An Amusement & Diversion for The Genteel Cyclist. Daily.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

The cycling argument that never ends. Now with better science!

We've occasionally entertained the controversy around whether bike lanes are good or bad. Let's quickly summarize, shall we? We think they're good, as long as they aren't required. The folks who say "bad" make the valid point that it creates the impression among drivers — and some ignorant police officers — that bikes don't belong in the general roadway. We say bike paths surely will not reduce the number of cyclists in any given city, and more cyclists is a good in itself.

Anyway, Portland State professor of Urban Planning Jennifer Dill may be one of the few people actually trying to get some science into the conversation. She's presently tracking Portland bike commuters to understand how (or whether) they use bike lanes by using GPS systems and statistical analysis.

This is Dill's speciality, as it turns out.


The study also will help planners understand more about the value of bike lanes, a subject examined in a previous Dill study that showed the number of bike lanes within a quarter-mile of a person's home had no bearing on the amount of cycling the person did.


Well, she was obviously studying the wrong person!

A GPS bike-commuter study like this was performed here in Cycle City last year. Don't recall which U of M professor or department was conducting it, but we do fondly remember the $100 we received to allow them to track our every movement for a month. Not coincidentally, trips to the beer store were up for the first couple weeks of the study.

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