Ralph Buehler, Virginia Tech and John Pucher, Rutgers University
Making the National Capital Region the Next Cycling
Capital of the USA: Opportunities and Lessons from
Home and Abroad
Photo: Susan Handy Photo: Ralph BuehlerPhoto: SF Bicycle CoalitionPhoto: Ralph Buehler
Why Cycling?
Economical: Affordable by everyone, requiring minimal costs for individuals and governments
Good for business: Generate retail sales and profits from tourism
Environmentally friendly: Virtually no pollution Space-efficient: Uses little space for operation and
parking Energy-efficient: Use up calories we need to burn off
from eating too much Healthy: Many studies report on physical, social, mental
health benefits Fun: Getting out into the fresh air with family and
friends
Cycling Share of Daily Trips in Europe, North America, and Australia, 1999-2008
USA* ('09)
Australi
a* ('
06)
USA ('09)
Canad
a* ('
06)
UK ('08)
Irelan
d* ('06)
France
('08)
Austria
('05)
Norway
('01)
Belgiu
m ('
99)
Finlan
d ('05)
Sweden
('06)
Germ
any ('
08)
Denm
ark ('
08)
Nether
lands (
'08)0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
0.5 11 1 2 2 3
4 4
89 9
10
18
26
Per
cent
of
trip
s by
cyc
ling
Source: Pucher, J., Buehler, R. (eds.) City Cycling. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012
Bike Mode Share of Work Commuters in the USA (2007) and Canada (2006)
Source: Pucher, J., Buehler, R., Seinen, M. 2011 “Bicycling Renaissance in North America? An Update and Re-Assessment of Cycling Trends and Policies,” Transportation Research A, Vol. 45, No. 6, pp. 451-475.
Source: Pucher, Dill, and Handy, “Infrastructure, Programs, and Policies to Increase Bicycling,” Preventive Medicine, Jan 2010, Vol. 50, S.1, pp. S106-S125.
Nuremburg('76-'12)
Berlin('92-'08)
Cologne('76-'09)
Munich('91-'11)
Freiburg('82-'12)
Muenster ('82-'10) Amsterdam('70-'10)
Copenhagen('98-'10)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
4
76 6
15
29
25 25
1213
12
14
27
35
3738
Per
cent
of a
ll tr
ips
Rebound of Bike Mode Share of Trips in German, Dutch, and Danish Cities
New Y
ork
Los A
ngeles
Chicago
Bosto
n
Toron
to
New O
rlean
s
Denve
r
Was
hingt
on
Min
neapoli
s
Seattl
e
San F
rancis
co
Mon
treal
Vanco
uver
Portla
nd0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
0.3
0.6
0.3
0.90.8
0.9 0.90.8
1.61.5
1 1
1.7
1.10.9
1.1
1.5
1.8
2.4 2.42.6
3.3
3.63.7 3.7
4.1
4.4
6.8
1990 (USA) / 1996 (Canada)
2011 (USA and Canada)
Bik
e Sh
are
of R
egul
ar C
omm
utes
*
* 2011 figures for Canadian cities are preliminary esti-mates
Boom in Cycling to Work in 14 Large US and Canadian Cities
Source: Pucher, J. and Buehler, R. City Cycling, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass, 2012.
Source: Buehler, R., Hamre, A., Sonenklar, D., & P. Goger. 2013. Determinants of Cycling in Washington, DC. Report for U. S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Washington, D.C. and MAUTC.
Trend in Number of Regular Bicycle Commuters in Washington, DC and Adjacent jurisdictions, 1990-2011
1990 Census 2000 Census ACS 20110
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
2,2923,035
7,741
916
1,231
2,034
891
773
1,337
967
669
1,150
661
803
1,452
359
413
770
Alexandria City, VA
Arlington County, VA
Fairfax County, VA
Prince George's County, MD
Montgomery County, MD
Washington, DC
3.4x
2.2x1.5x1.2x2.2x2.1x
Increase
Trend in Bike Mode Share of all Trips in Washington, DC and Adjacent Jurisdictions, 1994-2008
Source: Buehler, R., Hamre, A., Sonenklar, D., & P. Goger. 2011. Determinants of Cycling in Washington, DC. Report for U. S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Washington, D.C. and MAUTC.
