I'm posting this on behalf of a colleague [email protected]: As part of my role as a MetroActive project officer at the City of Greater Dandenong (Victoria, Australia) I have been assessing opportunities for implementing bicycle lanes and paths. The booklet I have (a road planners manual) describes different sorts of bicycle treatments (such as divided lane, bike symbols on road, painted bicycle lane....). They give a $ cost per kilometer, to help the transport planner decide if it is the sort of thing they can afford. They can be rather expensive, such as $16,000 per km for a substantial on-road bicycle lane. It has just occured to me that they are only providing half the equation. They are only looking at how much it will cost to build, not the benefits (financial and otherwise) that might come from building bicycle infrastructure. They are not looking at the public health savings by having more people cycle. Not too mention the GHG reductions, congestion savings........Has anyone does this sort of analysis? It would be very beneficial to Govt's wishing to implement bicycle lanes but don't have the money.
Keith Loveridge
Energy and Water Officer City of Whitehorse
Tel: (03) 9262 6363
Fax: (03) 9262 6589
Bicycle Lanes
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Hi,
Wright and Fulton wrote a great article on an issue from Transport Reviews in 2005. Please give it a look. Please also see our sourcebook material and training courses on www.sutp.org . If you have further questions, please write to me at [email protected] . Regarding best practices, Bogot is a good (though not perfect) example. Quito may be another one, and there are some blossoming at some places. Our project works permanently on these issues, especially policy advise in cities from developing countries.
Best regards,
Carlos F. Pardo
Coordinador de Proyecto GTZ - Proyecto de Transporte Sostenible
(SUTP, SUTP-LAC)
Cl 125bis # 41-28 of 404 Bogot D.C., Colombia
Tel: +57 (1) 215 7812
Fax: +57 (1) 236 2309
Mobile: +57 (3) 15 296 0662
e-mail: [email protected]
Pgina: www.sutp.org
A professor at University of Denver in Colorado, USA - Dr. Bob Amme - is doing pilot tests and research on the use of rubberized asphalt in bike/pedestrian paths, with good successs. This would be another angle of social benefit to calculate on value of bike paths - creating an end market for scrap tires (which are very problematic when dumped illegally and a problem in landfills). His email is [email protected] for more information. (Bob, read from the bottom up to see why I thought of you. FSB is a great listserve).
Anne Peters
Gracestone, Inc.
Boulder, CO USA
303.494.4934 vox
303.494.4880 fax
I would recopmmend that you take a look at the Victoria Transportation Policy Institute.... *www.vtpi.org/index.php
Rick
In Canada we have developing a new air quality index. In the course of this development, we have put a lot of work into looking at the health and environmental messages that go our with our air quality forecasts and advisories. My background is in meteorology, so I have had a fairly steep learning curve regarding the best practices to protect health and the environment (and they are not always the same). On the subject of bicycle lanes, the placement of the bicycle lane is very important. Yes, it is good if people ride their bikes, but no it is not necessarily good if the bike riding takes placein heavy traffic. I have access to two articles that deal with the subject. The first is a Health Canada (our federal health department) fact sheet on traffic and air pollution. Also attached is an article published in the Journal of the American Heart Association on the subject. If you would like to see them, please e-mail me and I will forward them to you.
Sharon Jeffers
National Air Quality Outreach Coordinator/
Coordinatrice nationale de la sensibilisation en qualit de l'air
Meteorological Service of Canada/Service mtorologique du Canada
Place Bonaventure 800,
rue de la Gauchetire Ouest Tour Nord-est,
bureau 7810 Montreal, Quebec H5A 1L9
telephone/telephone 514-283-8621
e-mail/courriel [email protected]
This would be very interesting data, Keith. Even more interesting though for me would be to find out whether anyone's had any success (and if so, how?) in getting governments to recognize and understand the link between reduced air pollution resulting from cycling (as a replacement to motoring); and the resulting reduced demand for health services. Especially when they have vested interests in pushing motor vehicle sales so as to increase revenue to govt coffers. Anyone with any great case studies on this type of situation?
SUE B
South Africa