This report presents methodologies and tools to estimate the cost of various bicycle facilities and for evaluating their potential value and benefits. The results will help transportation planners make effective decisions on integrating bicycle facilities into their overall transportation plans and on a project-by-project basis. In the past, planners and stakeholders have been faced with considerable challenges in trying to estimate the benefits of bicycle facilities. The authors have developed criteria for identifying benefits that will be useful and effective for urban transportation planning, and they have provided a systematic method to estimate both direct benefits to the users of the facilities and indirect benefits to the community. The research described in the report has been used to develop a set of web-based guidelines available on the Internet at http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/bikecost/ that provide a step-by-step worksheet for estimating costs, demands, and benefits associated with specific facilities under consideration. Transportation decision makers at the federal, state, and local levels are examining the role of bicycling in response to traffic congestion, increased travel times, and environmental degradation. Through federal highway legislation, funding has been made available to develop bicycle facilities, both on and off road; however, greater public investment in bicycle facilities warrants a more comprehensive analysis of the costs and benefits. The U.S. DOT National Bicycling and Walking Study (1994) called for doubling the percentage of trips made by bicycling and walking to 15 percent of total trips. To make the best use of transportation funds, there is a need for better information on (a) the effects of bicycle-facility investment on bicycle use and mode share and (b) the resulting environmental, economic, public health, and social benefits. Under NCHRP Project 07-14, “Guidelines for Analysis of Investments in Bicycle Facilities,” a research team led by the University of Minnesota conducted an extensive analysis of the costs and benefits associated with bicycle facilities and developed a methodology that can be applied by transportation planners to assist with decision making in their own jurisdictions. The research results were used to develop web-based, step-by-step guidelines for evaluating the cost, demand, and potential benefits for bicycle facilities in support of investment decisions. These guidelines are available on a website maintained by the http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_552.pdfPedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) at www.bicyclinginfo.org/bikecost/. The PBIC is a clearinghouse for information about health and safety, engineering, advocacy, education, enforcement, and access and mobility. The interactive guidelines lead the user through a series of questions, starting with the geographic location and the type This report may be accessed by Internet users at of facility under consideration, and working through more specific issues to an estimate of the costs, demand, and potential benefits of the proposed facility. PBIC is funded by the U.S. DOT and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The PBIC is part of the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting