system will enable cyclists to bicycle from town-to-town and destination-to-destination throughout the region, and between neighboring areas.
Bicycle facilities include on-street facilities such as bike lanes, bike routes, low-volume roads and roads with adequate shoulders, and off-street facilities such as paths, bridges, overpasses and underpasses. Plans should include a mix of all these facilities, and may include state highways, county, local roads, and Scenic Byways. Mountain biking facilities should be indicated and bicycle access to them be provided wherever possible.
Pedestrians' needs tend to be more localized. An adequate pedestrian transportation system would include facilities in urban, suburban, and other appropriate areas which are designed according to the new Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). A pedestrian system provides access across highways and other barriers that divide origins from destinations; it provides shortcuts, bridge access, and access to destinations currently only accessible by vehicles. Pedestrian facilities include sidewalks, multi-use paths, pedestrian malls, bridges, and over- and underpasses.
Bicycle plans need to focus on transportation-oriented facilities as opposed to recreation facilities, although it is understood that the two sometimes overlap. A bicycle transportation facility transports cyclists from an origin to a different destination (as opposed to a loop around a lake) and is paved or surfaced to accommodate narrow-tired road bicycles.
The following should be taken into consideration when developing the engineering or system portion of the plan:
a. Bicycle and pedestrian facilities need a certain level of maintenance in order to remain usable and safe. Maintenance levels can range from frequent sweeping and routine repair and vegetation trimming to maintenance by request only. Level and schedule of maintenance can be decided on a corridor-by-corridor basis, or based on an adopted maintenance policy. The level of maintenance for these facilities should be planned and budgeted while a project is being planned. Maintenance for existing facilities also needs consideration.
b. Consideration should be given to adequate bike parking at any destination, much the same as providing car parking at any destination. Adequate, usable bicycle parking encourages the use of bikeway systems and is a necessary component of these systems.
c. Connectivity within each modal system as well as from one system to another ensures the success of the entire transportation system. Intermodal linkages should be provided wherever it is possible to interface between two or more modes. This includes providing appropriate facilities for cycling and walking to bus stops and terminals, train stations, park-and-rides, airports, and other modal facilities. This also includes providing adequate and appropriate bicycle parking and, in some cases, the ability to transport bicycles on other transportation modes.
d. Cyclists and pedestrians come in all ages and backgrounds, and have a variety of origins and destinations. Remember to include young children as well as seniors, citizens as well as visitors, and economically advantaged as well as the economically disadvantaged in these plans.
e. An analysis of crash statistics is a useful tool in developing a system plan. Information such as location of crash (intersection or mid block, street or section of path), number of crashes in each location, crash type, age of victim, and cause of crash should be available through law enforcement agencies' accident reports.
This information is useful in determining the need and priority of new facilities, as well as the need for better signage, traffic control and/or education. This information should be kept close track of in the future by requesting that law enforcement agencies provide monthly reports as they become available. Accident related safety information should also be collected, such as helmet use of crash victims.
f. Because roadway improvements often offer the most direct route, the least expensive bicycle improvement, and the safest alternative for more experienced cyclists, it is often appropriate to include on-street bicycle facilities on most roadway projects, regardless of whether an off-street project has been proposed. See Types of Bicycle Facilities, below, for help in choosing between various facility types.
g Bike Route signage should be considered as an engineering element. Where ever possible it should be consistent throughout the region, using a similar symbol for bicycle routes, and placed in similar locations along the routes. For example, bicycle route signs could be placed just under the ANCA Scenic Byway Route signs along those routes. Coordination with NYSDOT officials is necessary as some of the routes may become part of a future statewide and/or interstate signage system.
Education and Safety Training are the most important elements in reducing bicyclist and pedestrian injuries, reducing hostility between the various transportation modes, ensuring that the law is obeyed, and that facilities are properly designed and built. Cyclists and pedestrians, as well as motorists need safety education. Police officers need education regarding the manner in which to enforce bicycle and pedestrian laws, and engineers and planners need facility design education.
Education
Education of the general public is important for the following reasons:
a. Though keeping children safe is a main concern in bicycle and pedestrian education, many adult cyclists and pedestrians benefit from effective bike safety and pedestrian instruction also.
b. Very young children, the elderly, and intoxicated individuals are particularly susceptible to motor vehicle/pedestrian crashes.
c. In addition to safety education, educating youths about transportation choices and their benefits and consequences may produce fewer auto-dependent adults.
Safety training is important because:
a. Bicycle crashes are the number one reason for trips to the emergency room for children ages 7 - 15. Increasing the number and quality of facilities increases usage. Without increasing the number of properly trained users, an increase in injuries can be expected.
b. Bicycle-related brain injury can be reduced by 88% with the use of bicycle helmets.
c. Consistent, comprehensive, statewide bicycle and pedestrian education for grade school children is important in order to ensure the lowest possible number of injuries and fatalities. Grades K - 2 are the most appropriate groups to learn pedestrian education. Grades 3 - 6 are the most appropriate groups to teach bicycle education.