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.3
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.5
0.2
1.5
1.1
0.8
0.6
0.3
0.4
1994 2008
Spatial Variation in Bicycle Mode Share of Work Commuters in Washington, D.C. Area, 2005-2009
Pucher, J., Buehler, R., Seinen, M. 2011 “Bicycling Renaissance in North America? An Update and Re-Assessment of Cycling Trends and Policies,” Transportation Research A, Vol. 45, No. 6, pp. 451-475.
Cycling levels in the Washington DC Region have increased…
…. but the cycling boom is limited to certain areas, mainly in parts of or close to the ‘urban core’ of the
region.
0<2.
5km
2.5k
m<
4.5k
m
4.5k
m-6
.5km
0<2.
5km
2.5k
m<
4.5k
m
4.5<
6.5k
m
0<2.
5km
2.5k
m<
4.5k
m
4.5k
m-6
.5km
0<2.
5km
2.5k
m<
4.5k
m
5<7.
5km
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
2 2 1
1612
7
31
24
18
29
35
24
Per
cen
t of
tri
ps
by
cycl
ing
USA GER DK NL
Trip distance category
Share of Cycling for Short Trips
Source: Pucher, J., Buehler, R. (eds.) City Cycling. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012
~27% of all trips in the U.S. were a mile or shorter in 2009
~41% of all trips were shorter than two miles
~36% of all trips<2 miles in DC Region
Lots of Potential for Increased Cycling:
Many daily trips in American urban areas and the DC Region are short
enough to bike!
Higher Share of Utilitarian Bike Trips in the DC Region than Other US Urban Areas,2007/2008
Commute/Work Related
Shopping/Personal Business
School/Religious/Visit Friends
Recreation/Entertainment
Utilitarian Non - Utilitarian
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
1718 18
47Washington D.C. Region U.S. Urbanized Areas
Per
cen
t of
Bik
e T
rip
s
Source: Buehler, R., Hamre, A., Sonenklar, D., & P. Goger. 2011. Determinants of Cycling in Washington, DC. Report for U. S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Washington, D.C. and MAUTC.
Commute/Work Related
Shopping/Personal Business
School/Religious/Visit Friends
Recreation/Entertainment
Utilitarian Non - Utilitarian
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
41
16
19 1917
18 18
47Washington D.C. Region U.S. Urbanized Areas
Per
cen
t of
Bik
e T
rip
s
USA UK Canada Germany Denmark Netherlands10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
55%
60%
25%27%
30%
49%
55%56%
Per
cent
of
trip
s by
wom
enWomen’s Share of Bike Trips in
Europe and North America
Source: Pucher, J., Buehler, R. (eds.) City Cycling. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 400
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Copenhagen
Amsterdam
Berlin
Vancouver
MontrealToronto
PortlandMinneapolis
ChicagoSan Francisco
Melbourne
Sydney
Tokyo
Percent of trips by bicycle
Per
cen
t of
bic
ycli
sts
wh
o ar
e fe
mal
e
Washington
Source: Pucher, J., Buehler, R. (eds.), City Cycling. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012
Bicycle Mode Share of Trips and Percentage of Female Cyclists in Large Cities
5-15
16-2
4
25-3
9
40-6
5
65 +
0-16
17-2
9
30-5
9
60-6
5
65+
0-17
18-2
5
26-4
4
45-5
9
60-6
5
65 +
10-1
9'
20-2
9
30-3
9
40-4
9
50-5
9
60-6
9
70-7
4
0-17
18-2
5
26-4
4
45-6
4
65 +
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
3 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.5 2 2 21 1
14
9 9 911
9
32
20
14 14 15 15 15
40
2521 22 23
Age Group
Per
cen
t of
tri
ps
by
cyc
ling NL
USA
GER
DK
UK
Bike Mode Share of Trips by Age Group
Source: Pucher, J., Buehler, R. (eds.) City Cycling. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012
No car One car
Two and more cars
LowestQuartile
MidQuartiles
HighestQuartile
White AfricanAmerican
Other
Cars in HH HH Income Ethnicity
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
13
29
58
25
34
41
88
6 610
23
67
25
49
26
82
711
Washington D.C. Region U.S. Urbanized Areas
Per
cen
t of
Bik
e T
rip
s
20
Percent of Bike Trips by Group in the D.C. Region vs. U.S. Averages for Urbanized Areas, 2008/2009.
