Cycle Tracks: Concept and Design

Practices

February 17, 2010

Todays webinar presenters

APBP Board Member Host

Brett Hondorp, Principal, Alta Planning + Design
Guest Moderator
Zach Vanderkooy, Bicycling Design Best Practices Project Coordinator,
Bikes Belong

Peter Furth, Professor of Civil Engineering, Northeastern University

Cara Seiderman, Transportation Program Manager, City of Cambridge, Mass.

Rob Burchfield, City Traffic Engineer, Portland (Ore.) Bureau of Transportation

Hayes Lord, Director, Bicycle Program, NYC Department of Transportation

 Cycle Tracks: Concept and Design Practices
Part 1: General Design, Intersection Safety
Treatments, and Safety Studies

Peter Furth
Northeastern University

apbp webinar, Feb 17, 2010

 Cycle track (n): A bicycle path along a
road, physically separated from motor
traffic, and distinct from the sidewalk.
y Not a shared use path not used by pedestrians
y Other terms: sidepath, bike path, raised lane, separated lane
y One-way and two-way versions exist
4
 Why Cycle Tracks?
#1 reason for not riding a bike = Traffic danger

Dutch Guide recommended treatments

y Multilane road with speed limit > 20 mph: Cycle Track

AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities doesnt

understand this desire for separation. Consider two options:
1. 55 mph multi-lane highway with 5-ft shoulder
2. Parallel route on local streets connected by bike paths
most experienced and many casual adult riders will continue to use the
shoulder for the sake of speed and convenience.
5
 Engineering Guidance
AASHTO Guide has no guidance on cycle tracks
It has 9 warnings about parallel shared use paths:
y Not relevant to one-way cycle tracks
y 2-way cycle tracks have intersection and endpoint concerns
similar to shared use paths, which can be addressed
y Other 7 concerns about parallel paths are silly

Other sources of engineering guidance:

Dutch Design Manual for Bicycle Traffic (CROW)

6
 y Physical Separation from motor traffic: Curb, raised
median, parking lane, planting buffer, bollards,
y Levels: Street level, sidewalk level, in between

7
 Separation from Pedestrians
z Painted line
z Change in level
z full or partial
z Vertical elements
z Different surface

8
 Width and Functionality
z About 3.75 ft/ lane One-way with passing:
z Buffers at edges 7.5 ft
z Provision for Passing? Two-way, 2 lane
y 7.5 ft
y Obvious space
advantage of 2-way

Wider is better, but

Narrow can work, too
9
 Safety: One-Way or Two-Way?
y Europe: Better safety record
with one-way cycle tracks
y Reasons for 2-way
y Space limitations
y Wrong-way bicyclists
y Difficult street crossings

10
 Safety at Driveways & Minor Intersections:
Make it look like a bicycle crossing, not a parking lane or
sidewalk

y Bike silhouettes (Paris,

Montreal)
y Color (Copenhagen)

11
 Raise sidewalk & cycle track

y Makes priority clear

y Speed bump effect

12
 At signalized intersections
y Left turn on green arrow only (Protected left)
y Bicycle signal heads if bikes green period will
differ from cars

13
 Leading thru arrow protects first flush
of waiting bikes

14
 Right-Turn Lanes Controlled by
Green Arrows

15
 Endpoints and Transitions
y Dont dump wrong-way traffic into street

16
 Jughandles for Safer Crossovers

A
17
 Corral for turning bikes to wait

18
 Myth of the Danger of Separated Paths
False Sense of Security
y Origin: Vehicular cycling theory, not data
y Massive European experiment dismissed
y Ive heard that separated paths have 5 times greater crash
risk.
y Moritz (TRR, 1997)
y 12 crashes (4.1%) on Other: sidewalks, parking lots, ?
y Less than 1% of bicycling-miles on Other facilities
y Other Sidewalk Separated path ???
y Confused data, insufficient exposure