In the North County, most bicycle safety courses are a joint effort between local police and local service organizations (e.g., Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions). These types of programs appear to be very successful, and should be initiated in every community in the region. Now that the use of bicycle helmets is mandated through New York State law beginning in 1994, there is an additional need for helmets among low income families and others. Many of the safety programs around the region now feature a low cost helmet distribution system.
A recent report on improved safety for New York State bicyclists, prepared for the Legislative Commission on Critical Transportation Choices, made a number recommendations aimed at increasing the use of helmets. In addition, the report recommends better reporting on bicycle related accidents, specifically whether or not the bicyclist involved was wearing a helmet. The legislative commission concluded their recommendations by requesting that the State Education Department evaluate and improve the bicycle safety provisions in Traffic Safety Education curriculum for elementary and secondary schools in New York (Rakoczy 1994).
Each locality, in conjunction with its law enforcement agencies, should decide to what extent cyclist and pedestrian rights and responsibilities should be enforced. Because of the variation of resources within each enforcement agency and the extent to which violations are a problem in each jurisdiction, the level of enforcement may vary.
Enforcement goes hand-in-hand with education. Education is not as effective if there is inadequate enforcement to back it up. Therefore, it is important to enforce the rights and responsibilities of all modes of transportation by ticketing motorized and non-motorized transportation users alike. Cyclists and pedestrians should expect to be ticketed for traffic offenses the same as motorists. Motorists should expect to be ticketed for offenses against pedestrians and cyclists.
There are two aspects of enforcement that are key to developing bicycle friendly communities:
a. Develop a summary of enforcement practices regarding bicyclist and pedestrian rights and responsibilities, by enforcement agency. This includes ticketing cyclists and pedestrians for traffic violations (e.g., running red lights, riding on the wrong side of the street), and ticketing motorists' violations against cyclists and pedestrians (e.g., failure to yield). The summary should include a brief statement about the level of enforcement in each agency, including, if possible, the number of tickets issued annually for each type of violation, and the general attitude in the agency on enforcing cyclist and pedestrian rights and responsibilities.
b. Provide a regional statement of a proposed enforcement policy regarding bicyclist and pedestrian rights and responsibilities, including fiscal impacts, staff and equipment needed.
Encouraging cycling and walking as a substantial component to the modal mix can help mitigate air pollution and traffic congestion, as well as promote healthier, more friendly communities. Providing the means for enjoyable cycling and walking can also be a boon to tourism as both modes become increasingly popular for transportation as well as recreation. Many Vermont ski areas have already discovered the economic value of catering to cyclists and hikers. The same success could be attained for Whiteface, Gore Mtn., and the other ski areas in the region.
There are at least four encouragement considerations related to bicycle friendliness:
a. One-way trips of 5 miles or less are often suitable for bicycling. Often cyclists are willing to travel even farther distances for commuting trips as well as recreation. Shorter trips are often suitable for walking. Tourists often prefer walking and cycling as part of their vacationing activities and appreciate bicycle and pedestrian-friendly town. For these reasons, it is important to consider non-motorized transportation for visitors and residents alike.
b. Providing well-designed and maintained facilities encourages cycling and walking. Facility improvements for non-motorized transportation can be a relatively inexpensive way to increase mobility and the quality of life. Showers, lockers, and bike parking facilities at destinations, particularly at places of employment, is another.
c. Lack of adequate bike parking deters cyclists from cycling to a destination much the same as inadequate car parking deters drivers. An adequate number of spaces and well designed parking are essential. Ease of use, flexibility in parking and locking methods, attractiveness, weather protection, and protection of bicycles and people from falls or damage are all assets. Areas with frequent pedestrian traffic deter theft. Bike lockers at employment centers, modal transfer centers, and other locations where secure, long-term parking is necessary will encourage commuter cyclists.
d. Annual events can be used to promote cycling and walking through events and media attention, which provides each locality with an opportunity to focus on non-motorized transportation in the way it most benefits them. A regional Bike Week could be designed to promote safe cycling and the awareness of bicycling as a viable mode of transportation. National Trails Day is a celebration of all types of trails. The goal of Trails Day is to promote trail volunteerism, inform the public about trail opportunities, and publicize the need for trail funding with elected officials.
A 5th "E" for the Adirondack North Country Region: Etiquette
Given the emphasis on bicycle tourism in the Master Plan, and recognizing the conflicts that can occur related to the mix of private and public land throughout the region, it seems appropriate that etiquette be added to the widely used list of four comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian planning concepts. Bicyclists being encouraged to visit the Adirondack North Country should receive educational information along with tourism information. Respect for private property and low impact use of State lands are both important messages for inclusion in bicycle promotion materials.