A study of the effects on bicyclist and driver behavior when painting a bike lane green was conducted using video footage along East Thach Avenue in Auburn, Alabama. Whereas most previous studies on the implementation of green bike lanes have focused on primarily urban areas, this study aims to investigate the implications in a suburban community in eastern Alabama. Before and after data on vehicle speed, vehicle lateral location, and bicyclist lateral location were collected and two-sample t-tests were used to analyze the differences between each set of data. Analysis showed that with the addition of green paint to existing bike lanes, vehicle speeds dropped statistically significantly and motorists who were previously giving small amounts of passing space moved further away when passing a bicyclist. In addition, motorists who were previously driving in or near the bike lane when bicyclists were not present moved further toward the center of their lane. Together, these results indicate that the introduction of green paint to existing bike lanes in a suburban area has positive impacts on bicyclist–motorist interactions.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
2010 Bicycle Plan Technical Design Handbook. Publication CPC-2009-871-GPA. Department of City Planning, City of Los Angeles, 2010.
2.
National Association of City Transportation Officials. Urban Bikeway Design Guide, 2nd ed.Island Press, 2014.
3.
SadekA. W.DickasonA.KaplanJ.Effectiveness of Green, High-Visibility Bike Lane and Crossing Treatment. Presented at 86th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2007.
4.
HunterW. W.SrinivasanR.MartellC. A.Evaluation of a Green Bike Lane Weaving Area in St. Petersburg, Florida. FDOT Contract BA784. Florida Department of Transportation, 2008.
5.
BradyJ.LoskornJ.MillsA.DuthieJ.MachemehlR.Effects of Colored Lane Markings on Bicyclist and Motorist Behavior at Intersections. The City of Austin Bicycle Team, City of Austin, Tex., 2010.
6.
Evaluation of Solid Green Bicycle Lanes to Increase Compliance and Bicycle Safety. NYC Department of Transportation, City of New York, 2011.
7.
Green & Shared Lane Markings and Bikes in Lane Symbol Sign on 2nd Street. Progress Report to FHWA (USDOT file 9-113(E)). City of Long Beach, Calif., 2009.
8.
RietveldP.DanielV.Determinants of Bicycle Use: Do Municipal Policies Matter?Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Vol. 38, No. 7, 2004, pp. 531–550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2004.05.003.
9.
SenerI. N.EluruN.BhatC. R.Who Are Bicyclists? Why and How Much Are They Bicycling?Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2009. 2134: 63–72.
10.
BoslaughS. E.LukeD. A.BrownsonR. C.NaleidK. S.KreuterM. W.Perceptions of Neighborhood Environment for Physical Activity: Is It ‘Who You Are’ or ‘Where You Live?’Journal of Urban Health, Vol. 81, No. 4, 2004, pp. 671–681.
11.
HunterW. W.StuttsL.StuttsJ. C.Bikesafe: Bicycle Countermeasure Selection System. Federal Highway Administration, Office of Safety, Washington, D.C., 2011.
12.
BurchfieldR.Cycle Tracks: Lessons Learned. Alta Planning + Design, City of Portland, 2009.
13.
Cycle Infrastructure Design. Ove Arup & Partners Ltd., Department for Transport, The Stationary Office, Edinburgh, Scotland, 2008.
14.
PronovostJ.LusignanM.Pro Bike/Pro Walk ’96 Resource Book. Bicycle Federation of America and Pedestrian Federation of America, Portland, Maine, 1996.
15.
JensenS. U.Junctions and Cyclists. Proc., Velo City ’97—10th International Bicycle Planning Conference, Barcelona, Spain, 1997.
16.
New York City Bicycle Master Plan. Department of City Planning & Department of Transportation, City of New York, 1997.
17.
HunterW. W.HarkeyD. L.StewartJ. R.BirkM. L.Evaluation of Blue Bike-Lane Treatment in Portland, Oregon. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2000. 1705: 107–115.
18.
Coloured Bicycle Lanes Simulator Testing. Boulevard Transportation Group, Transportation Association of Canada, Ottawa, 2008.
19.
Memorandum: MUTCD—Interim Approval for Optional Use of Green Colored Pavement for Bike Lanes (IA-14). Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C., 2011.
20.
AladjemD.BarnbaumM.BordenC.BrillM.BrooksL.BussM.CahillT.Best Practices for Bicycle Master Planning and Design. Sacramento Transportation & Air Quality Collaborative, Sacramento Transportation Authority, 2005.
21.
Giffels-Webster Engineers, Carter-Burgess, Archive DS, and Brogan and Partners. Non-Motorized Urban Transportation Plan. Traffic Engineering Division, Department of Public Works, The City of Detroit, 2006.
22.
ChurchE.Street Smarts Task Force Bicycle Facilities Toolbox. Street Smarts Task Force, City of Austin, 2007.
23.
MooreB.OlsonJ.BucklandL.Columbus Bicentennial Bikeways Plan. Division of Infrastructure Management, City of Columbus, 2008.
24.
City of Memphis Bicycle Design Manual: Technical Memorandum on Current City Practices, Peer Cities & Best Practices. RFM Transportation Consultants, Engineering Division, City of Memphis, 2008.
FolettaN.NielsonC.PattonJ.ParksJ.ReesR.Green Shared Lane Markings on Urban Arterial in Oakland, California. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2015. 2492: 61–68.
29.
FurthP. G.DulaskiD.BergenthalD.BrownS.More than Sharrows: Lane-Within-A-Lane Bicycle Priority Treatments in Three U.S. Cities. Presented at 90th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2011.
30.
Sain Associates Inc., and Sprinkle Consulting Inc. Auburn-Opelika Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. Report Prepared for Lee Russell Council of Governments, Opelika, AL, 2016.
31.
LaMondiaJ.Auburn University Campus Travel Choices. Report Prepared for Auburn University Office of Sustainability, Auburn, AL, 2015.
32.
AASHTO. Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, 4th ed.AASHTO, Washington, D.C., 2012.
33.
Urban Bikeway Design Guide. National Association of City Transportation Officials, Island Press, 2012, p. 258.
34.
ROSPA. Road Safety Factsheet: Cycling Accidents. Report. Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, Edgbaston, Birmingham, 2017.
35.
LandisB. W.VattijutiV. R.BrannickM. T.Real-Time Human Perceptions: Toward a Bicycle Level of Service. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1997. 1578: 119–126
36.
KapariasI.BellM. G. H.SinghA.DongW.SastrawinataA.WangX.MountB.Analysing the Perceptions and Behaviour of Cyclists in Street Environments with Elements of Shared Space. Proc., 45th Annual Conference of the Universities’ Transport Study Group, Oxford, 2013.
37.
HarkeyD. L.StewartJ. R.Evaluation of Shared-Use Facilities for Bicycles and Motor Vehicles. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1997. 1578: 111–118.
38.
PriyankaA.RaihanM.SahaD.WuW.HuqA.NafisS.GanA.Statewide Analysis of Bicycle Crashes. Final Report BDV29-977-23. Florida Department of Transportation, Tallahassee, 2017.
ZhibinL.WangW.LiuP.RaglandD.Physical Environments Influencing Bicyclists’ Perception of Comfort on Separated and On-Street Bicycle Facilities. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Vol. 17, No. 3, 2012, pp. 256–261.
41.
BasfordL.ReidS.LesterT.ThomsonJ.TolmieA.Drivers’ Perceptions of Cyclists. TRL Report TRL549. Department of Transport, Glasgow, Ireland, 2002.
42.
LaMondiaJ.DuthieJ.Analysis of Factors Influencing Bicycle–Vehicle Interactions on Urban Roadways by Ordered Probit Regression. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2012. 2314: 81–88.
43.
JensenS. U.Safety Effects of Blue Cycle Crossings: A Before–After Study. Accident Analysis and Prevention, Vol. 40, 2007, pp. 742–750.
44.
City of New York, Department of Transportation. Evaluation of Solid Green Bicycle Lanes to Increase Compliance and Bicycle Safety. Report., Federal Highway Administration, 2011.
