Analyzing the Effect of Bicycle Facilities on Commute Mode Share over Time
Publication: Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 135, Issue 2
Abstract
This study employs United States census data to analyze changes in bicycle commuting between 1990 and 2000 in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. area. A variety of perspectives are used to understand the impact of newly created facilities. The evidence suggests that bicycle facilities significantly impact levels of bicycle commuting, although the results are not totally free of uncertainty. For example, areas near new bicycle facilities showed considerably more of an increase in bicycle mode share than areas farther away. Observing increased cycling due to these physical interventions provides a starting point to which future research could add detail that would be needed to guide infrastructure investment.
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Acknowledgments
The writers thank participants in the Active Communities/Transportation (ACT) Research Group—Ahmed El-Geneidy, Ryan Wilson, and Mike Iacono—for discussions and suggestions that informed this research.
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© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Dec 5, 2007
Accepted: Sep 11, 2008
Published online: May 15, 2009
Published in print: Jun 2009
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