National Household Travel Survey

Encouraging active and sustainable modes of transport has been an important goalfor all transport authorities in developed countries. In many cities, cycling as an active transportmode is only directly investigated within the limited scope of separate road developmentprojects. Efficient moves towards urban transport networks that favour sustainable modes canonly be possible by accurate, realistic, and robust evaluation techniques to measure existingfacilities, and to assess future network development scenarios. As a result, there is a need fortools and techniques to generate a comprehensive network perspective with regards to cyclingfacilities. This paper aims to introduce a method to evaluate bike accessibility between givenorigins and destinations. Considering an urban trip all the way from an origin (O) to adestination (D), the proposed evaluation method is capable of incorporating the key concernsof cyclists by applying route choice coefficients of a cycling trip into a path generation process.Moreover, the proposed method takes into account multiple route options available to ridebetween an origin destination (OD) pair. The method is applied to the network of Brisbane,Australia. The network includes all levels of road hierarchy suitable for bikes (arterials,collectors, and access roads) and covers the effect of available bike facilities on road (bikepaths, bike lanes, wide curb side lanes, and general traffic lanes). Indicative results are providedon bike accessibility to the Central Business District (CBD) from the suburbs. Subject Area: bicycle accessibility; central business district; suburbs; active transport; Availability: MESBAH, Mahmoud, and Neema NASSIR. "Evaluation of Bike Accessibility in anUrban Network." JOURNEYS (2014). http://www.lta.gov.sg/ltaacademy/doc/Journeys_Issue_12_Nov_2014.pdf#page=46 Cycling Is Creating More Jobs in Europe Than Automakers Are in the U.S. TaylorHill Abstract: On just two wheels, the industry is creating more jobs than Europe’s high-fashionfootwear industry (388,000 jobs), its well-established steel sector (410,000), and the UnitedStates’ Big Three automobile companies (Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler) combined(510,000). On just two wheels, the industry is creating more jobs than Europe’s high-fashionfootwear industry (388,000 jobs), its well-established steel sector (410,000), and the UnitedStates’ Big Three automobile companies (Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler) combined(510,000). Subject Area: Cycling industry; jobs Availability: McDonald, Noreen C., et al. "Costs of school transportation: quantifying the fiscalimpacts of encouraging walking and bicycling for school travel." Transportation (2014): 1-17. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11116-014-9569-7 Costs of school transportation: quantifying the fiscal impacts of encouragingwalking and bicycling for school travel Noreen C. McDonald, Ruth L. Steiner, W.Mathew Palmer, Allison N. Bullock, Virginia P. Sisiopiku, & Benjamin F. Lytle Abstract: National governments have provided subsidies for investments in increasing thesafety and attractiveness of walking and biking to school. Evaluations of Safe Routes to Schoolinitiatives have found that they have been effective at changing behavior and reducing injuries.However, there has been little attention to the impacts of these programs on pupiltransportation costs. This analysis assesses the potential economic benefits of Safe Routes toSchool programs in the US context by estimating the annual costs of using motorized transportfor short trips to schools, examining real-world examples of the costs savings of SRTS programs,and evaluating land use impacts on school transportation costs using a simulation analysis ofschool bus routes. We find that there is potential for school districts and families to reducetransport expenditures through public sector investments in walking and biking infrastructurenear schools. We also find that land use context matters and the most cost-effectiveinvestments would benefit schools where large numbers of children live within walkingdistance. National governments have provided subsidies for investments in increasing thesafety and attractiveness of walking and biking to school. Evaluations of Safe Routes to Schoolinitiatives have found that they have been effective at changing behavior and reducing injuries.However, there has been little attention to the impacts of these programs on pupiltransportation costs. This analysis assesses the potential economic benefits of Safe Routes toSchool programs in the US context by estimating the annual costs of using motorized transportfor short trips to schools, examining real-world examples of the costs savings of SRTS programs,and evaluating land use impacts on school transportation costs using a simulation analysis ofschool bus routes. We find that there is potential for school districts and families to reducetransport expenditures through public sector investments in walking and biking infrastructurenear schools. We also find that land use context matters and the most cost-effectiveinvestments would benefit schools where large numbers of children live within walkingdistance. Subject Area: School transport, Safe routes to school, Costs, School bus, Hazard busing Availability: McDonald, Noreen C., et al. "Costs of school transportation: quantifying the fiscal impacts of encouraging walking and bicycling for school travel." Transportation (2014): 1-17.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11116-014-9569-7 Generation Y's Travel Behavior and Perceptions of Walkability ConstraintsMaria Kamargianni, & Amalia Polydoropoulou Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the interrelationship between urbanenvironment and walking to school and how teenagers' perceptions of walkability (i.e., howfriendly an area is to walking) constraints affected their mode choice. An advanced hybrid modechoice model was developed in which the utilities of the alternative modes depended on themode characteristics, teenagers' socioeconomic characteristics, weather conditions, and builtenvironment characteristics, as well as a latent variable referring to walking constraints. Theindicators of the latent variable included perceptions regarding the existence of stray animals,poor lighting, narrow sidewalks, parked cars that obscure visibility, unsignalized intersections,and probability of attack and safety en route. A questionnaire survey that took place at highschools of three distinct geographic areas in Greece (an urban area, a rural area, and an insulararea) during 2011-2012 was the basis for a case study; 1,988 high school students aged 12 and18 years old participated in the survey. Adolescents in rural areas walked a greater distancethan did urban and insular adolescents. Model estimation results showed that teenagers fromeach geographical area were affected in different ways by weather conditions and they alsoperceived the built environment in different ways; this perception indicates how significant thesense of place is. The incorporation of the latent variable enhanced the explanatory power ofthe model, and the results of the study provide insights on policies that may help Generation Yto keep walking. The aim of this study was to investigate the interrelationship between urbanenvironment and walking to school and how teenagers' perceptions of walkability (i.e., howfriendly an area is to walking) constraints affected their mode choice. An advanced hybrid modechoice model was developed in which the utilities of the alternative modes depended on themode characteristics, teenagers' socioeconomic characteristics, weather conditions, and builtenvironment characteristics, as well as a latent variable referring to walking constraints. Theindicators of the latent variable included perceptions regarding the existence of stray animals,poor lighting, narrow sidewalks, parked cars that obscure visibility, unsignalized intersections,and probability of attack and safety en route. A questionnaire survey that took place at highschools of three distinct geographic areas in Greece (an urban area, a rural area, and an insulararea) during 2011-2012 was the basis for a case study; 1,988 high school students aged 12 and18 years old participated in the survey. Adolescents in rural areas walked a greater distancethan did urban and insular adolescents. Model estimation results showed that teenagers fromeach geographical area