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Analyzing bicycle routes and forecasting effective development for Burlington, VT:

Final Report

Lev McCarthy limccart@uvm.edu

(617)-833-2100

Environmental Studies Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources

University of Vermont ‘15

Faculty Sponsor: Richard Watts

Assistant Research Professor, CDAE rwatts@uvm.edu

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Acknowledgments.!!!!!!!!!!!Funding!for!this!research!was!provided!in!part!through!a!Summer!Student!Research!

Assistantship!from!the!UVM!Transportation!Research!Center.!!!!!!

The!researcher!would!like!to!extend!thanks!to!Richard!Watts,!Glenn!McRae,!Nicole!Losch,!Bryan!Davis,!Tom!Cohen!and!Florence!Becot!for!their!help!developing!this!

research!and!directing!its!results.!!!!!!!!!!

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Contents''

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Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………………………………………i!

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..ii!

1.!Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………1!!!

2.!Survey!Methodology……………………………………………………………………………………......3!

!! 2.1!Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………….....3!

!! 2.2!Distribution………………………………..………………………………………………….…...3!

! 2.3!Demographics………………………………………………….…………………………………5!

!3.!Questionnaire!Results!and!Analysis……………………………………………………………….15!

!! 3.1!Bicyclist!Typology……………………………………………………………………………..18!

!! 3.2!Pathway!Selection……………………………………………………………………………..19!

!! 3.3!Topography………….………………………………………………………………………...…19!

! 3.4!Motorist!Interaction..…………………………………………………………………...……19!

!! 3.5!Dangerous!Features..………………………………………………………………………….19!

! 3.6!Perceived!Safety..……………………………………………………………………………….19!

!! 3.7!Weather!and!Seasonality..……………….………………………………………………….19!

!! 3.8!Respondent!Recommendations……….………………………………………………….19!

4.!Mapping,!Results!and!Analysis..……………………………………………………………………….20!

!! 4.1!Route!Purpose…………………….………….………………………………………………….19!

Works!Cited………………………………………….…………………………………………………………...22!

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1.#Introduction##! In!Burlington,!VT!the!public!and!local!government!repeatedly!support!increasing!the!availability!and!facility!of!bicycling,!but!there!is!a!comparative!lack!of!proactive!development.!!This!lack!of!project!implementation!is!partially!due!to!a!shortage!of!information!and!data!about!which!pathways!in!Burlington!are!most!valuable!as!bicycle!routes.!In!2002!the!Burlington!Department!of!Public!Works!commissioned!the!Burlington!North/South!Bicycle!&!Pedestrian!route!study.!This!study!contains!the!keystone!data!for!bicycle!development!planning,!but!its!breadth!is!very!limited.!!!! The!purpose!of!the!North/South!route!study!was!to!identify!bicycle!and!pedestrian!routes!for!the!north!and!south!connections!into!downtown!Burlington.!Of!those!identified!routes,!one!would!be!chosen!as!the!focus!of!development.!!!! The!North/South!Route!Study!used!two!sets!of!data!to!understand!Burlington’s!existing!bicycle!network.!The!first!data!was!from!the!Federal!Highway!Administration!(FHWA)!Bicycle!Compatibility!Index!(BCI)!or!Level!of!Service!(LoS)!that!looked!at!a!cityTwide!sample!of!major!arterial!streets.!The!FHWA!data!was!paired!with!survey!data!of!scored!street!segments!collected!by!the!Burlington!City!Bike!Council.!The!results!revealed!a!severe!lack!of!biking!infrastructure,!and!an!emphasis!on!the!opportunities!to!design!for!bike!use!along!North!Winooski!Ave,!North!Union!St!and!South!Union!Street.!Since!the!publication!of!this!plan!in!2002,!there!have!been!a!series!of!infrastructural!achievements!along!those!corridors!that!were!deemed!essential!to!North/South!bicycle!and!pedestrian!connectivity.!! !!!! It!is!difficult!to!draw!universal!conclusions!about!the!impacts!of!certain!geographic!features!and!types!of!bicycle!infrastructure!on!bicyclists’!pathway!selection.!Each!rider’s!decisions!are!impacted!by!countless!internal!and!external!factors.!In!recent!decades,!an!increased!interest!in!bicycle!transportation!planning!has!led!to!a!swath!of!research!attempting!to!uncover!patterns!in!bicyclists’!pathway!selection,!but!because!of!the!variety!of!research!locations!and!methods,!there!is!not!much!evidence!showing!what!infrastructure!and!policies!lead!to!increased!levels!of!bicycle!transportation!(Pucher!et!al.,!2010).!!!! Once!a!person!decides!to!use!his!bicycle!to!complete!a!trip,!there!are!the!pathway!selections!that!she!will!make!along!the!way,!and!distance!is!a!dominant!factor!for!which!route!she!selects.!!Research!has!shown!that!cyclists’!paths!are!on!average!about!12%!longer!than!the!shortest!path,!with!half!of!all!trips!being!less!than!10%!longer!than!the!shortest!distance!(Broach!et!al.,!2012).!These!stats!hint!that!bikers!are!impressively!concise!in!choosing!the!shortest!routes.!Relative!distance!comparisons!are!also!found!to!play!an!important!role!in!pathway!selection.!It!is!equally!likely!that!a!cyclist!will!go!1!mile!out!of!his!way!on!a!5!mile!trip!as!.2!miles!out!of!his!way!on!a!1!mile!trip.!This!same!study!found!that!a!1%!increase!in!distance!decreases!the!probability!that!a!cyclist!will!choose!that!route!by!5%T9%!(Broach!et!al.,!2012).!!! So!what!makes!a!bicyclist!go!out!of!their!way?!What!features!along!the!shortest!possible!route!make!a!cyclist!take!a!longer!alternative,!and!which!features!on!a!lessTdirect!route!would!attract!cyclists!away!from!the!shortest!possible!route?!The!goal!of!the!Burlington!Bike!Survey!is!to!gauge!the!pathway!selection!behavior!of!bicyclists!in!Burlington,!VT,!surmise!a!pattern!in!their!

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preferences,!and!ascertain!where!in!Burlington!improvement!would!yield!the!most!benefit.!Here,!we!define!benefit!as!an!increased!level!of!safety!for!bicyclists!paired!with!the!accessibility!and!efficient!utility!of!popular!shortest!paths.!!!! The!results!of!this!research!contributes!to!the!body!of!knowledge!currently!available!to!Burlington’s!bicycle!planning!community.!Instead!of!reactive!and!convenient!development!based!on!opportunity,!I!hope!that!awareness!to!the!preferences!of!the!Burlington!community!will!direct!the!design!and!development!of!bicycle!infrastructure!throughout!the!city.!These!finding!are!not!limited!to!local!application,!my!methods!can!serve!as!a!framework!for!similar!research!in!any!city!hoping!to!better!understand!their!bicycle!routes!and!forecast!effective!prospective!development.!!!!2.#Survey#Methodology##2.1!Introduction!!! A!survey!method!was!used!to!gather!data!about!Burlington’s!bicyclists,!and!although!there!was!a!fair!amount!of!deliberation,!the!final!survey!was!distributed!in!paper,!in!person,!rather!than!online.!This!method!was!initially!considered!because!the!researcher!did!not!have!the!technical!ability!to!distribute!the!survey!online,!but!the!physical!inTperson!survey!ended!up!being!an!effective!tool,!and!there!are!benefits!to!the!method!that!would!have!been!impossible!to!achieve!with!an!online!survey!tool.!!!!! In!order!to!create!an!effective!survey,!I!worked!with!professionals!who!are!involved!in!Burlington’s!bicycle!community.!The!group!of!professional!partners!included!Bicycle!and!Pedestrian!Planners!at!Burlington’s!Department!of!Public!Works!and!the!Chittenden!County!Regional!Planning!Commission,!Bicycle!event!organizers!and!advocates!at!Local!Motion,!research!method!specialists!and!a!Geographic!Information!Systems!specialist!at!University!of!Vermont’s!College!of!Community!Development!and!Applied!Economics.!Through!meetings!with!these!partners!and!a!couple!test!groups!the!physical!survey!tool!was!honed!and!prepared!for!distribution.!!!! The!survey!tool!used!for!the!Burlington!Bike!Survey!is!more!qualitative!than!quantitative.!The!18!questions!are!meant!to!be!as!inclusive!as!possible,!because!the!research!aimed!to!amass!a!baseline!of!data!about!Burlington’s!cyclists!while!also!focusing!on!pathway!selection.!The!question!types!reflect!this!inclusivity;!Three!questions!were!open!ended,!three!were!demographic,!eight!were!multiple!choice,!three!used!a!semantic!differential!scale!and!one!had!respondents!draw!their!response!on!a!map.!!!! The!questions’!content!were!based!on!existing!research!that!has!looked!into!pathway!selection,!and!road!features!were!specified!to!match!Burlington’s!current!conditions.!!The!results!reported!here!are!derived!from!119!survey!responses.!!!!2.2!Survey!Distribution!! The!intent!of!the!distribution!method!was!to!capture!a!representative!sample!of!Burlington’s!biking!population.!Local!Motion!allowed!me!to!hand!out!the!survey!at!their!secure!

