Pedestrian streets, also known as streets closed to motorized traffic, serve to promote active modes of transportation. This concept offers the potential to enhance safety for the most vulnerable road users while concurrently reducing air pollution. The present study aims to evaluate the safety of interactions between pedestrians and cyclists, focusing on three pedestrian streets within the city of Montreal. Video data was collected during the day in the summer of 2021. Following camera calibration, a total of 80 h of data was analyzed. Each road user detected and tracked was categorized as either a “pedestrian” or “cyclist”. The analysis involves the computation of indicators for individual cyclists (speed and acceleration) and for their interactions with pedestrians (distance and time to collision [TTC]). Two multivariate regression models were estimated to analyze the relationship between TTC or the cyclist speed as the dependent variables and several other factors. The findings from the safety analysis reveal a discernible variation in safety indicator values between distinct sites, even those situated on the same thoroughfare, independent of regulatory measures. The statistical analysis indicates that elevated TTC values correspond to high acceleration and increased distances between pedestrians and cyclists. Moreover, high TTC values are associated negatively with the density of pedestrians within the camera’s field of view. In contrast, concerning speed, high values are linked to low TTC and distances, together with elevated acceleration values.
This report outlines the use and application of the Mobility Energy Productivity (MEP) tool in evaluating the efficiency of transportation systems. The MEP metric assesses the quality of mobility in transportation systems, considering accessibility, energy consumption, and productivity. It incorporates time, cost, and energy-related measurements to assess accessibility and mobility. The key inputs for these calculations include isochrones, land use and employment data, energy intensity and cost parameters, activity frequency, and population density. Two main scenarios are studied: bike infrastructure improvements and the introduction of electric transit projects in South Florida. The findings suggest that enhancements in bike infrastructure and the transition to electric buses can significantly improve MEP scores, indicating more productive use of energy in mobility services. Nonetheless, the results highlight potential areas of improvement in MEP calculations for future scenarios. The report underscores the utility of the MEP tool in analyzing the impact of changes in infrastructure and service patterns on transportation systems. Further investigations are needed to fully understand the capabilities and limitations of the MEP tool. Future research can explore incremental parameter changes, alternative scenarios, and additional data sources. Improving instructions, guidelines, and developing a user-friendly interface would enhance the tool's accessibility and usability for informed decision-making.
As bicycling season moves into full gear, total U.S. spending on bicycles and imports of bicycles remain at all time-high levels while ridership on docked bikeshare systems continues to grow.
Participating in a run/walk event, commonly referred to as a “Turkey Trot,” on Thanksgiving Day is an annual event for many. There are over 750 Turkey Trots scheduled in 2023, with more than 250,000 people signed up to participate. Turkey Trot registrations in 2023 are up 9.9% from 2022. Since 2019, e-scooter and bikeshare (both docked and dockless) trips on Thanksgiving Day have increased steadily across five of the largest systems in the Nation. In 2022, nearly 55,000 docked bikeshare trips began on Thanksgiving on one of the five largest systems in the Nation; more than double the number in 2019 (roughly 24,000).
Most but not all docked bikeshare systems experienced an increase in ridership in 2023. In 2023, ridership declined 3% on BlueBikes (serving the Boston, MA metro area) and 2% on Bay Wheels (serving the San Francisco, CA area). With the exception of Bay Wheels, growth on BlueBikes in years prior to 2023 more than offset the decline experienced during 2020, when COVID-19 significantly reduced ridership on nearly all systems. Ridership on Bay Wheels, on the other hand, was 1% percentage point below the 2019 level in 2023.
Mobility hubs (MHs) can facilitate seamless transitions between various transportation modes, such as transit, ridehailing, and micromobility, enhancing multimodal travel and delivering socioeconomic benefits. To inform mobility hub planning and development in Florida cities and beyond, this project develops a multi-criteria, geographic information system (GIS)-based MH site selection tool. The tool prioritizes factors such as multimodal travel needs, first-/last-mile connectivity, and socio-demographic considerations in the MH site selection process. Through an application of the tool in Gainesville, Florida, the authors have identified 17 potential MH sites, categorized into neighborhood, district, and regional levels. Survey findings reinforce the significance of MH to facilitate multimodal connectivity and reveal preferences for hub locations that align with residents’ travel patterns. Key mobility hub features strongly desired by Gainesville travelers include parking, bike/e-scooter racks, and non-transportation amenities such as safety features and digital displays. The authors have further tested the tool in the City of West Palm Beach, and the results demonstrate its broader applicability. This research offers a strategic roadmap and practical guidelines for cities to enhance transportation networks and support urban development through the implementation of well-planned MHs. The research team’s extensive collaboration with the City of Gainesville and subsequent funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to support the development of climate-controlled shelters at selected MH sites underscores the practical impact of this research.
The objective of the NCHRP Project 15-74 is to develop data-driven guidelines for selecting context-appropriate design features for safety improvements of on-street bikeway designs, including separated and non-separated on-street bicycle facilities. To accomplish the goal of this project, the research team has conducted a comprehensive literature review; developed a roadmap for identifying the contextual factors affecting bicyclist safety at selected on-street bikeway sites; assessed a comprehensive list of data sources from multiple agencies; selected a list of sites with relevant data; and conducted safety effectiveness evaluation of bikeway types using before-after and cross-sectional analysis. The findings of this research indicate that all bikeway types installed at midblock locations (bicycle lane, buffered bicycle lane and separated bicycle lanes) will improve bicyclist safety by reducing the total and fatal and injury bicyclist crashes. Most of the models developed in this project indicated a significant reduction in bicyclist crashes at sites with on-street bikeways. Additionally, the results indicate that converting/retrofitting the existing bikeway can also strengthen the safety performance of the sites if care is taken at the bicyclist-vehicle conflict points. The results of this project can potentially impact the existing publications and guidelines concerned with the bicyclist safety.
This publication describes the technical specifications for selection, usability, installation, and maintenance of tactile walking surface indicators (TWSIs) in multimodal environments. The report and guide will be of immediate use to state, local, and tribal agencies, including rail, transit, and highway agencies; public works departments; ferries; airports; parks and recreation departments; and other entities seeking to provide wayfinding cues to improve the accessibility of their networks.
This publication describes the technical specifications for selection, usability, installation, and maintenance of tactile walking surface indicators (TWSIs) in multimodal environments. The report and guide will be of immediate use to state, local, and tribal agencies, including rail, transit, and highway agencies; public works departments; ferries; airports; parks and recreation departments; and other entities seeking to provide wayfinding cues to improve the accessibility of their networks.
This report presents a state-of-the-art and data-driven guide for selecting context-appropriate design features for safety improvements of separated and non-separated on-street bicycle lanes. The guide was developed based on an extensive literature review, a roadmap for identifying the contextual factors affecting bicyclist safety at selected on-street bikeway sites, and an evaluation of the safety effectiveness of bikeway types using before-after and cross-sectional analyses. The guide is of immediate interest to state and local transportation agencies seeking to enhance bicycle lane safety as they expand and improve their bicycle networks.
