BICYCLE STRESS LEVEL AS A TOOL TO EVALUATE URBAN AND SUBURBAN BICYCLE COMPATIBILITY
The available information for establishing criteria to determine the bicycle compatibility of roadways is limited. Existing bicycle-compatible roadway procedures do not provide a complete picture of bicycling conditions from the different points of view of the various types of bicyclists. such procedures also fail to account for the varying levels of difficulty bicyclists experience under different traffic conditions. The authors have employed "bicycle stress level" as a method to supply this missing information and thus provide the full range of criteria needed to determine the bicycle compatibility of roadways. Bicyclists on streets seek to minimize mental stress. They want to avoid conflict with motor vehicles and the strain of having to concentrate for long periods of riding along narrow, high-speed, high-volume roads. The authors have established bicycle stress levels ranging from 1 to 5 to account for traffic variables of volume, speed, and curb lane width. Level 1 indicates no problems for bicyclists; Level 5 suggests major problems. The highest and lowest stress levels are based on a thorough review of traffic engineering literature, the rationale being that if conditions are bad for motorists, they will be worse for bicyclists. Stress Levels 2 to 4 were prorated between the two extremes. The stress levels defined in the present study were validated by a group of volunteer bicyclists who watched videotaped segments showing a wide range of on-street traffic conditions and rated them according to the traffic variables described above.
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Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309055199
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Supplemental Notes:
- This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1438, Research Issues on Bicycling, Pedestrians, and Older Drivers. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
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Corporate Authors:
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC United States 20001 -
Authors:
- Sorton, Alex
- Walsh, Thomas
- Publication Date: 1994
Language
- English
Media Info
- Features: Figures; References; Tables;
- Pagination: p. 17-24
- Monograph Title: RESEARCH ISSUES ON BICYCLING, PEDESTRIANS, AND OLDER DRIVERS
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Serial:
- Transportation Research Record
- Issue Number: 1438
- Publisher: Transportation Research Board
- ISSN: 0361-1981
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Bicycle facilities; Cyclists; Highways; Stress (Psychology); Suburbs; Urban highways
- Uncontrolled Terms: Suburban highways
- Old TRIS Terms: Bicycle compatibility; Bicycle stress levels
- Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Terminals and Facilities; I21: Planning of Transport Infrastructure; I82: Accidents and Transport Infrastructure;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00668954
- Record Type: Publication
- ISBN: 0309055199
- Report/Paper Numbers: HS-042 008
- Files: HSL, TRIS, TRB
- Created Date: Nov 9 1994 12:00AM