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parking!locations!at!the!Burlington!Farmer’s!Market!at!City!Hall!Park!and!the!Summervale!events!

at!the!Intervale.!The!survey!was!also!dropped!off!at!a!couple!businesses!downtown!where!a!

significant!proportion!of!the!employees!commute!by!bike.!An!attempt!was!made!to!distribute!the!

survey!at!Bike!Recycle!Vermont,!a!notTfor!profit!bike!shop!in!Burlington!that!provides!bicycle!

maintenance,!training!and!other!bicycleTrelated!services!to!lowerTincome!Vermonters.!!I!selected!

these!locations!based!on!personal!observations.!I!had!noticed!that!many!people!cycled!to!these!

events!so!they!were!ideal!locations!for!efficiently!disseminating!the!survey.!

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!2.3!Survey!Demographics!! !

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! Figures!1,!2!and!3!display!the!demographics!of!the!survey!respondents.!These!

demographics!depict!a!Burlington!bicycle!community!that!is!majority!male,!primarily!young,!and!

highly!educated.!!

!! The!low!percentage!of!females!who!responded!to!this!survey!is!consistent!with!a!2:1!male!

to!female!ratio!nationally!for!bicycle!commuters!(Krizek!et!al.,!2004;!Pucher!and!Buehler,!2011).!

Nearly!61!percent!of!the!respondents!identified!as!male,!!and!39!percent!identified!as!female.!

!! !!!Left!out!of!the!sample!are!people!under!the!age!of!18,!which!according!to!national!bicycle!

demographics!research!represents!about!40!percent!of!all!bicycle!trips!(Pucher!and!Buehler,!

2011).!Accounting!for!this!deficiency,!the!proportions!for!the!other!age!ranges!conform!to!the!

national!averages!aside!from!a!lessTthan!10Tpercentage!point!overTrepresentation!of!bicyclists!

bellow!the!age!of!35.!!The!mean!age!of!respondents!is!35!years,!with!a!minimum!of!18!and!a!

maximum!of!73.!!

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26%

35%

12%

14%

10%

3%

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55-64

65+

Age % of respondents in each age group

n = 119!

39%

61%

1%

Gender % of respondents who identify as

each gender

Female

Male

Other

n = 119!

Figure#1# Figure#2#

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!! !! Educational!achievement!was!used!partially!as!a!proxy!for!income,!with!the!primary!intent!of!gauging!the!socioeconomic!balance!of!Burlington’s!cyclists.!National!research!has!found!that!there!is!nearly!no!difference!in!bicycle!ridership!between!the!four!income!quartiles!(Pucher!and!Buehler,!2011).!The!discrepancy!between!our!data!and!the!national!average!may!be!attributed!to!our!points!of!distribution.!The!survey!was!given!out!at!the!Burlington!Farmer’s!Market,!Summervale!and!two!Burlington!businesses.!Burlington!Farmer’s!Market!and!Summervale!tend!to!attract!people!who!have!expendable!income!to!be!spent,!free!time!to!attend!these!events,!and!social!connections!that!inform!them!of!the!event!or!encourage!their!weekly!attendance.!!!! In!order!to!rectify!this!imbalance,!the!methods!included!surveying!bicyclists!who!utilize!the!service!of!Bike!Recycle!Vermont!(BRV),!but!complications!made!it!an!impractical!distribution!location.!Many!of!the!adults!who!use!Bike!Recycle!Vermont!speak!Arabic,!and!communicate!to!the!BRV!staff!through!young!children!who!speak!both!English!and!Arabic.!An!official!interpreter!would!have!been!necessary!to!facilitate!the!surveying,!and!securing!an!interpreter!would!have!taken!longer!than!the!allotted!time!for!this!research.!The!people!who!use!BRV’s!services!were!often!stopping!by!quickly!and!they!frequently!declined!being!surveyed!because!they!did!not!have!time!to!stop!and!take!a!15Tminute!survey.!Along!with!the!time!constraints!and!language!barrier,!distributing!the!survey!at!BRV!would!be!disruptive!to!their!service!process.!The!BRV!staff!worked!very!hard!to!keep!the!shop!organized!and!efficient,!and!although!I!attempted!to!minimize!my!impact!on!their!routine,!distributing!the!survey!was!retarding!BRV’s!service!by!overcrowding!their!workspace!and!sometimes!putting!off!their!customers.!!This!survey!sample!underTrepresents!a!populace!in!the!lowerTeducation!bracket,!and!the!results!take!this!into!consideration.!!#####

4% 3%

18% 5%

47% 15%

7%

Regular high school diploma

GED or alternative credential

1 or more year of college credit,

Associate's Degree

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree

Doctoral Degree

Education % highest degree or level of school completed

n = 119

Figure#3#

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#3.#Questionnaire#Results#and#Analysis#!3.1!Bicyclist!Classification!! Categorizing!participants!is!a!vital!tool!for!assessing!a!bicycle!community.!People!ride!bicycles!for!a!combination!of!reasons,!and!their!decisions!are!influenced!by!an!innumerable!amount!of!environmental!factors.!Researchers!have!attempted!to!categorize!bicyclists!as!a!way!to!build!networks!adapted!to!different!cyclist!types.!Appealing!to!this!variety!of!riders!is!an!efficient!way!to!increase!the!cycling!mode!share!and!frequency!(DamantTSirois!et!al.,!2013).!!!! Commuting!cyclists!are!relatively!more!sensitive!to!distance!and!less!sensitive!to!most!other!variables!compared!to!cyclists!riding!for!utilitarian!purposes.!The!only!exception!to!the!previous!statement!is!commuters’!unwillingness!to!travel!on!roads!with!highTvolume!traffic.!This!is!likely!attributed!to!the!fact!that!commuting!cyclists!are!riding!at!peak!traffic!hours!(Broach!et!al.,!2012).!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! !!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! ! !Figure#4!! !! This!survey!stopped!short!of!comprising!a!cyclist!typology.!InTdepth!work!has!been!done!towards!comprising!an!accurate!typology!that!can!help!understand!how!to!cater!to!the!variety!of!cyclists!(Dill!&!Carr,!2003;!Gatersleben!&!Haddad,!2010;!Geller,!R.,!2006),!and!creating!a!survey!to!achieve!their!typologies,!the!Burlington!Bike!Survey!would!have!to!assume!a!level!of!nuance!that!would!be!detrimental!to!the!other!goals.!!!! Research!has!shown!that!selfTclassification!is!an!effective!way!to!determining!comfort!with!various!path!features.!So!selfTclassification!is!used!here!both!as!a!contributing!factor!to!our!own!cyclist!typology!as!well!as!a!variable!helping!decipher!and!analyze!the!raw!data.!!!!! The!Burlington!Bike!Survey!used!a!threeTclass!option!classification!system.!Respondents!were!asked!to!say!if!they!would!classify!themselves!as!an!“expert”,!“moderate”,!or!“beginner”!

