Reasons Why Bicycling and Walking Are Not Being Used More
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Publication No. FHWA-PD-92-041 C•ase Study No. 1 Reasons Why Bicycling And Walking Are And Are Not Being Used More Extensively As Travel Modes U.S. Department National Bicycling of Transportation Federal Highway And Walking Study Administration FHWA NATIONAL BICYCLING & WALKING STUDY CASE STUDY #1 REASONS WHY BICYCLING AND WALKING ARE AND ARE NOT BEING USED MORE EXTENSIVELY AS TRAVEL MODES TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY..........................................................................................................1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................................4 Purpose.............................................................................................................................4 Scope and organization.....................................................................................................4 Chapter I. The Individual Choice to Bicycle & Walk...................................................................6 A. Personal and Subjective Factors..............................................................................6 B. Objective Factors.....................................................................................................10 1. Environmental .............................................................................................10 2. Infrastructural Features................................................................................11 C. Factors Specific to Walking .....................................................................................12 D. Current Levels of Bicycle Usage: What Surveys Reveal...........................................14 1. Who Bicycles?............................................................................................14 2. Bicycle Trip Purposes..................................................................................16 3. Incentives (Reasons) for Cycling ................................................................18 4. Factors Influencing the Choice of a Commute Mode 15 5. Deterrents to Cycling 19 6. Inducements to Bicycle Commuting: Survey Results 21 E. Walking & the Individual: Purpose, Barriers, & Incentives ........................................25 1. Trip Purpose................................................................................................25 2. Reasons for Walking ...................................................................................26 3. Reasons for not Walking..............................................................................26 Chapter II. Aggregate Levels of Bicycling & Walking in Selected Cities.........................................................................................................................................31 A. Features Affecting Aggregate Levels of Bicycle Commuting......................................32 1. Size of Urban Area ......................................................................................32 2. Population ...................................................................................................33 3. Population Density ......................................................................................33 4. Commuting Distances..................................................................................34 5. Bikeways & Bicycle Commuting...................................................................37 6. Bike Lanes & Bicycle Commuting ................................................................39 7. Bike Paths...................................................................................................42 8. Presence of a College or University.............................................................43 9. Land use, Street Layout and Design Features .............................................49 10.Transportation Alternatives..........................................................................50 ll.Political Support: Programs and Regulations..................................................52 12.Climate........................................................................................................54 Summary: Cities and Bicycling .........................................................................54 B. Features Affecting Aggregate Levels of Walking .......................................................56 1. Distance.......................................................................................................56 2. Density.........................................................................................................59 3. Other Factors ...............................................................................................59 Chapter III. Factor Analysis: Determining What Really Matters...................................................61 A. The Influence of the Bicycling Environment on Aggregate Ridership ...................................................................................................................... 61 B. Effect of Public Policy on Individual Barriers and Incentives for Utilitarian Bicycling..................................................................................62 1. Ranking the Importance of Barriers...............................................................62 2. Incentives to Shift to Bicycle Commuting ......................................................65 Summary: Arriving at the Decision to Bicycle Commute ................................................66 Chapter IV. The Inadequate State of Data Collection on Non- Motorized Transportation...........................................................................................................68 Chapter V. Determining Demand for Non-Motorized Transportation: A Review of Analytic Approaches......................................................................73 A. Cordon Counts .........................................................................................................73 B. Mode Choice/Preference/Attitude Surveys................................................................73 C. Speculative Surveys.................................................................................................74 D. Market-Based Strategies ..........................................................................................76 D. The Utility Model ......................................................................................................78 Conclusion and Recommendations ...........................................................................................80 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY It is generally acknowledged that bicycling and walking are not as widely used for practical transportation as they could be. The purpose of this report is to examine the factors which encourage and restrain people from treating bicycling or walking as practical travel modes. The body of this report focuses on exploring and analyzing, first separately and then jointly, the two functional dimensions of demand for non-motorized travel: 1. The factors which influence the individual decision to bicycle or walk for utilitarian trips. Evidence is derived largely from mode choice surveys and studies of travel behavior. 2. Environmental and infrastructural factors which vary significantly from place to place and thereby affect aggregate usage of these travel modes. Data collected from twenty cities across the country is the basis for this section. Key Findings: Bicycling Individual factors: Age is the most significant demographic variable; virtually every survey demonstrates that bicycling becomes less popular with age, especially utilitarian bicycling. Bicycle trips are generally taken for recreation or for errands, with bicycle commuting much less prevalent. The main incentives motivating bicycle usage are exercise and enjoyment, with some evidence that environmental concerns are also a factor. The main disincentives to bicycle are concerns over traffic safety, lack of routes, and weather. However , if bicycle commuting is the subject, then distance to the work place, followed by safety, and the absence of shower and parking facilities are the main impediments. These concerns take on added significance when considered in light of the major reasons the automobile is the preferred commute mode: Travel time, convenience, and the need of a car for work or other reasons., Policies to stimulate mode shifts to bicycling will have to address both the objections to bicycling and the advantages associated with driving or public transit. Consequently, no single improvement can be expected to attract all potential bicycle commuters to cycle, suggesting that an integrated approach will be necessary to maximize such mode shifts. Environmental Factors: Levels of bicycle commuting in twenty cities were compared across a number of objective physical, environmental, and infrastructural features. The most significant variable appears to be the dominating presence of a university. These cities have considerably higher rates of bicycling than other cities. In fact, no other factor correlates so consistently with high levels of bicycle commuting. Commute distance and primary bicycling facilities also appear to be connected with high levels bicycle commuting, though the relationship is far from perfect. Cities with a higher proportion of the population commuting five miles or less tend to have more bicycle commuters, though when university towns are removed from this group, the relationship is