19
 Comparative Studies of Bicycling, In-
Street vs on-Path
y Wachtel & Lewiston (ITE Journal, 1994) compared sidewalk
bikeways to streets :
y Relative crash risk on sidewalk is1.8 Intersection crashes only!
y Accounting for mid-block crashes: relative risk is equal
y Ride in same direction as closest travel lane: sidewalk risk is 50% of in-
street risk
y Montreal cycle tracks (publication pending), 10 years data,
hundreds of crashes
y Crash risk in cycle track is 28% smaller than in-street risk
y In spite of non-ideal cycle track designs
y Conclusion: Perceived safety and Statistical safety are not at odds

20
 Cycle Tracks:
Concept and Design Practices

APBP Webinar
February 17, 2010
Cara Seiderman
City of Cambridge, MA
 Why Cycle Tracks?
Improve Safety
Eliminate Bike Lane/Shared Lane Obstructions

Comfort, especially on High Speed/Volume Roadways

Continuity of Pathway Experience
Attract new riders
Support Economic Development
Enhance Pedestrian Environment/Urban Design
Support Environmental/Climate Goals
Support Transportation Goals
Support Quality of Life Goals
Support Public Health Goals, Especially for Children
Design Users
The Real World
People prefer cycle tracks
You Choose
Cambridge, MA

Our Fair City

Vassar Street
Binney Street
Binney Street
Concord Avenue
Portlands CYCLE TRACK
SW Broadway (SW Clay to SW Jackson)

By

Robert Burchfield, PE
Portland Bureau of Transportation

Cycle Tracks: Concept and Design Practices

The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals
FEBRUARY 17, 2010
 TRANSPORTATION
PORTLAND BUREAU OF
Project OVERVIEW
Cycle track project
stretches seven blocks
along SW Broadway on the
PSU campus PORTLAND CL A
Y
Originally 3 lanes one-way STATE
southbound
Outside southbound lane DOWNTOWN

AY
converted to on-street PORTLAND

DW
parking

OA
BR
Seven foot wide bike lane
at curbside
Three foot shy zones JAC
separate cycle track from K SO
N
parking stalls
 TRANSPORTATION
PORTLAND BUREAU OF Broadway Cycle Track CROSS
SECTION
SW Broadway Cycle Track Portland, Oregon

50
 TRANSPORTATION
PORTLAND BUREAU OF Broadway Cycle Track PUBLIC
OUTREACH
 TRANSPORTATION
PORTLAND BUREAU OF
Broadway Cycle Track MARKINGS

Looking south from SW

Montgomery

Typical mid-block marking Looking north from SW Clay

 TRANSPORTATION
PORTLAND BUREAU OF
BUS STOP Treatment

During morning peak

hours, buses service
at two stops along the
cycle track.
Buses will still pull to
the curb

TriMet bus zone along cycle track north

of SW Montgomery (looking south)
 TRANSPORTATION
PORTLAND BUREAU OF
LEFT HAND TURN Treatment
Two Stage, with Bike Box

JONATHAN MAUS / BIKEPORTLAND.ORG

Cyclist left hand turn area at SW Montgomery Street
 TRANSPORTATION
PORTLAND BUREAU OF Broadway Cycle Track
CHALLENGES

BIKEPORTLAND.ORG
MAUS//BIKEPORTLAND.ORG
Parking Enforcement
Pay Stations
Enforcement Officers use buffer

JONATHANMAUS
area when placing citation

JONATHAN
Temporary parking removal
using magnetic base flexible
posts

Street Cleaning
Cycle Track plus buffer is wide
enough to accommodate a
street sweeper
Leaf fall is heavy in autumn-
extra cleaning needed

Wheel Chair User Access

Concerns from users regarding
wheelchair van loading
Cycle Track may be used by
wheelchairs
 TRANSPORTATION
PORTLAND BUREAU OF
Future CYCLE TRACK project
NE Cully Boulevard

Cycle track
Parking
Crossing with left hand turn boxe
Cycle track

Cycle track Cycle track

 TRANSPORTATION
PORTLAND BUREAU OF
Thank You.

JONATHAN MAUS / BIKEPORTLAND.ORG

Robert Burchfield, PE
City Traffic Engineer
Portland Bureau of
Transportation
1120 SW 5th Avenue, Suite 800
Portland, OR 97204
Phone: 503.823.5175
[email protected]
www.portlandtransportation.org
 Cycle Tracks: Concept and Design Practices.

The New York City Experience

Broadway

Hayes A. Lord
Director, Bicycle Program
NYC Department of Transportation February 17, 2010
 3 years 200 miles
2009
2006
2006
8,650 commuter
cyclists
420 lane miles
0.8 miles of on-street
protected paths

2009
15,495 commuter
cyclists
Over 645 lane miles
Over 10 miles of on-
street protected paths
NYCs Toolbox of Design Treatments

Signal Protected Path 2-Way Protected Path

Separated Path with Mixing Zone Cycle Track

9th Avenue Existing Conditions

2006
 9th Avenue
Existing Conditions (2006):
SIDEWALK

11 12 12 12 12 11
Parking/ Moving Moving Moving Moving Parking/
Loading Lane Lane Lane Lane Loading

SIDEWALK
Lane Lane

70 feet
West East

New Design (2009): Peak Hour traffic volume: 1,700 vph

4 Travel Lanes
High Collision Rates
10
Buffer High Vehicle Speeds
780 Cyclists (12-hour period: 2007)
SIDEWALK

SIDEWALK
6 10 12 11 11 10
Parking Moving Moving Moving Parking/ Primary land use: Multi-family
Lane Lane Lane Lane Loading residential
Lane
East 70 feet West
9th Avenue Signal Protected Bike Path
 9th Avenue Signal Protected Bike Path

50% increase in
cyclists
2009
 Grand Street Existing Conditions

2007
 Grand Street
Existing Conditions (2007):

SIDEWALK
9 11 9
SIDEWALK

5
Parking/ Moving Parking/
Lane
Loading Loading
Lane Lane Land Use

South 34 feet North

New Design (2008): Popular cross-town bicycle route

Link to Manhattan Bridge and
Williamsburg Bridge
3 Buffer Existing bike lane
Disorderly traffic
SIDEWALK

8 8
5 10 647 Cyclists (12-hour period: 2008)
SIDEWALK

Parking/ Parking/
Moving Loading Primary land use: Mixed
Loading Lane Lane commercial/residential
Lane

34 feet
South North
Grand Street Protected Bicycle Path with Mixing
Zone
Grand Street Protected Bicycle Path with Mixing
Zone

2008
Grand Street Protected Path with Mixing Zones

29% Increase in cyclists

Kent Avenue Existing Conditions

2007
 Kent Avenue
Existing Conditions:

East West
3 3
SIDEWALK

SIDEWALK
CENTERLINE
6 11 11 6
Moving Moving
Lane Lane

40 feet
New Design (2009):

East
5 Two-way Traffic
No Curbside access

SIDEWALK
8 11 8 4 4 Existing Curbside
SIDEWALK

Loading Moving Parking Bike Lanes

Lane Lane Lane Peak Hour SB traffic
volume: 429
40 Feet Primary land use:
industrial
 Kent Avenue Two-way Bike Path

2009
Kent Avenue Two-way Bike Path
 Sands Street Cycle Track

XX% increase
in cyclists
After
Before
Safety Statistics
9th Avenue:
Injuries to all street users down 56%
Reportable crashes down 48%
Injuries to pedestrians down 29%
Injuries to cyclists down 57%

Broadway:
Injuries to all street users down 50%
Reportable crashes down 49%
Injuries to pedestrians down 40%
Injuries to cyclists down 50%

Grand Street:
Injuries to all street users down 27%
Injuries to pedestrians down 28%
Comparative Costs Estimates

Signal Protected Bike Path

$1.5 million per mile (approx)

Separated Path with Mixing Zone

$139,000 per mile (approx)

Cycle Track
$13 million per mile (approx)
 Contact Information

Hayes A. Lord
Director, Bicycle Program
NYC Department of Transportation

[email protected]
(212) 839-7205