3%

49% 48%

Bicyclist classification Self-reported experience level

Begginer

Moderate

Expert

n = 119

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bicyclist.!It!is!interesting!to!note!that!only!3!percent!of!respondents!responded!that!they!are!

“beginner”!cyclists.!Although!this!may!appear!to!be!a!fault!in!that!not!enough!beginners!are!

sampled!to!equal!out!the!demographics,!we!are!able!to!analyze!how!path!selection!differs!between!

cyclists!who!consider!themselves!to!be!“moderate”!and!“expert”.!

!3.2!Favorite!Places!to!Cycle!!!! Survey!respondents!were!first!asked,!where!their!favorite!place!to!bike!in!Burlington,!VT!is!

located.!Responses!were!encouraged!to!include!roads,!bike!paths!or!neighborhoods.!The!aim!of!

this!question!was!to!see!which!features!were!common!amongst!people’s!favorite!places!to!bike,!

and!what!people!cited!as!their!reason!for!favoring!this!place.!One!of!our!goals!is!to!identify!what!

existing!features!should!be!replicated.!What!is!difficult!about!this!assessment!is!that!cyclists!tend!

to!favor!routes!they!use!for!recreation,!not!utility.!! ! !

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! Perhaps!it!is!unsurprising!that!over!half!of!the!respondents!mentioned!that!the!Waterfront!

Bike!Path!is!among!their!favorite!places!to!bike!in!Burlington.!The!Waterfront!Bike!Path!is!a!

multipleTuse!recreational!offTroad!paved!path,!which!goes!the!length!of!Burlington’s!Lake!

Champlain!waterfront!from!Oakledge!Park!to!the!Colchester!Bike!Path.!Of!the!54%!who!chose!the!

Waterfront!Bike!25%!explicitly!cited!the!scenery!or!beauty!of!the!path!as!their!primary!reason!for!

it!being!their!favorite.!One!respondent!embodied!the!respondents’!consensus!by!aptly!by!saying;!

“(The!Burlington!Waterfront)!Bike!Path!is!my!favorite!because!of!the!scenery!and!the!fact!that!it’s!

careless!T!but!its!also!totally!recreational!so!it’s!obviously!enjoyable!for!that!reason!too”.!

!! Only!six!bicyclists!conveyed!that!their!favorite!place!was!along!a!route!they!used!for!utility!

and!praised!those!routes!for!their!convenience!or!accessibility.!About!10!percent!mentioned!

3%

4%

4%

5%

5%

6%

7%

8%

9%

54%

Pine St

North Winooski

Neighborhood

Causeway

Riverside Ave

intervale

RT 127 bike path

Old North End

Spear St

Waterfront bike path

Favorite places to cycle in Burlington

n = 119

Figure#5#

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infrastructure!as!a!factor!for!selecting!their!favorite!route.!The!roads!mentioned!mentioned!all!have!bike!lanes,!but!this!underrepresentation!of!roads!and!infrastructure!in!bicyclists’!selections!indicates!that!more!infrastructure!is!needed!to!make!riding!on!roadways!easier!and!more!enjoyable.!It!may!not!be!possible!to!recreate!the!aesthetic!aspects!of!the!Waterfront!Bike!Path,!but!there!is!room!to!build!on!the!interesting!surroundings!that!some!of!Burlington’s!neighborhoods!have!to!offer.!The!Old!North!End!was!mentioned!in!8!percent!of!responses,!and!bicyclists!chose!that!neighborhood!as!their!favorite!because!of!its!interesting!architecture,!dense!development,!and!the!opportunities!for!people!watching.!Bicycling!as!a!mode!of!transportation!affords!ample!interaction!and!appreciation!of!beauty!and!interesting!landscapes!at!a!small!scale,!so!perhaps!bicycling!can!be!made!more!attractive!by!increasing!bicycle!infrastructure!in!sideTstreet!neighborhoods.!!!!3.3!Topography!! !!! There!is!a!common!supposition!that!bicycling!in!Burlington!is!made!difficult!by!its!topography.!Most!of!downtown!Burlington!is!a!hill!whose!western!slope!is!home!to!the!city’s!most!densely!populated!region,!as!well!as!most!the!city’s!amenities!and!utilities.!When!planning!roads!for!cars!slopes!can!usually!be!ignored.!The!personTpowered!bike!as!a!mode!is!much!more!vulnerable!to!steep!inclines,!and!as!a!result!slope!is!believed!to!be!a!key!feature!in!selecting!cycling!routes.!!In!research!done!in!Portland,!Oregon!Broach!et!al.!found!that!cyclists!would!be!willing!to!travel!1.72!flat!miles!to!avoid!1!mile!of!a!hill!with!a!2%!average!point!slope.!!!!!!!! !! !!! !!! !!! !! !!! The!results!of!the!Burlington!Bike!Survey!counter!this!presumption!that!bicyclists!make!their!route!decisions!to!foremost!to!avoid!riding!uphill.!The!responses,!shown!in!Figure!6,!demonstrate!that!17!percent!of!Burlington’s!cyclists!avoid!going!up!steep!hills!more!than!any!other!feature!but!this!is!only!the!third!most!impactful!route!feature.!!

1%

5%

14%

17%

29%

35%

Left-hand turns

Busy intersections

Poor pavement conditions

Steep hills (uphill)

Dense car traffic

Fast-moving car traffic

Avoidance % of respondents who avoid ...... the most

n = 119

Figure#6#

!8!

!!!!!!!!!!!! !!! !! When!asked!which!features!of!Burlington’s!roadways!impact!their!route!decisions!the!most,!only!15!percent!believe!that!steep!uphills!qualify!as!having!the!‘highest!impact’.!The!43!percent!of!respondents!who!believe!that!steep!uphills!qualify!as!having!a!high!impact!is!substantial,!but!the!feature!that!directs!Burlington!bicyclists’!pathway!decisions!the!most!is!unrelated!to!topography,!and!is!an!issue!bicyclists!confront!in!most!of!North!America’s!urban!centers.!!!3.4!Motorist!Interaction!!! Motorists!and!bicyclists!sharing!the!road!has!become!an!increasingly!common!feature!in!US!cities,!but!merely!encouraging!drivers!to!be!aware!of!bicyclists!is!not!enough!to!offset!the!inherent!pathway!selection!discouragement!of!heavy!traffic!and!high!speeds.!!In!the!United!States,!bicyclists!avoid!high!volume!streets!without!any!infrastructure!at!the!cost!of!nearly!a!%100!increase!in!distance!(Broach!et!al.,!2012).!The!most!important!and!direct!roadways!are!typically!those!with!the!highest!volumes!of!traffic,!and!these!same!roads!frequently!have!very!high!speed!limits.!This!is!in!direct!conflict!with!bicycle!accessibility.!!!! Data!garnered!through!the!Burlington!Bike!Survey!shows!that!Burlington’s!bicyclists’!pathway!decisions!are,!foremost,!impacted!by!fast!moving!car!traffic!and!dense!car!traffic!respectively.!51!percent!of!respondents!report!that!fast!moving!car!traffic!qualifies!as!the!highest!impact!feature,!and!66!percent!say!it!is!at!least!a!high!impact!feature.!38!percent!of!respondents!report!that!dense!car!traffic!qualifies!as!the!highest!impact!feature,!and!65!percent!say!it!is!at!least!a!high!impact!feature.!This!avoidance!of!car!traffic!is!important!to!note!in!a!city!that!currently!lacks!protected!bike!lanes,!which!would!give!cyclists!the!separation!and!safety!they!seek.!!! !The!impact!of!car!traffic!on!bicyclists!differs!based!on!the!selfTassigned!experience!level!of!the!cyclist.!Cyclists!who!qualify!themselves!as!experts!express!that!their!path!selection!is!substantially!less!impacted!by!fastTmoving!car!traffic!and!dense!car!traffic!compared!to!people!who!classify!themselves!as!moderate!cyclists.!There!are!11!percent!more!moderate!bicyclists!than!expert!bicyclists!whose!path!selection!is!very!impacted!by!fastTmoving!car!traffic,!and!14!percent!

18% 9% 29% 28% 15%

Impact of steep hills (uphill) % of responces that attribute ..... level of impact on path selection

1 (lowest impact) 2 3 4 5 (highest impact) n = 119

Figure#7#

!

9!

more!whose!path!selection!is!very!impacted!by!dense!car!traffic.!!!3.5!Dangerous!Features!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!! There!is!a!significant!discord!between!cyclists!and!motorists,!which!is!encouraged!by!the!ambiguous!and!unsuitable!distribution!of!transportation!infrastructure!between!the!two!modes.!Burlington’s!bicyclists!overwhelmingly!express!a!fear!of!car!interaction.!When!asked!what!situations!while!cycling!in!Burlington!make!them!feel!unsafe!28!percent!of!respondents!wrote!in!that!they!felt!unsafe!because!of!motorists,!and!this!category!can!be!divided!into!13!percent!who!feel!endangered!by!aggressive!motorists,!and!15!percent!who!feel!endangered!by!inattentive!drivers.!!!! Second!only!to!the!fear!of!motorists!themselves,!is!a!fear!of!car!traffic.!I!have!chosen!to!differentiate!between!car!traffic!and!motorists!although!mediating!these!issues!will!follow!similar!tactics.!This!fear!can!likely!be!attributed!to!an!abundance!of!the!dangerous!situations!cyclists!prescribe!to!motorists.!20!percent!of!respondents!wrote!that!they!felt!endangered!by!car!traffic,!8!percent!of!those!are!weary!of!dense!traffic!and!12!percent!are!weary!of!fast!car!traffic.!!!! Another!commonality!found!amongst!the!survey’s!respondents!is!a!fear!of!getting!‘doored’,!a!term!describing!an!accident!brought!about!by!a!motorist!opening!their!door!in!the!path!of!a!cyclist.!This!is!a!significant!cause!of!cyclist!injuries!in!many!North!American!cities,!and!10!percent!

11% 10% 10%

7% 5% 5% 5%

4% 3%

2% 2% 2%

1%

Aggressive drivers , 13% Inattentive Drivers, 15% Dense Traffic , 8% Fast Traffic, 12%

Motorists

Car traffic

Road Conditions

Other Cyclists

Getting 'doored'

Snow/ Ice

Shelburne Rd

Left Turns

Dark/ Night

North Ave

Intersections

Pine St

Main St

Bike Lanes

North St

Danger % of responces that mention a particular factor, feature or place which

makes them feel unsafe

n = 119

Figure#8#

!

10!

of!the!survey!respondents!report!being!fearful!of!getting!doored!while!cycling!in!Burlington.!Burlington’s!roads!have!ample!space!from!curb!to!curb,!but!curbside!parking!has!diminished!the!space!available!for!movement,!and!on!nearly!all!roads!with!bike!lanes!the!lanes!are!narrow!and!adjacent!to!the!parked!cars,!restricting!cyclists!to!the!area!where!they’re!most!susceptible!to!being!doored.!!!!!! It!is!important!to!note!the!sense!of!danger!invoked!by!poor!road!conditions.!The!11!percent!of!respondents!who!wrote!that!they!are!afraid!of!poor!road!conditions!were!primarily!concerned!by!situations!where!broken!cement,!potholes,!or!debris!in!the!bike!lane!or!shoulder!forces!a!bicyclist!to!swerve!into!the!motorist!lane.!Just!over!half!(about!55%)!of!responses!which!mentioned!poor!pavement!conditions!felt!endangered!by!being!forced!into!the!road,!and!into!the!path!of!oncoming!cars.!!!! All!of!the!roads!mentioned!by!respondents!are!primary!access!routes!into!and!out!of!Downtown!Burlington.!Shelburne!Road,!Pine!Street,!North!Ave!and!Main!Street!all!sustain!a!high!volume!of!car!traffic,!but!these!roadways!are!important!to!bicyclists!for!the!same!reasons!that!they!are!so!populated!by!motorists.!This!research!demonstrates!that!North!Avenue,!Pine!Street!and!Maine!Street!are!of!primary!concern,!because!each!was!mentioned!as!one!of!the!most!feared!roads!for!cyclists!while!also!being!among!the!most!used!roadways.!!!!! ! !!3.6!Perceived!Safety!!! Bicyclists’!sense!of!safety!impacts!how!many!people!choose!to!ride!their!bicycles!and,!if!they!choose!to!cycle,!which!routes!they!will!feel!comfortable!riding!on.!The!perception!of!an!increase!in!safety!results!in!at!least!a!proportional!percentage!increase!in!mode!choice!(Noland,!1995).!This!means,!that!as!the!perceived!safety!shown!in!Figure!9!shifts,!and!more!people!report!feeling!safe!bicycling!in!Burlington,!more!people!will!begin!to!cycle.!!!!!!!!!!

!Figure#9#

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The!Burlington!Bike!Survey!found!that!most!bicyclists!feel!safe!cycling!in!Burlington.!About!56!percent!of!respondents!indicated!that!they!agree!or!strongly!agree!that!they!feel!safe,!and!only!about!12!percent!indicated!that!they!disagree!or!strongly!disagree!with!the!statement.!!This!gauge!of!overall!safety,!along!with!the!knowledge!that!perceptions!of!safety!have!such!a!strong!impact!on!transportation!mode!choice,!emboldens!the!features!shown!in!Figure!8.!

9.6 32.5 42.1 14 Safety

Safety % of respondents who report feeling safe bicycling in Burlington

1 (strongly disagree) 2 3 4 5 (strongly agree) n = 119

!11!

Resolving!those!dangerous!features!would!improve!the!perception!of!safety!and!in!turn!increase!the!amount!of!cycling!in!Burlington.!!!!3.7!Weather!and!Seasonality!!!

!!!!!!! !Figure#10#

!! Burlington!experiences!very!cold!weather!during!the!winter!months!and!large!quantities!of!precipitation!throughout!the!year.!Results!of!this!research!show!that!the!varying!weather!associated!with!bipolar!seasonality!have!a!substantial!impact!on!when!people!are!willing!to!bike.!Figure!10!shows!that!the!percentage!of!respondents!who!ride!their!bicycle!everyday!drops!from!nearly!49!percent!in!the!summer!to!less!than!10!percent!in!the!winter.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Figure#11#

3.5

27.9

3.5

32.7

44.3

29.8

48.7

9.6

Summer Winter

How the seasons impact bike ridership % of respondents who report riding their bikes ...... during the summer and winter

a few times a year a few times a month a few times a week every day

n = 119

14%

31%

60%

61%

63%

74%

80%

83%

Snowfall with snow on the ground

Snowfall with dry roads

Uncomfortable cold

High Winds

Rain with wet pavement

Icy roads

Uncomfortable Heat

Rain with dry ground

Weather conditions % of respondents who are willing to cycle each weather

condition

n = 119

!

12!

!

!! Within!the!seasons,!weather!is!a!dominant!factor!impacting!people’s!decisions!to!cycle.!!

Shown!in!Figure!11,!it!is!important!to!note!that!over!half!of!the!respondents!are!willing!to!bike!all!

the!mentioned!weather!conditions!aside!from!snowfall.!The!only!weather!conditions!we!gauged!

that!would!discourage!cycling!in!the!summer!are!uncomfortable!heat!and!rain!with!or!without!wet!

pavement.!Rain!with!wet!pavement!is!the!most!divisive!summer!weather!feature,!with!only!63!

percent!of!respondents!saying!they!are!willing!to!cycle.!Winter!weather!is!much!more!impactful,!

with!only!14!percent!of!respondents!saying!they!are!willing!to!ride!their!bicycles!if!there!is!

snowfall!with!snow!on!the!ground.!

