This folder contains studies highlighting the efficacy of bicycle and pedestrian policies and infrastructure with a focus on design.
Complete Intersections (California Department of Transportation)
May 25, 2011. Complete Intersections: A Guide to Reconstructing Intersections and Interchanges for Bicyclists and Pedestrians is a guide that presents common issues faced by pedestrians and bicyclists at intersections and interchanges and best practices for addressing those issues through design and operational changes.
Complete Intersections: A Guide to Reconstructing Intersections and Interchanges for Bicyclists and Pedestrians (PDF)(18.8MB)
Cycling in New York: Innovative Policies at the Urban Frontier
This 2010 report from Rutger's John Pucher highlights the innovative trends that have vastly increased cycling in New York city and identifies remaining deficiencies that diminish safety.
Cycling in New York- Innovative Policies at the Urban Frontier (PDF)
Cycling Safety on Bikeways vs. Roads (Transportation Quarterly)
This short article discusses the difference between cycling on roads and bikeways. The author concludes that biking on bikeways is not only safer, but encourages more people to get involved in biking. 3 pages. (PDF) (147KB)
Cycling Safety on Bikeways vs. Roads
Effects of On-Street Parking on Cyclist Route Choice & Operational Behavior of Cyclists and Motorist
This 2009 report evaluates operational elements of bikeways and roadway characteristics with on-street motor vehicle parking and the influence that on-street motor vehicle parking has on a cyclist's route choice through the use of a stated preference survey.
Effects of On-Street Parking on Cyclist Route Choice & Operational Behavior of Cyclists and Motorists. (PDF)(979 KB)
Evaluation of Innovative Bicycle Facilities (Portland State University)
This January 2011 report evaluates some of Portland, Oregon's recent bicycle innovations: a cycle track on SW Broadway and several buffered bike lanes. The facilities were evaluated after they had been in place for approximately one year. Portlanders and innovators in other communities can learn from some of the common challenges and successes of these designs.
Evaluation of Innovative Bicycle Facilities (PDF)
Evaluation of Lane Reduction "Road Diet" Measures on Crashes (Federal Highway Administration)
This 2010 summary report from the Federal Highway Administration uses data from the Highway Safety Information System to show that reducing four-lane roads to three-lane roads with center turning lanes and bike lanes in both direction can improve safety without reducing annual average daily traffic.
Evaluation of Lane Reduction "Road Diet" Measures on Crashes (PDF) (1.4MB)
Making Transportation Sustainable: Insights from Germany
"Making Transportation Sustainable: Insights from Germany," Metropolitan Policy Program, Brookings Institution, April 2009, by John Pucher, pp. 1-38 (with Ralph Buehler and Uwe Kunert). "Increasing transportation sustainability in the United States requires policies that foster changes in travel behavior. Germany's case may provide a helpful example. Although car use has grown in both countries, Germany has been far more successful than the United States in creating a more balanced transportation system."
Making Transportation Sustainble: Insights from Germany (PDF) (273 KB).
New York Sustainable Streets Index (New York City Department of Transportation)
This 2009 report from the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) describes the city's move toward more performance-driven transportation policy, based on sustainability, mobility, infrastructure and quality-of-life goals. It also includes case studies of street redesigns and bus improvements across the city.
New York Sustainable Streets Index (URL)
Pedestrian and Bicyclist Traffic Control Device Evaluation Methods (FHWA)This May 2011 study was part of a larger Federal Highway Administration research study to quantify the effectiveness of engineering countermeasures in improving safety and operations for pedestrians and bicyclists. The project focused on existing and new engineering countermeasures that have not yet been comprehensively evaluated. The project involved data collection and analysis to determine whether these countermeasures reduced fatalities and injuries or increased appropriate driving behaviors. The purpose of this report is to describe methods that practitioners can use to conduct reliable evaluations of pedestrian and bicyclist traffic control devices.
Pedestrian and Bicyclist Traffic Control Device Evaluation Methods (PDF)(2MB)
Pedestrian Safety through a Raised Median and Redesigned Intersections (Michael King)
This 2003 paper documents the effect of a raised median, signalized and redesigned intersections, curbs, and sidewalks on vehicle speed, pedestrian exposure risk, driver predictability, and vehicle volume along a four lane suburban roadway in central New Jersey.
Pedestrian Safety through a Raised Median and Redesigned Intersections (PDF)(537KB)
State Best Practice Policy for Medians (FHWA)Safety is the number one priority for the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and it's the agency's policy to provide safe and effective pedestrian accommodation wherever possible. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) encourages the use of specific proven pedestrian safety countermeasures that can help achieve local, State and National safety goals. One of those countermeasures is the inclusion of raised medians. FHWA's Safety Office has promoted the evidence-based safety benefits of raised medians (or refuge areas). This 2011 flyer highlights three agencies that have implemented policies and plans that promote the inclusion of raised medians: the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).
State Best Practice Policy for Medians (PDF)(400KB)
Safety is the number one priority for the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and it's the agency's policy to provide safe and effective pedestrian accommodation wherever possible.The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) encourages the use of specific proven pedestrian safety countermeasures that can help achieve local, State and National safety goals. One of those countermeasures is the inclusion of walkways and paved shoulders. This 2011 flyer highlights three agencies: New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) that have implemented policies and plans that promote the inclusion of paved shoulders and walkways.State Best Practice Policy for Shoulders and Walkways (PDF)(400KB)
