Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Exploring Bicycle Accessibility And Equity In Portland, Oregon, Jenny H. Liu

PSU Transportation Seminars

As urban areas across the country are investing in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure to promote environmentally sustainable transportation and to develop livable communities, many have pointed to improvements in environmental quality, economic development and public health as potential positive outcomes. While these outcomes of active transportation infrastructure are relatively well documented, it is also known that both transportation and environmental amenities are typically unevenly distributed in the urban context. Studies show that those who are the most socioeconomically disadvantaged (i.e. low income, people of color, etc.) are also those who disproportionately experience transportation disadvantages.

This study contributes to the existing …

Barriers To Biking For Women And Minorities, Amy Lubitow

TREC Project Briefs

The health benefits of bicycling are well understood; numerous studies link increased cycling activity with improved health outcomes. Research suggest that the cycling behavior most likely to generate broad, population-level health benefits is everyday routine cycling—including running errands and taking other short trips. Despite these health benefits and new investment in cycling infrastructure, overall cycling levels in the U.S. lag behind many other nations. Amidst findings of increased ridership, research still finds that women and racial minorities are underrepresented as cyclists in North America.

While quantitative data may reveal estimates of these disparities, little is known about the motivations or …

Narratives Of Marginalized Cyclists: Understanding Obstacles To Utilitarian Cycling Among Women And Minorities In Portland, Or, Amy Lubitow

TREC Final Reports

Research has demonstrated that everyday or utilitarian forms of cycling are most likely to generate positive population-level health impacts (Garrard et al., 2012), yet significant deterrents to routine cycling remain, particularly for women and minorities. The primary aim of this project was to conduct a qualitative interview study that generated rich, narrative data regarding obstacles to routine or utilitarian cycling for women and minorities who already see biking as a viable form of transit, but who make relatively few bike trips. A secondary aim of the project was to develop a set of specific interventions that have the potential to …

Crowdsourcing Cycling Safety And Route Data With The “Orcycle” Smartphone App, Miguel Figliozzi

PSU Transportation Seminars

ORcycle is a new smartphone application (for both Android and iOS) developed by Transportation, Technology, and People (TTP) lab researchers at Portland State University as part of an Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) research project. ORcycle collects user, route, infrastructure, crash, and safety data. ORcycle was successfully launched in early November 2014 and presents many improvements over existing or similar apps. Initial data findings and insights will be presented. Lessons learned as well as opportunities and challenges associated with smartphone data collection methods will be discussed. More information about the app can be found here: http://www.pdx.edu/transportation-lab/orcycle.

Trick Or Treat(Ment)? : Impact Of Route-Level Features On Walk And Bike Decisions, Joseph Broach

PSU Transportation Seminars

Trick or Treatment? Impact of Route-Level Features on Decisions to Walk or Bike Summary: Some travel routes attract people walking and cycling, while others may scare them away. What features of street environments are most important, and how do available routes affect decisions to bike or walk on a specific trip?

Research to date has focused on either large-scale areal measures like "miles of bike lane nearby" or else has considered only shortest path routes. Neither method is suited to capturing the impact of targeted route-level policies like neighborhood greenways. This session will present a new technique for measuring bike …

Why Doesn't That Traffic Signal Ever Turn Green? An Evaluation Of Roadway Markings For Cyclists, Stefan W. Bussey, Christopher Monsere, Peter Koonce

PSU Transportation Seminars

Signalized intersections often rely on vehicle detection to determine when to give a green light. The 2009 Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) includes an on-pavement marking and curbside sign that public agencies can use to indicate where cyclists should position themselves while waiting at an intersection. This presentation reviews the effectiveness of current markings, signs, and other methods used to help cyclists properly position themselves over detection.

Contesting The North Williams Traffic Operations And Safety Project, Amy Lubitow, Thaddeus R. Miller

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

The North Williams Traffic Safety Operations Project, overseen by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), was proposed in 2010. With an initial budget of $370,000, the project was designed to reduce conflict between buses, bicycles and motor vehicles on North Williams Avenue and improve the overall safety and accessibility of the street. As is common practice, PBOT’s first step in this project was to organize a stakeholder advisory committee (SAC) of interested business owners, neighborhood association representatives, residents, and key stakeholders living or working along North Williams Avenue who would be tasked with advising the city on the project. However, …

Categorizing Cyclists: What Do We Know? Insights From Portland, Or, Jennifer Dill

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

PDF version of a presentation given at the Velo-City Global 2012 conference in Vancouver, BC, in June 2012. Discusses the different kinds of urban cyclists, issues that encourage or hinder cycling choices, and summarizes research research around cycling and cycling behavior.

Health, Transportation And Bicycling: Connecting The Dotted Lines, Jennifer Dill

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Powerpoint presentation by Jennifer Dill at the Dudley H. Davis Center, University of Vermont, on November 17, 2010. Reviews current research on the relationships beetween health, transportation policy and bicycling. Discusses the role of psychology, thoeries of planned behavior, and future developments.

Equity Analysis Of Portland’S Draft Bicycle Master Plan – Findings, Jennifer Dill, Brendon Haggerty

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Portland's current bicycle network has brought the city into the national spotlight as a leader in the provision of cycling infrastructure. As the city looks forward to 2030 with ambitions of becoming a truly world-class bicycling city, it is clear that if the Draft Plan is fully implemented, nearly all of the city will be covered by a dense network of bikeways. The question of equity in the future is therefore not so much one of network coverage or lack of coverage, but of project priority and timing of implementation. The current network, while outstanding relative to other cities, nevertheless …

An Analysis Of "Bike Wars", Jennifer Dill

Metroscape

Kyle Cassidy’s “Bike Wars” in the Summer 2009 issue of Metroscape® is the most controversial article ever to appear in the magazine over its seventeen years of publication. It has received both praise for calling attention to a looming problem and disapproval for factual inaccuracy. While not seeking to resolve the dispute, the editors sought the unbiased opinion of an expert on bicycle transportation about the value of the article as a contribution to the understanding of the issue it highlights. Among the faculty and researchers in the College of Urban and Public Affairs (where the magazine is based) who …

Bike Wars: Hostile Forces -- Drivers And Riders -- Go Wheel To Wheel In The Streets, Kyle Cassidy

Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies Publications

Examines the dynamics of bicycle culture in Portland, Oregon, with special focus on the interactions between cyclists and drivers. The article probes the economic, demographic and history of cycling in Portland, as well as plans for the future.

Hosford-Abernethy Bicycle And Pedestrian Connections: An Alternative Routes Analysis Linking Se Clinton Street And The Eastbank Esplanade, Shannon Axtell, Evan Mackenzie, Brady Smith, Allison Wildman

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

SE Clinton is a popular bicycle route for commuter, utilitarian and recreational bicyclists that fails to provide a safe and direct connection to the Eastbank Esplanade and downtown Portland. Furthermore, residents in the Hosford-Abernethy and Brooklyn neighborhoods do not have a safe bicycle and pedestrian connection to access the Eastbank Esplanade. This gap in the bicycle and pedestrian network must be removed to serve the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians.

This project presents four alternative bicycle and pedestrian routes that connect the Eastbank Esplanade and the SE Clinton bikeway through the Central Eastside Industrial District. Each alternative, with improvements, is …