!! This!data!is!useful!because!it!demonstrates!that!the!city!of!Burlington!could!increase!

bicycle!ridership!by!plowing!snow.!In!wintertime,!the!shoulder!or!bike!lane!is!usually!sacrificed!as!

a!location!for!snow!that!has!been!removed!from!the!roadway.!If!plows!were!aware!and!focused!on!

removing!snow!from!the!shoulders!and!lanes,!then!we!could!bridge!the!17Tpercentage!point!gap!

between!cyclists!who!will!bike!with!snow!on!the!ground!and!those!who!are!only!willing!to!use!

their!bicycles!when!the!roads!are!dry.!

!3.7!Respondent!Recommendations!!

!Figure#12#

! The!Burlington!Bike!Survey!sought!to!understand!what!recommendations!bicyclists!have.!

What!infrastructure!do!Burlington’s!bicyclists!desire!the!most,!how!would!they!like!to!improve!the!

accessibility!and!feasibility!of!bicycling!in!Burlington,!and!what!existing!features!would!they!like!to!

expand?!

!! Respondents!were!given!a!list!of!seven!types!of!bicycle!infrastructure,!and!were!asked!to!

rate!the!options!on!a!fiveTpoint!scale,!with!5!being!the!most!important!way!to!improve!bicycle!

8.3

8.3

22.9

5.7

16.7

6.4

15.7

5.6

12

15.2

8.5

13.9

18.3

16.7

13

13

28.6

22.6

31.5

26.6

19.4

27.8

25

19

23.6

14.8

21.1

24.1

45.4

40.7

14.3

39.6

23.1

27.5

24.1

One-way Protected Bike Lane

Two-way Protected Bike Lane

Shared Road (Sharrow)

On-road Bike Lane

Bike Box

Off-road Bike Path

Bike Signal

New Infrastructure % saying how much each form of infrastructure would improve bicycle transportation

in Burlington

1 (least important) 2 3 4 5 (most important)

!

n = 119

!

13!

transportation!in!Burlington!and!1!being!the!least!important.!Images!of!the!various!infrastructure!options!were!provided!on!the!survey!for!reference.!!! In!conjunction!with!respondents’!expressed!fear!of!interaction!with!motorists!and!cars,!respondents!stated!that!oneTway!protected!bike!lanes!and!twoTway!protected!bike!lanes!are!the!infrastructural!features!who’s!implementation!would!have!the!best!impact!on!bicycling!in!Burlington.!Nearly!73!percent!of!respondents!say!oneTway!protected!bike!lanes!are!important!to!improve!bicycle!transportation,!about!66!percent!say!twoTway!protected!lanes!are!important,!and!about!63!percent!say!onTroad!bike!lanes!are!important.!Shared!road!signage!and!road!markings!were!ranked!the!least!important!infrastructure,!with!22!percent!of!respondents!corroborating!this!claim.!For!several!respondents!the!Burlington!Bike!Survey!was!their!first!exposure!to!bike!boxes!and!twoTway!bike!lanes,!so!having!the!infrastructure!key!proved!helpful,!and!distributing!the!survey!inTperson!meant!the!researcher!was!available!to!answer!respondents’!questions.!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !Figure#12#

!!! In!keeping!with!the!goal!of!breaching!the!gap!between!bicyclists!and!transportation!planners!the!survey!provided!a!forum!where!respondents!ranked!improvements!that!are!frequently!used!and!considered!by!Burlington’s!transportation!planners.!Respondents!were!also!asked,!“What!improvements!would!you!like!to!see!in!Burlington’s!bike!infrastructure?”!The!question!is!openTended!so!that!the!respondents!could!be!expressive!beyond!the!confines!of!the!categories!listed!in!Figure!12.!Respondents!mentioned!that!they’d!like!to!have!bike!lanes!more!than!any!other!type!of!improvement.!The!50!percent!of!respondents!who!mentioned!bike!lanes!

2% 4% 4% 5% 5% 5% 6% 6% 7% 7%

11% 17%

25% 50%

Mediate Aggressive Driving Bike Boxes

Change One-way roads to Two-way Better Markings

Car Speed Limit Enforcement Shared Roads

Bike Parking Bike Paths

Bicycle Education More Prominent Signage

Protected Bike Lanes Connectivity

Pavement Improvement Bike Lanes

Desired Improvements % of responces that mention a particular improvement

n = 119

!

14!

does!not!include!the!11!percent!that!specified!wanting!protected!bike!lanes.!Fixing!potholes,!removing!debris!along!shoulder!lanes,!and!other!poor!pavement!conditions!was!suggested!by!25!percent!of!respondents.!!! These!responses,!both!categorized!and!freeTform,!unite!to!represent!the!opinion!of!Burlington’s!bicyclists!en!masse.!!When!making!transportation!planning!decisions,!this!researcher!recommends!a!balance!of!data!driven!and!userTproposed!conclusions.!! !4.#Mapping#Results#and#Analysis!!!! !4.1!Most!Frequent!Routes!!!! !! The!survey!included!a!map!of!downtown!Burlington!as!well!as!a!questionnaire.!The!map!portion!of!the!survey!was!a!tool!to!gather!data!on!what!routes!bicyclists!currently!use!the!most.!!!! !The!map!need!to!be!a!visual!representation!of!the!area!detailed!enough!to!capture!the!wide!range!of!possible!responses,!but!simple!enough!to!be!understood!by!people!who!do!not!have!a!good!understanding!of!the!region,!or!are!not!mapTliterate.!Open!Street!Mapstm!was!utilized!as!the!basemap!because!it!has!a!common!format,!that's!accessible,!and!hopefully!familiar!to!the!respondents.!!Another!benefit!of!the!Open!Street!Maptm!depiction!is!that!it!includes!all!walkways!and!offTroad!bike!paths!that!are!not!available!in!Vermont’s!GIS!database.!The!Vermont!Center!for!Geographic!Information’s!Emergency!Roads!shapefile!was!used!and!altered!to!include!the!offTroad!bike!paths,!and!walkways.!! Survey!respondents!were!asked!to!draw!out!on!the!map!which!route!they!ride!most!frequently.!Arrows!drawn!along!their!lines!will!show!direction,!and!squares!designate!destinations.!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Figure#13# Figure#14#

!

15!

! Each!respondent’s!path!was!manually!transcribed!into!GIS,!both!as!a!whole!path,!and!as!a!numerical!attribute!on!individual!path!segments.!Out!of!the!119!survey’s!collected!99!maps!were!adequate!enough!to!utilize!in!the!GIS!analysis.!Directional!arrows!were!not!necessary!when!adding!the!path!use!into!VCGI’s!Emergency!Roads!shapefile’s!attribute!data.!!!! The!resulting!GIS!data!yielded!two!useful!datasets.!One!dataset!is!the!map!of!downtown!Burlington!that!depicts!which!routes!respondents!used!the!most!(Figure!17),!and!another!is!a!series!of!network!paths!that!can!be!analyzed!individually!or!collectively!to!expose!pathway!selection!methods!(Figure!13).!!4.1!Route!Purpose!!! To!prescribe!valid!pathway!improvements!it!is!important!to!differentiate!bicycle!trips!by!purpose.!The!purpose!of!a!trip!will!impact!a!bicyclist’s!personal!pathway!selection!methods.!Most!existing!research!analyzes!the!pathway!selection!methods!of!commuters,!and!they!may!be!the!best!group!to!analyze!because!they!are!impressively!concise!in!choosing!the!shortest!route,!and!any!deviation!from!that!route!can!be!attributed!to!pathway!features!either!propelling!cyclist’s!away!from!certain!segment’s!or!pulling!cyclists!towards!others.!Commuting!cyclists’!routes!are!on!average!about!12%!longer!than!the!shortest!route,!with!half!of!all!trips!being!less!than!10%!longer!than!the!shortest!distance!(Broach!et!al.,!2012).!! !!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !Figure#15#

!! !! The!Burlington!Bike!Survey’s!respondents!primarily!cited!that!their!most!frequent!route!was!for!commuting.!About!65!percent!of!the!routes!were!said!to!be!for!commuting,!18!percent!for!utility,!and!18!for!recreation.!These!numbers!does!not!include!the!17!respondents!who’s!route!was!a!mix!of!several!uses.!!!!!!