were affected in different ways by weather conditions and they alsoperceived the built environment in different ways; this perception indicates how significant thesense of place is. The incorporation of the latent variable enhanced the explanatory power ofthe model, and the results of the study provide insights on policies that may help Generation Yto keep walking. Subject Area: walkability; teenagers; generation Y Availability: Kamargianni, Maria, and Amalia Polydoropoulou. "Generation Y's Travel Behaviorand Perceptions of Walkability Constraints." Transportation Research Record: Journal of theTransportation Research Board 2430.1 (2014): 59-71. http://trb.metapress.com/index/KM2551767750423R.pdf Institutional Barriers To College Bicycle Program Development Matthew S.Mccluney Abstract: College communities are increasingly finding bicycles to be the answer to greatermobility for their active lifestyles, while on a budget, and with the future of the environment inmind. The cost of parking, growth of bicycle commuting (over 50% mode split at someuniversities), and its acceptance as a sustainable practice has led to the establishment ofcampus programs. As of fall 2013, the League of American Bicyclists has recognized 75 schoolsas Bicycle Friendly Universities.Several previous studies have examined the physical attributes that determine college bicyclingbehaviors, including infrastructure and weather preferences. However, there has been littleresearch into the organizational structures that support bicycle services. If bicycling is growing,and it is generally accepted as a clean and cost-efficient alternative, then why haven’t morecolleges made the modal shift away from single occupancy vehicles through the establishmentof comprehensive bicycle programs? What are the institutional barriers to college campusbicycle program development?This research involved interviewing bicycle program coordinators at universities across thecountry recognized for their bicycle services, to give voice to their triumphs and challenges. Thefindings from these interviews help explain the institutional culture that may inhibit furtherprogrammatic growth, as well as the strategies that have met with success. Together, theseinsights from current bicycle program coordinators could contribute to the dialoguesurrounding organizational credibility for alternative and sustainable practices, such as campusbicycling. College communities are increasingly finding bicycles to be the answer to greatermobility for their active lifestyles, while on a budget, and with the future of the environment inmind. The cost of parking, growth of bicycle commuting (over 50% mode split at someuniversities), and its acceptance as a sustainable practice has led to the establishment ofcampus programs. As of fall 2013, the League of American Bicyclists has recognized 75 schoolsas Bicycle Friendly Universities.Several previous studies have examined the physical attributes that determine college bicyclingbehaviors, including infrastructure and weather preferences. However, there has been littleresearch into the organizational structures that support bicycle services. If bicycling is growing,and it is generally accepted as a clean and cost-efficient alternative, then why haven’t morecolleges made the modal shift away from single occupancy vehicles through the establishmentof comprehensive bicycle programs? What are the institutional barriers to college campusbicycle program development?This research involved interviewing bicycle program coordinators at universities across thecountry recognized for their bicycle services, to give voice to their triumphs and challenges. Thefindings from these interviews help explain the institutional culture that may inhibit furtherprogrammatic growth, as well as the strategies that have met with success. Together, theseinsights from current bicycle program coordinators could contribute to the dialoguesurrounding organizational credibility for alternative and sustainable practices, such as campusbicycling. Subject Area: college campus bicycle programs Availability: McCluney, Matthew. "Institutional Barriers to College Bicycle ProgramDevelopment." University of Oregon. Masters Thesis (2014).https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/handle/1794/18233 Analyzing Bicycle Sharing System User Destination Choice Preferences: AnInvestigation of Chicago’s Divvy System Ahmadreza Faghih-Imani & Naveen Eluru Abstract: In recent years, there has been increasing attention on bicycle-sharing systems (BSS)as a viable and sustainable mode of transportation for short trips. However, due to relativelyrecent adoption of BSS there is very little research exploring how people consider thesesystems within the existing transportation alternatives. Given the recent growth of BSS acrossthe world, there is substantial interest in identifying contributing factors that encourageindividuals to use these systems. The current study contributes to the growing literature byexamining BSS behavior at a trip level to analyze bicyclists’ destination preferences. Specifically,we study the decision process involved in identifying destination locations after picking up abicycle at a BSS station using a random utility maximization approach in the form of amultinomial logit model (MNL). The quantitative frameworks developed have been estimatedusing data from Chicago’s Divvy system for 2013. In our modeling effort, we distinguishbetween BSS users with annual membership and short-term customers with daily passes. Thedeveloped model will allow bicycle-sharing system operators to better plan their services byexamining the impact of travel distance, land use, built environment and access to publictransportation infrastructure on users’ destination preferences. Using the estimated model wegenerate utility profiles as a function of distance and various other attributes allowing us tovisually represent the trade-offs that individuals make in their decision process. To furtherillustrate the applicability of the proposed framework for planning purposes, destination stationchoice probability prediction is undertaken. In recent years, there has been increasing attention on bicycle-sharing systems (BSS)as a viable and sustainable mode of transportation for short trips. However, due to relativelyrecent adoption of BSS there is very little research exploring how people consider thesesystems within the existing transportation alternatives. Given the recent growth of BSS acrossthe world, there is substantial interest in identifying contributing factors that encourageindividuals to use these systems. The current study contributes to the growing literature byexamining BSS behavior at a trip level to analyze bicyclists’ destination preferences. Specifically,we study the decision process involved in identifying destination locations after picking up abicycle at a BSS station using a random utility maximization approach in the form of amultinomial logit model (MNL). The quantitative frameworks developed have been estimatedusing data from Chicago’s Divvy system for 2013. In our modeling effort, we distinguishbetween BSS users with annual membership and short-term customers with daily passes. Thedeveloped model will allow bicycle-sharing system operators to better plan their services byexamining the impact of travel distance, land use, built environment and access to publictransportation infrastructure on users’ destination preferences. Using the estimated model wegenerate utility profiles as a function of distance and various other attributes allowing us tovisually represent the trade-offs that individuals make in their decision process. To furtherillustrate the applicability of the proposed framework for planning purposes, destination stationchoice probability prediction is undertaken. Subject Area: bicycle sharing systems, Divvy Chicago, destination choice, location choice,Multinomial logit model, bicycle infrastructure, land use and built environment Availability: Faghih-Imani, Ahmadreza, and Naveen Eluru. "Analyzing Bicycle Sharing SystemUser Destination Choice Preferences: An Investigation of Chicago’s Divvy System."http://stmm.mcgill.ca/Papers/Chicago_FinalVersion.pdf Non-motorized transport and university populations: an analysis ofconnectivity and network perceptions Benjamin Lundberg, & Joe Weber Abstract: This research examines local bicycle and pedestrian networks in the vicinity of theUniversity of Alabama campus to assess the utility of these networks for travel to the