Source: Buehler, R., Hamre, A., Sonenklar, D., & P. Goger. 2011. Determinants of Cycling in Washington, DC. Report for U. S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Washington, D.C. and MAUTC.
Higher % of trips by cyclists w/o and 1 car
Higher % of trips by cyclists in
4th quartile
High % of ‘white’
The Washington DC Region has a high share of work trips by bicycle,
but…
….DC area cyclists are more likely men, younger than 40, in higher income groups, and
white.
• Especially important for the young, the old, for anyone with disabilities, for the timid or risk-averse
• Women more sensitive to safety than men
• Safety of cycling in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany helps explain high levels of cycling there
Make Cycling Safe for Everyone !
NL DK GER UK USA0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
14.0
16.0
18.0
20.0
1.11.6 1.6
3.3
5.5
1.6 1.5
4.7
5.7
33.5*
Cylists killed per 100 million km cycled
Cylists injured per 10 million km cycled
Fat
alit
itie
s an
d in
juri
es p
er t
rip
and
per
kilo
met
er
Cyclist Fatality and Injury Rates, 2007-2010
Source: Pucher, J., Buehler, R. (eds.) City Cycling. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160T
otal
cyc
list f
atal
ities
rela
tive
to 1
970
(=10
0)
USA
UK
Denmark
Germany
Netherlands
Trends in Cyclist Fatalities
Source: Pucher and Buehler (eds.), City Cycling. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012
SAFETY IN NUMBERS
•As levels of cycling increase, injury and fatality rates per trip and per km traveled fall dramatically
•Thus, if we can increase cycling, it will almost inevitably be safer
Source: City of Portland (2013)
Sharp increase in cycling safety in Portland as cycling levels rose
70% fall in crash rate
6-fold increase in bike trips
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.00.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
Chicago
Washington
Toronto
Montréal
San Francisco
Vancouver
Minneapolis
Portland
Bike Mode Share of Workers
An
nu
al F
atal
itie
s p
er 1
0,00
0 C
ycli
sts
New York
Safety in Numbers: Cyclist fatality rate
falls as cycling levels increase.
Source: Pucher and Buehler, City Cycling.Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012
Cycling in the Washington DC Region is safer than in NYC and Chicago, …
…. but Portland, Minneapolis, San Francisco and European cities are safer than DC.
Pro-car policies in European cities in 1950s and 1960s caused huge decline in walking and cycling
Dramatic policy turn-around since 1970s to limit car use and promote cycling, walking, and public transport in Dutch, Danish, and German cities
Public Policies Crucial to Promote Cycling
How to Encourage More Cycling while Improving Safety
• Better cycling facilities
• Integration of bike with public transport
• Traffic calming of residential neighborhoods
• Mixed-use zoning and improved urban design
• Restrictions on motor vehicle use
• Traffic education and Safe Routes to School
• Traffic regulations and enforcement
Trend in Bike Paths and Lanes per 100,000 Population in Nine Large North American Cities, 2000-2010
New York Chicago Toronto San Francisco
Vancouver Montréal Washington Minneapolis Portland0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
3 46
10
1619
17
39
60
8 911
15
2225
27
7073
2000 2010
Kilo
met
ers
of L
anes
an
d P
ath
s p
er 1
00,0
00 P
opu
lati
on
Cycling Policies in the DC Region
1970s: Plans for on-street facilities, but focus on off-street shared-use trails (often together with the NPS)
1980s/early 1990s: only few new pro-bike initiatives Building on the progress of the late 1990s, bicycle
planning experienced a renaissance in the 2000s. New focus on bike lanes and ‘innovative’ measures
Bike Lanes and Paved Off-Street Paths per Square Mile of Land Area, 2011
Washington, DC Arlington County Alexandria City Fairfax County Montgomery County
Prince George's County
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
1.40
1.60
1.80
2.00
0.81
1.86
0.86
0.51
0.29
0.19
0.98
1.12
0.84
0.06 0.03 0.01
Miles of Paved Trails per Square Mile
Miles of Lanes per Square Mile
Mile
s of
Lan
es o
r T
rails
per
Sq
uar
e M
ile
One-way cycle track in The Hague
Source: Peter Furth
Raised curb between cycle track and traffic lane
Almost 100km of 2-way cycle tracks in Montreal
Separation from traffic via bollards and parked cars
Separation from traffic via concrete barriers
Photo: Peter Furth Photo: Velo Quebec
Dutch Bicycle Facility Selection Matrix
Lane Configuration
Average daily traffic
(vehicles / day) Street type and speed limit
Urban local street
Urban through street
Rural local road
Fast traffic road
30 km/h (19 mph)
50 km/h (31 mph)
60 km/h (37 mph)
70+ km/h (44+ mph)
2-way traffic with no
centerline
< 2500
mixed traffic1
bike lane2 or cycletrack3
advisory bike lane4
cycle track or low-speed service road
2000 to 3000 bike lane2 or cycle track5
3000 to 5000
> 4000 bike lane or cycle
track
bike lane or cycle track3
2 lanes (1+1) any bike lane or cycle
track
bike lane or cycle track3
4 lanes (2 + 2) or more
any (does not
exist) cycle track or low speed service road
Source: Peter Furth, “Cycling Infrastructure,” in Pucher
and Buehler, eds. City Cycling, MIT Press, 2012.