65% 18%

18%

Route Purpose

Commute to work / school

Utility (shopping, visiting a friend, etc.)

Recreation / exercise

n = 119

!

16!

4.2!Street!Segment!Rider!Counts!!

Rider Counts on Street Segments !Top 10 1 South Winooski (Pearl-Cherry) 49

2 South Winooski (Cherry - Buell) 45 3 South Winooski (Buell - Bank) 45 4 Pine Street (Main - King) 32 5 Pine Street (King - Maple) 28 6 Riverside Ave (North Willard - North Prospect) 27 7 South Winooski (Bank - College) 26 8 Riverside Avenue (North Prospect - Hillside Terrace) 26 9 Pine Street (Maple - Kilburn) 25 10 Pine Street (Kilburn - Pine Place) 25

Figure#16#

!!!! !!! !The!respondent’s!most!frequently!used!routes,!were!manually!transcribed!onto!the!Vermont!Center!for!Geographic!Information’s!Emergency!Roads!line!shapefile!using!ArcMap.!Roads!were!divided!into!segments,!bounded!by!intersections,!and!a!numeric!“1”!was!added!to!a!segment!each!time!it!was!used!in!a!respondent’s!most!frequent!route.!Figure!16!shows!which!segments!amassed!the!most!tallies,!meaning!they!are!used!the!most!in!respondent’s!most!frequent!routes.!It!shows!that!the!three!mostTused!roads!are:!South!Winooski!Ave,!Pine!St!and!Riverside!Ave.!!Figure!17!is!perhaps!the!most!effective!means!for!conveying!route!use,!but!Figure!16!is!able!to!show!the!slight!differences!along!popular!routes.!! !!! !!!5.#Conclusions#and#Recommended#Improvements!!!5.1!South!Winooski!Avenue!!! Downtown!Burlington!is!bisected!latitudinally!by!the!Union!Street!and!Winooski!Avenue!corridors.!Winooski!Avenue!and!Union!Street!were!both!cited!by!the!Burlington!North/South!Bicycle!&!Pedestrian!Route!Study!(N/SRS)!cited!as!focus!areas!where!improvement!was!most!needed.!Since!that!study’s!completion!in!2002,!bike!lanes!have!been!added!along!both!corridors,!and!those!improvements!have!resulted!in!the!high!rates!of!ridership!found!in!2014!by!the!Burlington!Bike!Survey.!Winooski!Ave!and!Union!St’s!popularity!should!be!used!as!an!example!for!how!other!roadways!can!develop!to!be!more!bicycle!friendly,!and!there!is!still!room!for!

!

17!

improvement.!!!! The!section!of!South!Winooski!Ave!between!Pearl!Street!and!Bank!Street!is!the!epicenter!of!Burlington’s!bicycle!network,!and!this!would!be!the!area!where!Burlington!should!be!installing!the!nextTlevel!of!bicycle!infrastructure.!The!area’s!highest!rates!of!bicycle!patronage!warrant!more!than!the!existing!sharrows,!and!bicycle!traffic!lights!and!bike!boxes!are!infrastructure!options!that!would!increase!bicycle!visibility!and!safety!in!a!carTcluttered!core.!!!5.2!Improved!Bike!Lanes,!Pine!St!!! Pine!Street!is!one!of!downtown!Burlington’s!primary!entry!corridors.!An!alternative!to!the!bicycleTrepellent!Shelburne!Road,!Pine!Street!is!a!popular!access!route!for!many!of!Burlington’s!bicycle!commuters!who!come!from!southern!Burlington!and!towns!to!the!South.!Most!of!Pine!Street!has!a!bike!lane!painted!into!the!shoulder,!with!accompanying!signs,!which!remind!bicyclists!and!motorists!of!cyclists’!right!to!use!a!full!lane!of!traffic.!Car!traffic!along!Pine!Street!is!fast,!and!intermittent!parallel!parking!robs!cyclists!of!their!lane,!and!allots!very!little!room!for!bicyclists!to!leave!space!space!for!the!passing!cars!while!avoiding!the!door!zone.!!!!! Lack!of!connectivity,!debris!in!the!bike!lane,!lack!of!bike!lane,!street!side!parking!and!proximity!to!car!traffic!are!all!negative!features!attributed!to!Pine!Street.!!!!! A!continuous,!wellTmarked!and!signed!bike!lane!along!all!of!Pine!St!would!make!the!road!safer!and!more!enjoyable!for!the!high!proportion!of!Burlington’s!cyclists!who!choose!to!use!the!route!frequently.!!5.3!Protected!Bike!Lanes,!North!Ave!! !! !! North!Avenue!embodies!many!of!the!same!negative!features!that!concern!cyclists!on!Pine!Street,!and!the!roads!have!the!same!utilitarian!purpose.!North!Avenue!was!mentioned!by!4!percent!of!respondents!as!a!dangerous!place.!This!relatively!small!amount!of!attention!is!still!notable!because!it!is!the!secondTmost!mentioned!road,!only!coming!behind!Shelburne!Road.!!!! North!Avenue!is!one!of!the!few!roads!in!Burlington!with!two!lanes!of!car!traffic!going!in!either!direction,!and!bicyclists!are!restricted!to!a!bike!lane!painted!into!the!shoulder,!which!is!not!continuous!along!the!entire!road,!and!does!not!usher!bicyclist’s!through!all!intersections.!A!candidate!for!all!four!of!respondents’!most!desired!features,!the!bike!lane!should!a!lot!more!space!for!bicyclists,!the!lane!needs!to!be!better!maintained,!the!lane!should!continue!so!that!bicyclists!are!not!forced!into!traffic!or!the!sidewalk,!and!a!protected!bike!lane!would!make!the!route!more!accessible!for!the!lessTexperienced!or!lessTconfident!bicyclists.!!!!!!

!

18!

5.4!Pavement!Upkeep!!! A!recommendation!that!is!applicable!across!most!of!Burlington’s!bicycle!lanes!and!paths!is!a!need!for!better!pavement!conditions.!Burlington!is!currently!working!on!revamping!the!Waterfront!Bike!Path!which!many!cyclists!mentioned!needed!repair,!but!more!often,!respondents!are!concerned!about!the!pavement!conditions!in!bike!lanes!and!shoulders!along!Burlington’s!roadways.!!!! 25!percent!of!all!respondents!wrote!in!that!they’d!like!to!see!pavement!improvements!as!a!way!to!improve!Burlington’s!bicycle!infrastructure.!This!is!correlated!to!safety,!because!respondents!mentioned!feeling!endangered!by!a!situation!when!bad!pavement!conditions!force!them!to!swerve!into!car!traffic.!!!! Many!of!Burlington’s!existing!bike!lanes!have!been!placed!in!shoulders,!and!consequentially,!this!is!where!debris!and!puddles!collect!and!potholes!and!storm!water!grates!are!located.!Burlington’s!bicycle!infrastructure!could!be!improved!by!moving!the!bike!lanes!out!of!the!shoulder,!or!improve!conditions!in!these!lanes.!!!5.5!Bike!Box,!Pearl!St!and!North!Winooski!!!! Bike!boxes!are!an!infrastructural!feature,!which!have!become!a!staple!of!many!worldTrenown!bicycling!cities.!Bike!boxes!are!a!dedicated!space!at!signalized!intersections!in!front!of!stopped!cars,!so!that!bicyclists!can!get!a!head!start!on!car!traffic,!increase!their!visibility!and!facilitate!upcoming!lane!changes!and!left!hand!turns.!!In!a!review!of!international!research!on!bicycle!infrastructure,!Pucher!et!a.!found!significant!research!proving!that!bike!boxes!increase!bicyclist’s!sense!of!safety.!!!! The!intersection!of!Pearl!Street!and!North!Winooski!Avenue!is!vital!for!motorists!and!bicyclists.!Analysis!of!responses!to!the!Burlington!Bike!Survey!shows!that!this!is!the!most!crossed!intersection!in!downtown!Burlington,!as!well!as!a!place!where!many!cyclists!are!making!leftThand!turns.!A!bike!box!here!would!work!to!mediate!the!danger!of!taking!left!hand!turns!by!giving!bicyclists!a!dedicated!space!to!be!visible!to!motorists!and!have!priority!when!turning.!!!6.#Further#Research!!!!! Burlington!is!a!city!that!aims!to!promote!and!propagate!bicycling!for!commuting,!utility!and!recreation!and!in!doing!so,!join!the!league!of!North!American!cities!spearheading!the!move!towards!a!more!sustainable!transportation!mix.!But!prior!to!this!research!there!was!a!large!data!deficit.!Transportation!planners!want!to!appease!the!citizens’!and!government’s!call!for!more!bicycle!infrastructure,!but!a!lack!of!data!about!Burlington’s!current!situation!has!been!a!cog!in!their!progress.!The!Burlington!Bike!Survey!and!its!sequential!analysis!attempted!to!address!the!deficit,!and!collect!some!data!that!will!contribute!to!the!planning!toolbox.!Starting!with!little,!and!

!

19!

aspiring!for!a!big!result,!this!research!amassed!a!large!variety!of!information!that!enabled!a!few!valuable!conclusions,!and!more!importantly!revealed!valuable!questions!and!refined!a!survey!methodology.!!!!6.1!Bicycle!Rider!Counts! !!!! This!research!reinforced!that!there!is!a!need!for!data!such!as!bicycle!rider!counts,!individual!frequently!used!routes,!and!sidewalk!rider!counts.!There!exists!some!bicycle!rider!counts!such!as!CCRPC’s!Bike!&!Pedestrian!Count!Data,!but!this!only!includes!data!collected!at!points!along!Burlington’s!bike!paths.!These!bicycle!rider!counts!are!an!essential!tool!for!transportation!research,!and!it’s!absence!retards!basic!analysis!of!Burlington’s!bicycle!network.!!!!6.2!Bicycle!Routes! !!! Along!with!basic!bicycle!rider!counts,!a!collection!of!individual!bicyclist’s!routes!would!help!researchers!look!into!pathway!selection!and!add!depth!to!the!bare!bones!of!the!rider!counts.!!The!Burlington!Bicycle!Survey!collected!99!such!routes,!but!the!method!of!drawing!routes!on!paper!maps!was!inefficient!and!time!consuming.!There!exist!online!methods!for!route!mapping,!and!it!is!in!the!interest!of!planners!to!assess!these!platforms!and!see!which!would!be!appropriate!to!draw!existing!data!from!or!utilize!to!create!a!survey!tool.!!!!6.3!Sidewalk!Riding! !!! Sidewalk!riding!is!pervasive!on!many!Burlington!roadways,!and!this!is!a!national!trend.!Research!has!shown!that!people!ride!on!the!sidewalk!because!they!feel!that!proximity!to!car!traffic!on!the!road!is!too!dangerous.!Sidewalk!riding!is!detrimental!to!accurate!data!collection,!because!it!is!frequently!not!included!in!bicycle!data!collection!methods.!Sidewalk!riders!may!be!a!useful!indicator!of!insufficient!bicycle!infrastructure,!so!collecting!this!data!may!be!very!valuable.!Sidewalk!riders!are!often!left!out!of!rider!counts,!and!I!haven’t!seen!examples!of!surveys!or!route!assessment!that!ask!respondents!to!specify!if!they!ride!on!the!sidewalk!instead!of!on!the!street.!!!! !!!!!!!!!!

!

20!

!

!Figure#17#

!

21!

!! !

Figure#18#

!

22!

!Works#Cited#!AultmanTHall,!Lisa,!Hall,!Fred,!&!Baetz,!Brian.!(1997).!Analysis!of!Bicycle!Commuter!Routes!Using!

Geographic!Information!Systems:!Implications!for!Bicycle!Planning.!Transportation!Research!Record,!1578,!102T110.!doi:!citeulikeTarticleTid:8985311!

Broach,!Joseph,!Dill,!Jennifer,!&!Gliebe,!John.!(2012).!Where!do!cyclists!ride?!A!route!choice!model!developed!with!revealed!preference!GPS!data.!Transportation!Research!Part!A:!Policy!&!Practice,!46(10),!1730T1740.!doi:!10.1016/j.tra.2012.07.005!

DamantTSirois,!G.,!Grimsrud,!M.,!&!El!Geneidy,!A.!(2013).!What’s!your!type:!A!multidimensional!cyclist!typology.!Transportation.!DOI:!10.1007/s11116T014T9523T8!!

Dill,!Jennifer.!(2009).!Bicycling!for!Transportation!and!Health:!The!Role!of!Infrastructure.!Journal!of!Public!Health!Policy,!30,!S95TS110.!doi:!10.1057/jphp.2008.56!

Geller,!R.!(2006).!Four!types!of!cyclists.!Portland,!OR:!Retrieved!from!!!! http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/article/264746.!Krizek,!K.J.,!P.J.!Johnson,!and!N.!Tilahun.!Gender!Differences!in!Bicycling!Behavior!and!Facility!

Preferences.!In!Conference!Proceedings!35,!Research!on!Women’s!Issues!in!Transportation!Volume!2:!Technical!Papers.!Conference!on!!Research!on!Women’s!Issues!in!Transportation,!Transportation!Research!Board!!of!the!National!Academies.!Chicago,!Illinois,!2004,!pp.!31T40.!

Larsen,!Jacob,!&!ElTGeneidy,!Ahmed.!(2011).!A!travel!behavior!analysis!of!urban!cycling!facilities!in!Montréal,!Canada.!Transportation!Research:!Part!D,!16(2),!172T177.!doi:!10.1016/j.trd.2010.07.011!

Noland,!Robert!B.!(1995).!Perceived!risk!and!modal!choice:!Risk!compensation!in!transportation!systems.!Accident!Analysis!&!Prevention,!27(4),!503T521.!doi:!http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0001T4575(94)00087T3!

Pucher,!John,!Dill,!Jennifer,!&!Handy,!Susan.!(2010).!Infrastructure,!programs,!and!policies!to!increase!bicycling:!An!international!review.!Preventive!Medicine,!50,!Supplement(0),!S106TS125.!doi:!http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2009.07.028!

Pucher,!J.,!and!R.!Buehler.!Analysis!of!Bicycling!Trends!and!Policies!in!Large!noth!American!Cities:!Lessons!for!New!York.!Research!and!Innovative!Technology!Administration,!U.S.!Department!of!Transportation,!2011.!!

Winters,!Meghan,!&!Teschke,!Kay.!(2010).!Route!Preferences!Among!Adults!in!the!Near!Market!for!Bicycling:!Findings!of!the!Cycling!in!Cities!Study.!American!Journal!of!Health!Promotion,!25(1),!40T47.!

!!!!!

!

23!

Appendix#!!!!