universityby students and employees. Network connectivity is examined using Geographic InformationSystems (GIS) and the results compared to a survey of 3731 university students and employees.Results indicate that areas within one mile of the University of Alabama’s campus have thehighest levels of bicycle and pedestrian network connectivity and accessibility. The surveyresults show that an individual’s positive perception of the bicycle and pedestrian networks isrelated to their travel behavior, and that this knowledge decreases within an increase incommute distance to campus. Increases in connectivity can be expected to lead to an increasein non-motorized travel, but it is also clear that lack of knowledge of driving and cycling laws isa deterrent to many. This research examines local bicycle and pedestrian networks in the vicinity of theUniversity of Alabama campus to assess the utility of these networks for travel to the universityby students and employees. Network connectivity is examined using Geographic InformationSystems (GIS) and the results compared to a survey of 3731 university students and employees.Results indicate that areas within one mile of the University of Alabama’s campus have thehighest levels of bicycle and pedestrian network connectivity and accessibility. The surveyresults show that an individual’s positive perception of the bicycle and pedestrian networks isrelated to their travel behavior, and that this knowledge decreases within an increase incommute distance to campus. Increases in connectivity can be expected to lead to an increasein non-motorized travel, but it is also clear that lack of knowledge of driving and cycling laws isa deterrent to many. Subject Area: Walking; Cycling; Non-motorized travel; Connectivity Availability: Lundberg, Benjamin, and Joe Weber. "Non-motorized transport and universitypopulations: an analysis of connectivity and network perceptions." Journal of Transport Geography 39 (2014): 165-178.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966692314001501 Physical Environment and Women’s Physical Activity Behaviors Beth AnnBrisky Abstract: This study was developed using the Ecological Model (Stokols, 1992). The purpose ofthis study was to determine women’s perceptions of the physical environment and therelationship between perceptions and physical activity behaviors. The study also analyzedwomen’s non-motorized transportation behaviors, including walking and cycling to get fromplace to place. An email was sent to 526 female Minnesota State University, Mankatoemployees to ask them to participate in an electronic survey. The survey was developed usingtwo of Sallis’s (2013a, 2013b) instruments, Neighborhood Quality of Life Study survey andNeighborhood Environment Walkability ScaleConfirmatory Factor Analysis survey. The surveyconsisted of 51 questions addressing general information, perceptions of the physicalenvironment, and physical activity behaviors. There were a total of 200 responses; however, 23were eliminated as a result of unverified age or incomplete surveys. The data was analyzed with177 completed surveys. The participants’ had positive perceptions regarding the safety andaesthetics of their perceptions of their physical activity environments. Their perceptionsregarding the accessibility and convenience of the environments, however, were not favorable.Very few relationships were found between the women’s perceptions of the physicalenvironment and physical activity behaviors. About half of the women reported that theywalked as a mode of transportation. A small proportion of women reported that they cycled asa mode of transportation. Future research recommendations include conducting this studyduring warmer weather months to identify how their perceptions of their physical activityenvironments and their physical activity behaviors are associated when the weather is moresuitable for physical activity. This study was developed using the Ecological Model (Stokols, 1992). The purpose ofthis study was to determine women’s perceptions of the physical environment and therelationship between perceptions and physical activity behaviors. The study also analyzedwomen’s non-motorized transportation behaviors, including walking and cycling to get fromplace to place. An email was sent to 526 female Minnesota State University, Mankatoemployees to ask them to participate in an electronic survey. The survey was developed usingtwo of Sallis’s (2013a, 2013b) instruments, Neighborhood Quality of Life Study survey andNeighborhood Environment Walkability ScaleConfirmatory Factor Analysis survey. The surveyconsisted of 51 questions addressing general information, perceptions of the physicalenvironment, and physical activity behaviors. There were a total of 200 responses; however, 23were eliminated as a result of unverified age or incomplete surveys. The data was analyzed with177 completed surveys. The participants’ had positive perceptions regarding the safety andaesthetics of their perceptions of their physical activity environments. Their perceptionsregarding the accessibility and convenience of the environments, however, were not favorable.Very few relationships were found between the women’s perceptions of the physicalenvironment and physical activity behaviors. About half of the women reported that theywalked as a mode of transportation. A small proportion of women reported that they cycled asa mode of transportation. Future research recommendations include conducting this studyduring warmer weather months to identify how their perceptions of their physical activityenvironments and their physical activity behaviors are associated when the weather is moresuitable for physical activity. Subject Area: physical activity; women; biking; walking Availability: Brisky, Beth Ann. Physical Environment and Women's Physical Activity Behaviors.Diss. MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO, 2014. http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1291&context;=etds Design Treatments For Right-Turns At Intersections With Bicycle Traffic DavidHurwitz, Mafruhatul Jannat & Christopher Monsere Abstract: With public interest seemingly increasing in sustainable transportation solutions—inpart motivated by rising fuel prices and other concerns—bicycling has gradually become a moreintegral component of the multimodal transportation system in the US. As cities have madeinvestments in the non-motorized transportation infrastructure, bicycling has become ameaningful alternative mode of transportation for commuting to activities such as school, work,shopping, and recreation. According to the National Personal Transportation Surveys of 1977through 1995 and the National Household Travel Surveys of 2001 and 2009, the number of tripsmade by bicycle in the US has more than tripled from 1977 to 2009 while the bike share of totaltrips almost doubled, rising from 0.6% to 1.0%. Bicycle sales in the US have also increased from$15 million (projected) in 1973 to $6 billion in 2009.Clearly, increased levels of cycling has the potential to improve overall levels of publichealth, reduce emissions, parking as well as enhancing the livability of the community byproviding an alternative to driving and mitigate other transportation-related externalities. Since50% of trips made by all modes in US cities are shorter than 3 miles and 40% are shorter than 2miles, there is tremendous potential for replacing those trips with bicycling. From the contextof health benefits, studies found that, adults who bike to work have healthier weight, bloodpressure, and insulin levels and adolescents who bike are 48% less likely to be overweight asadults. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (2010), the annual cost of owningand driving a car for an average American household is estimated to be $7,179. Compared tothat, for a round-trip commute of 10 miles, bicyclists save around $10 daily, or $3,650 annually(Bikes Belong, 2013). It has also been found that by replacing 1 mile of driving with 1 mile ofbicycling can prevent the production of nearly 1 pound of CO2 (0.88 lbs).Still, much research has shown that safety is primary concern for many people whenconsidering transportation by bicycle. For the most recent year available (2011), the NationalHighway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that there were 677 fatal bicycle-relatedcrashes in 2011 which accounted for 2 percent of transportation related fatalities in the UnitedStates. As shown in the Table 1-1, the largest number of bicyclist fatalities were recorded in2005 (786 persons). With public interest seemingly increasing in sustainable transportation solutions—inpart motivated by rising fuel prices and other concerns—bicycling has gradually become a moreintegral component of the multimodal transportation system in the US. As cities have madeinvestments in the non-motorized transportation infrastructure, bicycling has become ameaningful alternative mode of transportation for commuting to activities such as school, work,shopping, and recreation. According to the National Personal Transportation Surveys of 1977through 1995 and the National Household Travel Surveys of 2001 and 2009, the number of tripsmade by bicycle in the US has more than tripled from 1977 to 2009 while the bike share of totaltrips almost doubled, rising from 0.6% to 1.0%. Bicycle sales in the US have also increased from$15 million (projected) in 1973 to $6 billion in 2009.Clearly, increased levels of cycling has the potential to improve overall levels of publichealth, reduce emissions, parking as well as enhancing the livability of the community byproviding an alternative to driving and mitigate other transportation-related externalities. Since50% of trips made by all modes in US cities are shorter than 3 miles and 40% are shorter than 2miles, there is tremendous potential for replacing those trips with bicycling. From the contextof health benefits, studies found that, adults who bike to work have healthier weight, bloodpressure, and insulin levels and adolescents who bike are 48% less likely to be overweight asadults. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (2010), the annual cost of owningand driving a car for an average American household is estimated to be $7,179. Compared tothat, for a round-trip commute of 10 miles, bicyclists save around $10 daily, or $3,650 annually(Bikes Belong, 2013). It has also been found that by replacing 1 mile of driving with 1 mile ofbicycling can prevent the production of nearly 1 pound of CO2 (0.88 lbs).Still, much research has shown that safety is primary concern for many people whenconsidering transportation by bicycle. For the most recent year available (2011), the NationalHighway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that there were 677 fatal bicycle-relatedcrashes in 2011 which accounted for 2 percent of transportation related fatalities in the UnitedStates. As shown in the Table 1-1, the largest number of bicyclist fatalities were recorded in2005 (786 persons). Subject Area: sustainable transportation; public health, bicycle safety Availability: Hurwitz, David, Mafruhatul Jannat, and Christopher Monsere. "Design Treatments For Right-Turns At Intersections With Bicycle Traffic." (2014). ftp://ftp.cs.pdx.edu/pub/users/monserec/spr767/SPR_767_LiteratureReview_V14.pdf The influence of residential dissonance on physical activity and walking:evidence from the Montgomery County, MD, and Twin Cities, MN, areas Gi-Hyoug Cho & Daniel A. Rodríguez Abstract: This study investigates to what extent a mismatch between residential preferencesand actual residential locations is associated with residents’ physical activity and walking. Theresidents of Montgomery County, MD, and Twin Cities, MN, were classified into four residentialsubgroups, and their walking and physical activity outcomes were compared. The resultsshowed that, for transport activity and walking outcomes, participants living in a urban locationand preferring a urban environment were more likely to be active than those who lived in asuburban location and preferred a suburban environment. In a highly dense region, theinfluence of preferences might be overridden by the characteristics of neighborhood locations.With respect to recreation activity, no significant associations were found regardingneighborhood locations or preference for neighborhood environment. This study investigates to what extent a mismatch between residential preferencesand actual residential locations is associated with residents’ physical activity and walking. Theresidents of Montgomery County, MD, and Twin Cities, MN, were classified into four residentialsubgroups, and their walking and physical activity outcomes were compared. The resultsshowed that, for transport activity and walking outcomes, participants living in a urban locationand preferring a urban environment were more likely to be active than those who lived in asuburban location and preferred a suburban environment. In a highly dense region, theinfluence of preferences might be overridden by the characteristics of neighborhood locations.With respect to recreation activity, no significant associations were found regardingneighborhood locations or preference for neighborhood environment. Subject Area: Travel behavior; Physical activity; Residential dissonance; Neighborhood locations Availability: Cho, Gi-Hyoug, and Daniel A. Rodríguez. "The influence of residential dissonanceon physical activity and walking: evidence from the Montgomery County, MD, and Twin Cities, MN, areas." Journal of Transport Geography (2014).http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966692314001215 A Multimedia Pedestrian Safety Program And School Infrastructure: FindingThe Connection To Child Pedestrian Risk-Taking Attitudes And RiskPerceptions Of Pedestrian Behavior Diana Dawn Scott Abstract: Approximately 47,700 pedestrians were killed between the years of 2000 2009.School buses are one of the safest modes of transportation (National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration, 2004). However, the Central Florida school district eliminated bustransportation within the 2-mile radius from schools just last year. Children must prepare for analternative mode of transportation; walking and biking. The purpose of this research was two-fold. First to develop an online safety training program for elementary school children; andsecond, a self-report questionnaire was constructed and piloted to measure how safety trainingand school infrastructure affects students’ pedestrian risk-taking attitudes and risk perceptionsto avoid the dangers of walking and biking to and from school.A 2x2 Factorial Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to test twocategorical independent variables (safety awareness training, school infrastructure) for each ofthe two continuous dependent variables (pedestrian risk-taking attitudes and risk perceptionsof pedestrian behavior). Using data from the pilot study, the researcher developed, self-reported questionnaires demonstrated that there was a significant difference between schools.Those receiving the training had lower mean scores in risk-taking attitudes than those who didnot receive the training. Regardless of intervention, School 2 (complete infrastructure) takesfewer risks than School 1 (incomplete infrastructure). The mean difference between groups wasnot statistically significant. Approximately 47,700 pedestrians were killed between the years of 2000 2009.School buses are one of the safest modes of transportation (National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration, 2004). However, the Central Florida school district eliminated bustransportation within the 2-mile radius from schools just last year. Children must prepare for analternative mode of transportation; walking and biking. The purpose of this research was two-fold. First to develop an online safety training program for elementary school children; andsecond, a self-report questionnaire was constructed and piloted to measure how safety trainingand school infrastructure affects students’ pedestrian risk-taking attitudes and risk perceptionsto avoid the dangers of walking and biking to and from school.A 2x2 Factorial Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to test twocategorical independent variables (safety awareness training, school infrastructure) for each ofthe two continuous dependent variables (pedestrian risk-taking attitudes and risk perceptionsof pedestrian behavior). Using data from the pilot study, the researcher developed, self-reported questionnaires demonstrated that there was a significant difference between schools.Those receiving the training had lower mean scores in risk-taking attitudes than those who didnot receive the training. Regardless of intervention, School 2 (complete infrastructure) takesfewer risks than School 1 (incomplete infrastructure). The mean difference between groups wasnot statistically significant. Subject Area: School; safety training; walking; fatalities; MANOVA; risk