Keeping Cycling on Track: Developing Guidelines to Promote Cycling for All Ages & Abilities

1. Keeping Cycling on Track: Developing Guidelines to Promote Cycling for All Ages & Abilities Mike Anderson, City of Vancouver Hailey Steiger, Urban Systems

2. Agenda • Context • Why All Ages & Abilities? • Cycle Tracks – The What & Why • Design Guidelines • Lessons Learned

3. Context Guidelines for All Ages and Abilities: • Bicycle Network Planning Guidelines • Bicycle Facility Selection Guidelines • Bicycle Facility Design Guidelines • Bicycle Comfort Index Today’s focus

4. Context – Transportation 2040

5. Context Transportation 2040 cycling vision: “Make cycling safe, convenient, comfortable and fun for people of all ages and abilities”

6. Why All Ages and Abilities? For cycling to be viable and a mainstream transportation choice, routes should be comfortable and low stress for people of all ages and abilities

7. “Interested but concerned” individuals have an interest in cycling, but have safety and convenience concerns that limit their participation in cycling Class AAA facilities are high quality facilities that are safe, comfortable and attractive to the Interested but Concerned segment

8. The Interested but Concerned “Interested but concerned” in Metro Vancouver

9. What is a Cycle Track? A bicycle path along a road, physically separated from motor vehicle traffic, and distinct from the sidewalk Ottawa, ON

10. What is a Cycle Track? Cambridge, Massachusetts

11. What is a Cycle Track? Vancouver, BC

12. What is a Cycle Track? San Francisco, California

13. Bicycle Facilities Continuum Less comfortable More Comfortable Class AAA Off-Street Pathway Cycle Track Local Street Bikeway Bicycle Lane Shared Use Lane Shoulder Bikeway

14. Design Guidance on Cycle Tracks • Little formal design direction in Canada • Most North American cities are learning based • on examples elsewhere

15. Cycle Track Facility Design Guidelines • Width / Capacity • Separation • Bus Stops • Intersections • Maintenance • Evaluation & Monitoring

16. Cycle Track Facility Design Guidelines • Width / Capacity • Separation • Bus Stops • Intersections • Maintenance • Evaluation & Monitoring

17. Width – One Way Cycle Tracks

18. Width – Two Way Cycle Tracks

19. Separation Not just one type - many shapes and sizes Painted Buffer Bollards Parked Cars Barriers Visual / Surface Treatments Elevation

20. Separation $2 million / km $200,000 / km Painted Buffer Bollards Parked Cars Barriers Visual / Surface Treatments Elevation

21. Separation in Vancouver $2 million / km $200,000 / km Painted Buffer Bollards Parked Cars Barriers Visual / Surface Treatments Elevation

22. Cycle Tracks & Bus Stops BUS STOPS ON THIS SIDE CYCLE TRACK

23. Cycle Tracks & Bus Stops BUS STOP & WAITING PLATFORM CYCLE TRACK

24. Cycle Tracks & Bus Stops CYCLE TRACK

25. Cycle Tracks & Bus Stops BUS STOP CYCLE TRACK

26. Cycle Tracks & Bus Stops

27. Cycle Tracks & Intersections

28. Cycle Tracks & Intersections

29. Lessons Learned • Ensure widths support moving bike traffic through, and comfort - and growth! • Can compromise on width for short sections - better than no separated facility at all • Don’t need to use ‘cadillac’ separation at all times - comfort and safety possible with cheaper treatments • Cycle tracks on high activity transit corridors do work

30. Thank you mike.anderson@vancouver.ca hsteiger@urbansystems.ca