#

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6.#Please#think#about#how#Burlington#might#best#improve#bicycle#transportation#in#the#next#10#years#by#rating#various#infrastructure#options.##W

e#

would#like#to#assess#your#thoughts#using#a#5#point#scale,#with#“1”#meaning#“least'important”#and#“5”#meaning#“most'important.”##Read#through#

the#options#below,#then#rate#each#option#according#to#what#you#think#are#the#best#ways#for#Burlington#to#continue#improving#its#bicycle#

transportation.#If#any#options#are#unfamiliar,#refer#to#the#“Infrastructure#Key”#on#the#previous#page.#

#'

''

''

'Level'of'Importance'

''

'''''

'''Least'Im

portant''

'''''''''

'Most'Important'

OneHway#Protected#Bike#Lane#######

##1#

#2#

3#

4#

5#

TwoHway#Protected#Bike#Lane#

##1#

#2#

3#

4#

5#

Shared#Road#(sharrow)#

####1#

#2#

3#

4#

5#

OnHroad#Bike#Lane##

####1#

#2#

3#

4#

5#

Bike#Box####

##

##1#

#2#

3#

4#

5#

OffHroad#Bike#Path######################################1#

#2#

3#

4#

5#

Bike#Signal########################################

##1#

#2#

3#

4#

5#

# 7.#Indicate#what#weather#conditions#you#are#willing#to#bike#in#(you#may#select#more#than#one).#

# ☐#uncomfortable#heat##☐#uncomfortable#cold##☐#snowfall#with#dry#roads##☐#snowfall#with#snow#on#the#ground#☐#icy#roads##☐#rain#with#dry#ground###

☐#rain#with#wet#pavement#☐#high#winds#

# 8.#Do#you#feel#safe#biking#in#Burlington?#

##

###

#Strongly'Disagree'

''''''''Strongly'Agree#

##

##

1#

2#

3#

4#

5#

# 9.#Are#there#any#circumstances#on#a#bike#ride#that#make#you#feel#unsafe#?#

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________#

# 10.#W

hat#mode#of#transportation#do#you#use#the#most#when#in#

Burlington?#

# ☐#Car###☐#Bike###☐#Bus###☐#Walk###

☐#other#(please#specify)#_____________________#

# 11.#For#what#purpose#do#you#bike#the#most?#

# ☐#commute#to#work/school##☐#utility#(shopping,#visiting#a#friend,#etc.)##

☐#recreation/exercise#

# 12.#W

hat#modes#of#transportation#do#you#have#everyday#access#to#

(you#may#select#more#than#one)?#

# ☐#personal#vehicle#(used#only#by#you)##☐ a#shared#personal#vehicle#

(used#by#at#least#one#other#household#member)#☐#a#car#share###

☐#public#transportation##☐#bike#☐#walk##

#☐#other#(please#specify)_______________________#☐#n/a#

# 13.##If#you#commute#to#work/school,#how#far#is#your#commute?#(one#

direction)#

# ☐#0#to#1#mile#☐#1.1#miles#to#3#miles##☐#3.1#miles#to#7#miles##☐#7.1#miles#

to#15#miles##☐#more#than#15#miles#☐#n/a#

# 14a.#How#often#do#you#bike#in#the#summer?#

☐#a#few#times#a#year##☐#a#few#times#a#month##☐#a#few#times#a#week###

☐#every#day##

#

# 14b.#How#often#do#you#bike#in#the#winter?#

# ☐#a#few#times#a#year##☐#a#few#times#a#month##☐#a#few#times#a#week###

☐#every#day#

# 15.#How#would#you#classify#yourself#as#a#biker?###

# ☐#beginner##☐#moderate##☐#expert#

# 16.#W

hich#gender#do#you#identify#as:#

# ☐##female###☐#male####☐##other###☐#prefer#not#to#answer#

# 17.#In#what#year#were#you#born?###__________#

# 18.##What#is#the#highest#degree#or#level#of#school#you#have#

COMPLETED?#

# ☐#Grade#1H11#(specify)#_______##☐#Regular#high#school#diploma#

☐#GED#or#alternative#credential##

☐#1#or#more#year#of#college#credit,#no#degree#

☐#Associate’s#degree#☐#Bachelor’s#degree#☐#Master’s#degree#

☐#Doctoral#degree###

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____

____

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#

#The#goal#of#this#survey#is#to#understand#which#routes#Burlington’s#bicyclists#use,#why#they#use#them,#and#how#we#can#replicate#those#preferred#

features#on#other#roads#and#paths.#The#City#of#Burlington#is#working#towards#being#a#worldwide#leader#at#encouraging#sustainable#and#socioH

economically#equitable#transportation#systems,#and#by#completing#this#survey#you#are#making#a#valuable#contribution#to#this#effort.#For#this#

research,#The#University#of#Vermont’s#Transportation#Research#Center#is#working#with#the#Burlington#Department#of#Public#Works,#the#

Chittenden#County#Regional#Planning#Commission,#and#Local#Motion#to#obtain#feedback#from#a#wide#spectrum#of#bike#riders#to#better#understand#

current#behavior#and#practices.#The#completed#survey#will#provide#detailed#information,#opinions#and#input#to#be#used#by#a#host#of#Burlington#

transportation#planners#to#improve#Burlington’s#bicycle#network.#

# THE#SURVEY#WILL#TAKE#YOU#APPROXIMATELY#10#MINUTES#TO#COMPLETE.#PLEASE#RESPOND#TO#ALL#QUESTIONS,#AND#BE#SURE#TO#

RESPOND#TO#THE#FINAL#QUESTIONS#ON#THE#OPPOSITE#SIDE#OF#THIS#PAGE.#COMPLETING#THE#ENTIRE#SURVEY#WILL#HELP#US#BETTER#

UNDERSTAND#YOUR#NEEDS#AND#CONCERNS#AND#ASSIST#IN#CURRENT#AND#FUTURE#BICYCLE#PLANNING#PROJECTS.#THANK#YOU.#

# 1.#W

here#is#your#favorite#place#(road,#path,#neighborhood,#etc.)#to#ride#your#bike#in#Burlington?#Why?#

# _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________#

# 2.#Please#think#about#your#experience#biking#in#Burlington,#and#consider#which#of#the#following#features#impact#your#biking#experience#the#most.#

We#would#like#to#assess#your#thoughts#using#a#5Hpoint#scale,#with#“1”#meaning#“lowest'impact#”#and#“5”#meaning#“highest'impact.”##Rate#each#of#

the#options#below#according#to#what#features#impact#your#route#decisions#the#most#when#biking#in#Burlington.##

# ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''Level'of'Impact'

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''Low

est'impact''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''Highest'im

pact#

Steep#Hills#(uphill)##

####1#

#2#

3#

4#

5#

Steep#Hills#(downhill)#

###1#

#2#

3#

4#

5#

Dense#car#traffic##

####1#

#2#

3#

4#

5#

FastHmoving#car#traffic##

###1#

#2#

3#

4#

5#

OnHroad#car#parking#

###1#

#2#

3#

4#

5#

Busy#intersections##

####1#

#2#

3#

4#

5#

Left#hand#turns####

####1#

#2#

3#

4#

5#

Poor#pavement#conditions####

##1#

#2#

3#

4#

5#

#3.#W

hich#feature#would#you#avoid#the#most#(select#one)?##

# ☐#steep#hills#(uphill)##☐#steep#hills#(downhill)##☐#dense#car#traffic###☐#fast#moving#car#traffic#☐#busy#intersections##☐#leftHhand#turns###

☐#poor#pavement#conditions#

# # 4.#W

hat#improvements#would#you#like#to#see#in#Burlington’s#bike#infrastructure?#

# _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________#

# # #

##

!

24!

!!!!

Please#familiarize#yourself#with#the#map#of#dow

ntow

n#Burlington#below

.#Think#of#the#route#you#bike#MOST#OFTEN#that#starts,#ends#or#passes#through#downtow

n#Burlington.#Please#answer#both#questions#below#with#this#route#in#mind.##

# 5a.#W

hat#is#the#purpose#of#this#route?###☐#commute#to#work/school####☐#utility#(shopping,#visiting#a#friend,#etc.)####☐#recreation/exercise#

# 5b.#Using#a#pen#or#pencil#draw#this#route#on#the#map#below

.#Please#be#as#accurate#as#possible.#Show#every#turn,#include#directional#arrow

s#along#the#routes,#mark#destinations#with#a#solid#square,#and#be#sure#to#include#the##

entire#roundHtrip.#If#the#route#begins#or#ends#outside#of#the#map’s#barrier#have#your#line#end#beyond#the#map’s#edge.#

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

(c) OpenStreetMap and contributors, Creative Commons-Share Alike License (CC-BY-SA) «

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