Availability: Scott, Diana Dawn. A Multimedia Pedestrian Safety Program And SchoolInfrastructure: Finding The Connection To Child Pedestrian Risk-Taking Attitudes And RiskPerceptions Of Pedestrian Behavior. Diss. University Of Central Florida Orlando, Florida, 2014. http://etd.fcla.edu/CF/CFE0005248/DIANA_DAWN_SCOTTs_2014_Thesis_for_final_submission.pdf Physical activity mediates the relationship between perceived crime safetyand obesity Barbara B. Brown, Carol M. Werner, Ken R. Smith, Calvin P. Tribby,&Harvey J. Miller Abstract: Objective: The current cross-sectional study tests whether low perceived crime safetyis associated with body mass index (BMI) and obesity risk and whether less moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) accounts for part of this relationship. Method: Adults (n =864) from a relatively low-income and ethnically mixed neighborhood in Salt Lake City UT(2012) were assessed for perceived crime safety, objective physical activity, and BMI measures.Results: This neighborhood had lower perceived safety than for other published studies utilizingthis safety measure. In a mediation test, lower perceived crime safety was significantlyassociated with higher BMI and greater risk of obesity, net of control variables. Residents withlower perceived safety had less MVPA. Lower MVPA partially explained the relationshipbetween less safety and both elevated BMI and higher obesity risk, suggesting that perceivingless crime safety limits MVPA which, in turn, increases weight. Conclusion: In thisneighborhood, with relatively low perceived safety from crime, residents' low perceived safetyis related to more obesity and higher BMI; lower MVPA among residents explained part of thisrelationship. If residents are to become more active in their neighborhood it may be importantto address perceived crime safety as part of broader efforts to enhance active living. Objective: The current cross-sectional study tests whether low perceived crime safetyis associated with body mass index (BMI) and obesity risk and whether less moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) accounts for part of this relationship. Method: Adults (n =864) from a relatively low-income and ethnically mixed neighborhood in Salt Lake City UT(2012) were assessed for perceived crime safety, objective physical activity, and BMI measures.Results: This neighborhood had lower perceived safety than for other published studies utilizingthis safety measure. In a mediation test, lower perceived crime safety was significantlyassociated with higher BMI and greater risk of obesity, net of control variables. Residents withlower perceived safety had less MVPA. Lower MVPA partially explained the relationshipbetween less safety and both elevated BMI and higher obesity risk, suggesting that perceivingless crime safety limits MVPA which, in turn, increases weight. Conclusion: In thisneighborhood, with relatively low perceived safety from crime, residents' low perceived safetyis related to more obesity and higher BMI; lower MVPA among residents explained part of thisrelationship. If residents are to become more active in their neighborhood it may be importantto address perceived crime safety as part of broader efforts to enhance active living. Subject Area: Physical activity; Body mass index; Obesity; Fear; Perceived safety; Walking Availability: Brown, Barbara B., et al. "Physical activity mediates the relationship between perceived crime safety and obesity." Preventive medicine (2014). http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091743514002229 Location or design? Associations between neighbourhood location, builtenvironment and walking Gi-Hyoug Cho & Daniel Rodriguez Abstract: In examining the association between environmental exposures and walking,conducting research on a neighbourhood scale has been the dominant approach whereas theassociation of the regional-scale environment with behaviours has rarely been explored.Because regional location and neighbourhood built environment attributes are likely to becorrelated, the findings in neighbourhood-scale studies may be biased. In contrast to existingliterature, this study is based on the assumption that a neighbourhood’s location may beassociated with walking or physical activity and that this association may be separatelyidentifiable from the influence of the neighbourhood built environment on behaviours. Thefindings indicated that residing in a highly urban location had a consistently positive associationwith walking and transportation-purpose physical activity when the neighbourhood builtenvironment and individuals’ socio-demographic factors were controlled. Meanwhile theinclusion of the neighbourhood location variable did not result in significant changes to themodels for recreation-purpose activity. In examining the association between environmental exposures and walking,conducting research on a neighbourhood scale has been the dominant approach whereas theassociation of the regional-scale environment with behaviours has rarely been explored.Because regional location and neighbourhood built environment attributes are likely to becorrelated, the findings in neighbourhood-scale studies may be biased. In contrast to existingliterature, this study is based on the assumption that a neighbourhood’s location may beassociated with walking or physical activity and that this association may be separatelyidentifiable from the influence of the neighbourhood built environment on behaviours. Thefindings indicated that residing in a highly urban location had a consistently positive associationwith walking and transportation-purpose physical activity when the neighbourhood builtenvironment and individuals’ socio-demographic factors were controlled. Meanwhile theinclusion of the neighbourhood location variable did not result in significant changes to themodels for recreation-purpose activity. Subject Area: neighbourhood location; obesity; physical activity; transport; walking Availability: Cho, Gi-Hyoug, and Daniel Rodriguez. "Location or design? Associations between neighbourhood location, built environment and walking." Urban Studies (2014):0042098014537691.http://usj.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/06/16/0042098014537691.abstract Methods for Estimating Bicycling and Walking in Washington State KristaNordback & Michael Sellinger Abstract: This report presents the work performed in the first and second phases in the processof creating a method to calculate Bicycle and Pedestrian Miles Traveled (BMT/PMT) for thestate of Washington. First, we recommend improvements to the existing Washington StateBicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Program to provide data for BMT/PMT estimates,including expanding the program geographically and installing permanent automated bicycleand pedestrian counters to complement the short duration count program. The method toestimate BMT/PMT relies on the assumption of a stratified random sample drawn from the setof all roads and paths divided into 16 groups. These groups are based on three spatialattributes, which were gathered from a review of the literature:• Level of urbanism (2 categories): Urban and Rural• Facility type (2 categories): Highway/Arterial and Other• Geographic/climatic regions (4 regions): Coast Range, Puget Lowland, Cascades, EasternWashingtonThis report describes the first steps being taken toward the goal of computing this metric.Count data from Seattle, Olympia, and the State’s Count Program have been gathered. Toaccount for temporal variation, seasonal, daily and hourly adjustment factors have beencomputed based on one year of count data collected from the Fremont Bridge in Seattle. Theshort duration count sites have been grouped by the attributes described above, though mostfall into just two groups: Puget Lowland Urban Arterial/Highway and Puget Lowland UrbanLocal/Collector/Path. Little or no data are available in most of the other groups. The roads inthe state have also been divided into these 16 groups in order to compute total centerline milesfor each group. This report outlines a sample-based method that could be used to computeBMT/PMT for the state and identifies both the data available for such a computation as well asthe data gaps. It also suggests other methods that could also be used to estimate BMT/PMT tocompare to the count-based method. This report presents the work performed in the first and second phases in the processof creating a method to calculate Bicycle and