Bike lanes are definitely better than no separate bike facilities, but they do not provide nearly as much
protection of cyclists from motor vehicles as cycle tracks
Bike lanes used for car parking
Bike lanes used for truck deliveries
Dooring of cyclists
Bike bridge over Yarra River in
Melbourne, Australia
Bike bridge over Ems River in Muenster,
Germany
Crucial to provide river crossings for cyclists
Provision of cycle track at this key underpass in Montreal
Photo: Velo Quebec
Separation from traffic via concrete barriers AND bollards
Red bike lanes for intersection crossings, connected with red brick sidepaths on both sides of every road
Source: City of Muenster, Germany
Pucher: Walking and Cycling for Health
Bike lane, advance stop line, and priority signal for cyclists in Muenster
Green wave for cyclists in
Odense, Denmark
Troels Andersen, “Cycling in Odense, Denmark”
Express bikeways
for commuters
Bike speed indicators
Raised curb protects
bike path from cars
Traffic Calming of Residential Neighborhoods• Speed limited by law to 30km per hour (19mph) or less
• Physical measures that force cars to slow down:
• Road narrowing, zigzag routing, chicanes
• Raised intersections and crosswalks
• Traffic circles
• Speed humps and bumps
• Mid-block closures and artificial dead-ends
• Bulb-outs at intersections and crosswalks, with sidewalk widening
Source: World Health Organization (2008) and OECD Transport Research Centre (2006)
Why Traffic Calming Saves Lives
Speed kills!
Speed kills!
Traffic Calming in Québec City
Source: Transports Viables
Traffic calming in Quebec City
and MontrealCheap, easy, and very effective traffic diverters
Photo: Transports Viables
Photo: Velo Quebec
Bike Boulevards in Portland
Traffic calming turns these streets into bikeways
Fotos: Jonathan Maus
(in 15 US cities in 2012)
Source: City of Berlin
1,100 km of bicycling facilities in Berlin plus 3,800 km of traffic calmed streets = 10% bike share of all trips
Source: City of Berlin, Burden, Buehler
The Washington DC Region has greatly expanded its bicycle infrastructure and implemented innovative measures, but…
…. it does not have a comprehensive network of bicycle facilities and intersection treatments that allows cyclists to get from A to B without cycling
in heavy or higher speed car traffic.
Bike Parking Spaces per 100,000 Residents, 2008
Sydne
y
Melb
ourn
e
San F
rancis
co
Mon
tréal
Portla
ndBerl
in
Was
hingto
n
Chicag
o
Toron
to
Minn
eapo
lis
Copen
hage
n
Amsterd
am
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
73 148466
802 725 857 1,056 1,121 1,286
4,599
6,960
30,272
Bik
e P
ark
ing
Sp
aces
per
100
,000
Pop
ula
tion
Source: Pucher, J., Buehler, R. (eds.) City Cycling. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012
Conversion of Car Parking to Bike Parking
27 bike corrals in San Francisco
95 bike corrals in Portland
E-Street in DC
King Street in Alexandria
Bike Parking and Showers At Work Increase Likelihood to Commute by Bike
Note: Relative to 1. Above 1=more likely. Below 1=less likely.
Buehler, R. 2012. “Determinants of Bicycle Commuting in the Washington, D.C. Region: The Role of Bicycle Parking, Cyclist Showers, and Free Car Parking at Work,” Transportation Research Part D: Transportation and Environment Vol. 17, No. 7, pp. 525-531.
Photo: John PucherPhoto: Ralph Buehler
Bikes on Caltrain in San Francisco
Photo: San Francisco Bicycling Coalition
Bi-directional cycle track and bike sharing near metro station in Montréal
Source: Vélo Québec
BIXI bike docking station
Metro station
Cycle track
Bike Station next to main train station in Muenster, Germany
Photo: Peter Berkeley
Capacity: 3,500 bikes
Nice Ride in Minneapolis
Capital Bikeshare in Washington, DC
Hubway Bikeshare in Cambridge, Boston, Somerville, and Brookline
Over 20 bike sharing systems in North America
Who are the ‘bike-sharers’ in the Washington DC Region?
Mal
e
Fem
ale
Asi
an
Bla
ck
Whi
te
His
pani
c
Oth
er
16-2
4
25-3
4
35-4
4
45-5
4
55+
Stud
ent
Not
Stu
dent
Gender/Sex Race/Ethnicity Age Student Status
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
65
35
3
8
81
3 4 5
24
31
23
1714
86
4852
85
78
4 3
17
43
17 16
7
n.a. n.a.
55
45
73
81
5 5
12
55
20
105
14
86Area Cyclists Short-term CaBi Users Annual CaBi Members
Per
cen
t
Source: Buehler et al. 2012. Are Bikeshare Users Different from Regular Cyclists? A First Look at Short-Term Users,Annual Members, and Area Cyclists in the Washington, DC Region
The Washington DC region is a national leader in bikesharing…
…but CaBi has fewer bikes and docking stations than systems in Paris, London, Montreal, and NYC.
Traffic Education
• Improved motorist training, with much more emphasis on how to avoid endangering pedestrians and cyclists
• Compulsory traffic safety lessons for all school children by the age of 10, with testing by traffic police on actual traffic test courses, to ensure safe and defensive walking and cycling by an early age (as in the Netherlands and Germany)
Cycling training and testing course in Berlin
Most German and Dutch children take cycling lessons by the 3rd or 4th grade and must pass a police-administered cycling safety test!
Innovative directional signs and bike trip
counters in Denmark
Photo by Susan Handy
Photo by Susan Handy
Summer Streets in New York City attracts 200,000 participants on
Saturdays in August
Source: Troels Andersen
Guided Bicycle Tours for Seniors
Summary: Cycling in the DC Region
Between 1990 and 2013, cycling levels and bike infrastructure supply have increased;
‘Bike-commuter’ region; National leader in bikesharing; Expansive shared-use trail network; Experimentation with innovative facilities (cycle tracks, color, bike boxes); ‘Urban core’ jurisdictions do most—particularly the District; Many challenges for cycling remain:
Bike lane and path network not complete; Few bicycle-friendly intersection; Little use of traffic calming in neighborhoods; Uneven distribution of cyclists vs. population; Lack of training and enforcement.
Source: Buehler, R., Hamre, A., Sonenklar, D., & P. Goger. 2011. Determinants of Cycling in Washington, DC. Report for U. S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Washington, D.C. and MAUTC.
Proposed Measures to Increase Cycling in the Washington DC Region
1. Provide a comprehensive package of integrated measures
2. Build a network of integrated bikeways with intersections that facilitate cycling
3. Provide good bike parking at key destinations and public transport stations
4. Expand CaBi
5. Provide convenient information and promotional events
6. Introduce individualized marketing to target specific groups
7. Improve cyclist education and expand bike to school programs
8. Improve motorist training, licensing, and traffic enforcement
9. Restrict car use through traffic calming, car-free zones, and less parking
10. Design communities to be compact, mixed-use, and bikeable
11. Coordinate across jurisdictional boundaries
New book with MIT Press
http://citycyclingbook.wordpress.com
About the authors:
http://ralphbu.wordpress.com
http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher