[sustran] Re: Local cycling environment indicators: Let's have a look at . . .

[Andy Clarke]

Eric et al

 

Maybe these existing tools will be of some assistance to you:

 

1.	Bikeability checklist. Pretty basic, but a good start and great for getting people to do self-assessments of their community or neighborhood. http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/cps/checklist.cfm 
2.	Bicycle Friendly Community program (US version) - more detailed survey with about 75 questions spread over engineering, education, enforcement, encouragement and evaluation topics. http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/communities/ 
3.	Bicycle Friendly Community program (European version) - self assessment tool for cities focused on planning and policy elements. http://www.goudappelcoffeng.nl/Velo/InfoIndex.php 
4.	BFC Action Plan - a more political statement with ten key elements outlined. http://www.bicyclefriendlycommunity.org/symp_actionplan.htm 

 

Andy Clarke

 

________________________________

From: Eric Britton (Commons) [mailto:eric.britton at ecoplan.org] 
Sent: Monday, June 04, 2007 3:55 AM
To: LotsLessCars at yahoogroups.com
Cc: Sustran Resource Centre; citycycles at newmobility.org
Subject: Local cycling environment indicators: Let's have a look at . . . 

 

Thanks Anzir, Roland, Dave, John, Carlos, Chris, Simon, Martin and you in case I forget,

 

Let me see if I can quickly recall we are trying to do here, and put it before you in a form which may with more thought and several more exchanges lead to something useful.

 

Bikeability indicators - Quick introduction:

The idea is to see if we can hammer together a fast and dirty (but not too dirty) set of indicators giving a compact idea of "cyclability" in a given place: ease, safety, comfort.  I think Stephen put it quite well when he reminded me: "Provided that the settlement is reasonably compact, so that most journeys are within the range of an ordinary person rather than a cycling enthusiast, by far the most important thing is to give cyclists a safe and agreeable environment." That is to say a place in which (a) you would want your family to cycle and (b) which also provides a good prospective environment for city or public bikes of the sort that has recently come into plan in the world of new mobility and whose potential transformation potential is something that I believe we are only now starting to scratch with the new 20,000 free bikes Paris Velib' project that is to open on 15 July.

 

First-cut Paris indicators - example, for comment and correction:

Now, here is how I am looking specifically at the situation here in Paris - based on my own, on-street observations and admittedly very subjective indicators. I might add that I received a number of very interesting suggestions for digging deeper, and indeed if this is possible in your city  I hope you will give it a try. My concern is not to let the whole thing get too long or too complicated. Otherwise, as we say in the language we tend to speak around here, 'le mieux devient l'ennemi du bien". So modest does it!  Here is how my first cut looks this morning for Paris:

 

1.	City size/density:  2.1 million people living in 105 sq. kms, with more than half a million more pouring in from the suburbs, and most often by public transit, every day:  - i.e., we have a compact central city that is as such potentially well suited to cycling - if we were to put it on a quasi-arbitrary scale of 1-5, I would give it 5. 
2.	Cars:  ca. 0.5 per household - Nice. Maybe 4 out of 5 and working on it. (Availability of carsharing might be another good car indicator. After all if you share you are not likely to own and that makes you a prime candidate for other ways for getting around in the city.  However in Paris we are still in early days. But fast developing.)
3.	Transit system coverage: Excellent/dense. (Sure this is subjective, but I an neither selling nor abusing the city, so let's try for 5 in this important bikeability context)
4.	Kms of cycle path, protected space: 370 (planned to 500 kms). I'd give it something between 3 and 5. (But that said it's the kind of situation that most North American cities can for now only dream about)
5.	Slow streets or zones: ?? kms. (got to find it) - and expanding quite rapidly.  2 out of 5 for now, but fast gaining.
6.	% city area easily cyclable: ca. 90% (my personal estimate, to be cross checked with more informed sources) So call it between 4 and 5. 
7.	Cyclable days /year: ca. 90% (personal estimate), ditto, between 4 and 5.
8.	Cycle clubs/voice: Strong/active, plugged in to policy. 3 close to 4 I would say, not least because of their role and performance in the Mobilien and Velib' projects)
9.	Vandalism/public facilities: Not too bad, with some clear exceptions in troubled areas. Let me go for 3+ for now, and we will know a lot more about it after a year of the Velib'.
10.	Driver skills: Gradually getting better as the density of cyclists increased, but still plenty room for improvement. At best 2-3. 
11.	Police on bikes (and skates) - Yes, and a great feedback mechanism for the city. I'd say 3 going on 4. 

 

Philosophy, Politics, Usefulness:

Cycling in cities has until very recently and in almost all cities been considered barely a detail as a daily mobility form. But, and suddenly and strange enough for most of us, it is starting to pierce into the mainstream of transportation, let's call it new mobility policy and practice. In a fast expanding number of cities, it is no longer trivial, and because of rapid evolution in terms of our knowledge of what needs to be done to create safe cycling environments as well as new forms of organization and intermodal collaboration, we now are seeing it as significant means of getting around in our cities.

 

My thought is that if we can work up something along these lines and then share it and make it known, we will have a small but possibly useful tool to advance the cycling agenda in our cities. That would be a great thing to help make happen.

 

Next steps:

Now based on this clearly very rough first cut, what I am doing is sharing this with you for comment - and perhaps with the thought that you might run this or a similar drill on your own city and let us see how it looks. In parallel, I am putting this in front of some of the most knowledgeable people here in Paris, and I am sure that they will have their own ideas on this.

 

Once I have some useful feedback, I will then circulate it to the list in the most efficient way I can put my hands on.

 

Hope this works for you. Keep on peddling. 

 

Eric Britton

 

PS. I you would care to share this with your lists and networks that would be great. Please invite them to get back to me on this so we can add theri contributions to the rest.  

 

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