Pedestrian Miles Traveled (BMT/PMT) for thestate of Washington. First, we recommend improvements to the existing Washington StateBicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Program to provide data for BMT/PMT estimates,including expanding the program geographically and installing permanent automated bicycleand pedestrian counters to complement the short duration count program. The method toestimate BMT/PMT relies on the assumption of a stratified random sample drawn from the setof all roads and paths divided into 16 groups. These groups are based on three spatialattributes, which were gathered from a review of the literature:• Level of urbanism (2 categories): Urban and Rural• Facility type (2 categories): Highway/Arterial and Other• Geographic/climatic regions (4 regions): Coast Range, Puget Lowland, Cascades, EasternWashingtonThis report describes the first steps being taken toward the goal of computing this metric.Count data from Seattle, Olympia, and the State’s Count Program have been gathered. Toaccount for temporal variation, seasonal, daily and hourly adjustment factors have beencomputed based on one year of count data collected from the Fremont Bridge in Seattle. Theshort duration count sites have been grouped by the attributes described above, though mostfall into just two groups: Puget Lowland Urban Arterial/Highway and Puget Lowland UrbanLocal/Collector/Path. Little or no data are available in most of the other groups. The roads inthe state have also been divided into these 16 groups in order to compute total centerline milesfor each group. This report outlines a sample-based method that could be used to computeBMT/PMT for the state and identifies both the data available for such a computation as well asthe data gaps. It also suggests other methods that could also be used to estimate BMT/PMT tocompare to the count-based method. Subject Area: Walking, Bicycling, VMT, Transportation planning, Bicycle Miles Traveled,Pedestrian Miles Traveled Availability: Sellinger, Michael. "Methods for Estimating Bicycling and Walking in Washington State." http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/828.1.pdf Sidestepping Equity? A Case Study on the Provision and Quality of Sidewalksin Fremont, California Joel Manning Abstract: The sidewalk is the starting place for walkability. It should then be of concern topolicy makers that numerous studies have found decreasing levels of access to publictransportation infrastructure, including pedestrian facilities, as neighborhood incomesdecrease. Land use has also been found to affect the provision and quality of transportationinfrastructure. Furthermore, a vast amount of research has demonstrated some variation in thetravel patterns and mode choice among poor and non-poor individuals, whether the mode iswalking, transit, or personal vehicle. In order to examine these patterns of variability by incomeand land use, this research investigates existing conditions in the San Francisco Bay Area suburbof Fremont, California. This was done through an audit of sidewalk provision and quality on 100public street segments in Fremont (50 from residential areas and 50 from nonresidential areas).Audit findings show that Fremont sidewalks may be fairly uniform when looking atincome, while more stark contrasts occur when investigating land use. Overall, findings areconsistent with literature demonstrating variability in transportation infrastructure dependingon land use, but mostly inconclusive regarding the effect of income. Additional research wouldbe required to draw definitive conclusions yet findings from this case study seem to supportsuch an assertion. Due to its small sample size and non-random selection, audit findings shouldonly be taken as a preliminary overview of current conditions in Fremont. Some regional andlocal recommendations can be made nonetheless. The Metropolitan TransportationCommission may be right in supporting Fremont’s policy of first targeting commercial areas forimprovement in pedestrian infrastructure and would likely do well to continue assisting the Cityin the build-up of its downtown. However, it may also need to encourage the City to addressthe older, narrower sidewalks in its large, established residential areas. In light of audit findings,three possible recommendations for the City of Fremont emerged: Emphasize the importanceof bringing residential sidewalks up to a higher level of quality rather than focusing almostexclusively on improving commercial areas; Incentivize or fund the widening and set-back ofsidewalks, particularly in residential areas; Encourage non-residential property owners toimprove sidewalks abutting their property through creative incentives. The sidewalk is the starting place for walkability. It should then be of concern topolicy makers that numerous studies have found decreasing levels of access to publictransportation infrastructure, including pedestrian facilities, as neighborhood incomesdecrease. Land use has also been found to affect the provision and quality of transportationinfrastructure. Furthermore, a vast amount of research has demonstrated some variation in thetravel patterns and mode choice among poor and non-poor individuals, whether the mode iswalking, transit, or personal vehicle. In order to examine these patterns of variability by incomeand land use, this research investigates existing conditions in the San Francisco Bay Area suburbof Fremont, California. This was done through an audit of sidewalk provision and quality on 100public street segments in Fremont (50 from residential areas and 50 from nonresidential areas).Audit findings show that Fremont sidewalks may be fairly uniform when looking atincome, while more stark contrasts occur when investigating land use. Overall, findings areconsistent with literature demonstrating variability in transportation infrastructure dependingon land use, but mostly inconclusive regarding the effect of income. Additional research wouldbe required to draw definitive conclusions yet findings from this case study seem to supportsuch an assertion. Due to its small sample size and non-random selection, audit findings shouldonly be taken as a preliminary overview of current conditions in Fremont. Some regional andlocal recommendations can be made nonetheless. The Metropolitan TransportationCommission may be right in supporting Fremont’s policy of first targeting commercial areas forimprovement in pedestrian infrastructure and would likely do well to continue assisting the Cityin the build-up of its downtown. However, it may also need to encourage the City to addressthe older, narrower sidewalks in its large, established residential areas. In light of audit findings,three possible recommendations for the City of Fremont emerged: Emphasize the importanceof bringing residential sidewalks up to a higher level of quality rather than focusing almostexclusively on improving commercial areas; Incentivize or fund the widening and set-back ofsidewalks, particularly in residential areas; Encourage non-residential property owners toimprove sidewalks abutting their property through creative incentives. Subject Area: sidewalk quality; Availability: Manning, Joel. "Sidestepping Equity? A Case Study on the Provision and Quality of Sidewalks in Fremont, California." (2014).http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1369&context;=etd_projects Multi-modal transportation optimization of a local corridor McMahon, Britton;Draeger, Mallory; Ferguson, Nicholas; Moberg, Haley & Barrella, Elise Abstract: The objective of this project is to redesign a one-mile section of the South Main StreetCorridor in Harrisonburg, Virginia into a multimodal one that feasibly and safely integratesmotor vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrian traffic. Traditional traffic engineering practicesemphasize optimizing vehicular traffic movement while treating pedestrian and bicyclist trafficmovements as constraints. The focus of this research is to develop a way to maximize thecapacity of existing right-of-way for all three traffic movements simultaneously, using acommon metric of person-trips. Starting with standard equations from the Highway CapacityManual for modal capacity of an intersection approach, the objective function for anoptimization problem is developed. The objective function is the sum of capacity for each trafficmovement measured in person-trips/hour, which normalizes the metrics. The input variablesare flow rates for each movement that can vary based on scenario but cannot exceed theirrespective saturation flow rates. The outputs, or key design variables, are number of sublanes,which are unique to each traffic movement and define the geometry of the travel way.Combining all the sublane-widths results in the total width of the travel way that is constrainedby the existing width of right-of-way. Therefore, through varying the flow rate per mode,different scenarios are evaluated that represent status quo, and shifts in corridor use. All othervariables in the capacity equation are held constant. Based on the constraints, the objectivefunction will yield a feasible region for which maximization of intersection efficiency will befound. The resultant combination of sublanes for each mode of transportation can then beimplemented into the redesign model. This will allow for the most efficient flow of peoplethrough the intersection, regardless of mode choice, and could help promote policies and streetdesign that prioritize alternatives to vehicular travel. The objective of this project is to redesign a one-mile section of the South Main StreetCorridor in Harrisonburg, Virginia into a multimodal one that feasibly and safely integratesmotor vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrian traffic. Traditional traffic engineering practicesemphasize optimizing vehicular traffic movement while treating pedestrian and bicyclist trafficmovements as constraints. The focus of this research is to develop a way to maximize thecapacity of existing right-of-way for all three traffic movements simultaneously, using acommon metric of person-trips. Starting with standard equations from the Highway CapacityManual for modal capacity of an intersection approach, the objective function for anoptimization problem is developed. The objective function is the sum of capacity for each trafficmovement measured in person-trips/hour, which normalizes the metrics. The input variablesare flow rates for each movement that can vary based on scenario but cannot exceed theirrespective saturation flow rates. The outputs, or key design variables, are number of sublanes,which are unique to each traffic movement and define the geometry of the travel way.Combining all the sublane-widths results in the total width of the travel way that is constrainedby the existing width of right-of-way. Therefore, through varying the flow rate per mode,different scenarios are evaluated that represent status quo, and shifts in corridor use. All othervariables in the capacity equation are held constant. Based on the constraints, the objectivefunction will yield a feasible region for which maximization of intersection efficiency will befound. The resultant combination of sublanes for each mode of transportation can then beimplemented into the redesign model. This will allow for the most efficient flow of peoplethrough the intersection, regardless of mode choice, and could help promote policies and streetdesign that prioritize alternatives to vehicular travel. Subject Area: Corridor; Modal capacity; Optimization & Transportation Availability: McMahon, Britton, et al. "Multi-modal transportation optimization of a localcorridor." Systems and Information Engineering Design Symposium (SIEDS), 2014. IEEE, 2014. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=6829926 Using Latent Class Models to Explore the Heterogeneous Impact ofAccessibility by Mode on Residential Location Choice Fletcher Foti & PaulWaddell Abstract: The preferences of households making location decisions and how they change overtime is one of the most important areas of research for travel modeling, as these decisions canhave impacts on traffic congestion, social equity considerations, and environmental impacts. Todate, residential location choice is typically treated as a discrete choice model in which thealternatives are a large aggregate geography in the city, for instance census tracts ortransportation analysis zones. This makes analysis of the impacts of local-scale land use difficult,as the built environment can change significantly within these large geographies. Additionally,standard discrete choice techniques find one set of coefficients for the entire estimationdataset, which results in the “average” behavior for the set of choices that are observed. In thecase of residential location choice, where variables of interest to modelers might include accessby walking, driving, and transit, the question is not “does the average person value walking?”but rather, “what is the relative size of the population that values walking highly enough for itto affect the home buying decision?” This work adds to previous research by applying latentclass choice methodology to a residential location choice model where alternatives are smallgeographies. This methodology allows for multiple sets of coefficients for the residentiallocation choice, based on an endogenously estimated set of “classes” where membership inclasses is regressed on available demographic variables. Although there are a small number ofstudies which apply latent class models to the residential choice, this is the first to incorporatewalking-scale accessibility. The preferences of households making location decisions and how they change overtime is one of the most important areas of research for travel modeling, as these decisions canhave impacts on traffic congestion, social equity considerations, and environmental impacts. Todate, residential location choice is typically treated as a discrete choice model in which thealternatives are a large aggregate geography in the city, for instance census tracts ortransportation analysis zones. This makes analysis of the impacts of local-scale land use difficult,as the built environment can change significantly within these large geographies. Additionally,standard discrete choice techniques find one set of coefficients for the entire estimationdataset, which results in the “average” behavior for the set of choices that are observed. In thecase of residential location choice, where variables of interest to modelers might include accessby walking, driving, and transit, the question is not “does the average person value walking?”but rather, “what is the relative size of the population that values walking highly enough for itto affect the home buying decision?” This work adds to previous research by applying latentclass choice methodology to a residential location choice model where alternatives are smallgeographies. This methodology allows for multiple sets of coefficients for the residentiallocation choice, based on an endogenously estimated set of “classes” where membership inclasses is regressed on available demographic variables. Although there are a small number ofstudies which apply latent class models to the residential choice, this is the first to incorporatewalking-scale accessibility. Subject Area: latent class choice methodology; walking-scale accessibility Availability: Waddell, Paul. "Paper Author (s) Fletcher Foti (corresponding), University ofCalifornia, Berkeley (ffoti@ berkeley. edu)."http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/conferences/2014/ITM/Resources/18.pdf Using an Activity Based Travel Demand Model to Estimate Health Co-Benefitsof Land Use and Transportation Plans Nicholas J. Linesch, Caroline Jane Rodier &Richard Lee Abstract: There is increasing evidence that improved health outcomes may be a significant co-benefit of land use plans and transport policies that increase active transport (or walking andbiking for purposeful travel) and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). A greaterunderstanding of these benefits may broaden the constituency for regional planning thatsupports local and national GHG reduction goals. In this study, California’s activity based traveldemand model (ABM) is linked with the Integrated Travel and Health Impact Model (ITHIM) todemonstrate how the next generation of travel models can be used to produce the active traveldata required for running a comparative risk assessment model to estimate health outcomesfor regional land use and transport plans. Further, the study illustrates possible growthstrategies that achieve increased levels of walking and biking and does so by highlighting resultsfrom San Diego County. Finally, the ABM outputs in conjunction with ITHIM producequantitative health cobenefits results and an estimate of the CO2 reductions achieved fromdensification, enhanced transit, and vehicle pricing scenarios in California for a future 2035 timehorizon. There is increasing evidence that improved health outcomes may be a significant co-benefit of land use plans and transport policies that increase active transport (or walking andbiking for purposeful travel) and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). A greaterunderstanding of these benefits may broaden the constituency for regional planning thatsupports local and national GHG reduction goals. In this study, California’s activity based traveldemand model (ABM) is linked with the Integrated Travel and Health Impact Model (ITHIM) todemonstrate how the next generation of travel models can be used to produce the active traveldata required for running a comparative risk assessment model to estimate health outcomesfor regional land use and transport plans. Further, the study illustrates possible growthstrategies that achieve increased levels of walking and biking and does so by highlighting resultsfrom San Diego County. Finally, the ABM outputs in conjunction with ITHIM producequantitative health cobenefits results and an estimate of the CO2 reductions achieved fromdensification, enhanced transit, and vehicle pricing scenarios in California for a future 2035 timehorizon. Subject Area: land use; active transport; GHGs; Activity based travel demand model Availability: Rodier, Caroline Jane. " Using an Activity Based Travel Demand Model to Estimate Health Co-Benefits of Land Use and Transportation Plans”http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/conferences/2014/ITM/Resources/100.pdf Biking Distance: Exploring Gender, Race, and Climate Haleh Dolati Abstract: Today’s urban life requires different types of transportation, such as private cars,public transit, and non-motorized transportation, each selected by people based on locationand individual characteristics. Non-motorized transportation such as biking is a healthier optionthat is environmentally friendly and more flexible than motorized modes. Several studies haveexamined the importance of biking, ways to encourage more individual to biking, and factorsthat influence an individual’s decision to bike. An understudied research area lies indetermining, once an individual is open to biking as a means of transportation, the factors thatencourage or discourage her/him to bike longer distances.This research contributes to the limited body of research on biking distance byexamining four major questions: (1) Does biking distance vary by gender? (2) Does bikingdistance vary for different races? (3) To what degree do weather conditions affect longerdistances?I created a database using a number of different data sources. First, I used the NationalHousehold Travel Survey to identify the distance and number of trips individuals made bybicycle during 2009. This includes a total of 9,443 trips. I also used the National HouseholdTravel Survey to identify individual who made the trip and household characteristics of them.More specifically, I included data related to race, gender, and income for bikers who made thetrips. In addition to household and individual characteristics, I included a second source of datarelated to weather from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Overall,the database I created includes a matrix of 19 variables by 8636 cases. Using these data, Iconducted a regression analysis. I run regression for five different scenarios: for female bikers,for male bikers, for African Americans bikers, for white bikers, and finally for all groups ofbikers. Consistent with existing literature, gender plays an influential role in the decision to bikelonger distances, with women generally biking shorter distances than men. In contrast, race,precipitation, and temperature do not affect biking distance. I found that age plays significantrole in distance biked for each trip.Despite the limitations to the analysis due to the size of the database and unavailable orinadequate data for some factors, the findings offer an increased understanding of bikingdistance. The results show race and climate do not affect biking distance. However, womenbike shorter distances compare to men. Based on these findings, policymakers wishing toincrease bicycle use in cities, may want to target women and lowincome families andencourage these two groups, which are less likely to bike longer distances. Today’s urban life requires different types of transportation, such as private cars,public transit, and non-motorized transportation, each selected by people based on locationand individual characteristics. Non-motorized transportation such as biking is a healthier optionthat is environmentally friendly and more flexible than motorized modes. Several studies haveexamined the importance of biking, ways to encourage more individual to biking, and factorsthat influence an individual’s decision to bike. An understudied research area lies indetermining, once an individual is open to biking as a means of transportation, the factors thatencourage or discourage her/him to bike longer distances.This research contributes to the limited body of research on biking distance byexamining four major questions: (1) Does biking distance vary by gender? (2) Does bikingdistance vary for different races? (3) To what degree do weather conditions affect longerdistances?I created a database using a number of different data sources. First, I used the NationalHousehold Travel Survey to identify the distance and number of trips individuals made bybicycle during 2009. This includes a total of 9,443 trips. I also used the National HouseholdTravel Survey to identify individual who made the trip and household characteristics of them.More specifically, I included data related to race, gender, and income for bikers who made thetrips. In addition to household and individual characteristics, I included a second source of datarelated to weather from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Overall,the database I created includes a matrix of 19 variables by 8636 cases. Using these data, Iconducted a regression analysis. I run regression for five different scenarios: for female bikers,for male bikers, for African Americans bikers, for white bikers, and finally for all groups ofbikers. Consistent with existing literature, gender plays an influential role in the decision to bikelonger distances, with women generally biking shorter distances than men. In contrast, race,precipitation, and temperature do not affect biking distance. I found that age plays significantrole in distance biked for each trip.Despite the limitations to the analysis due to the size of the database and unavailable orinadequate data for some factors, the findings offer an increased understanding of bikingdistance. The results show race and climate do not affect biking distance. However, womenbike shorter distances compare to men. Based on these findings, policymakers wishing toincrease bicycle use in cities, may want to target women and lowincome families andencourage these two groups, which are less likely to bike longer distances. Subject Area: biking; gender; race; weather; distance Availability: Dolati, Haleh. Biking Distance: Exploring Gender, Race, and Climate. Diss. The OhioState University, 2014.https://etd.ohiolink.edu/!etd.send_file?accession=osu1388725654&disposition;=attachment Parent safety perceptions of child walking routes Cody Evers, Shawn Boles, DebJohnson-Shelton, Marc Schlossberg, David Richey, Abstract: Walking rates to school remain low for U.S. children in large part due to parentconcern for child safety. Little research exists that identifies which features of streets andintersection lead parents to feel that walking is unsafe for their children. In this study, parentvolunteers conducted an audit of streets and intersections leading to seven elementary schoolsin a suburban school district. Parents were most likely to feel concern about streets that lackedsidewalks or had sidewalks with obstructions. Wheelchair-accessible routes were seen asappropriate for walking children. Parents expressed concern over safety at intersections,particularly those involving large streets; traffic controls did not mollify their concern. Theseresults support the use of appropriate behavior models for assessing walking choices, highlightthe importance of well-maintained sidewalks and age-appropriate crossings for young families,and demonstrate the importance of including the public in street audits. Walking rates to school remain low for U.S. children in large part due to parentconcern for child safety. Little research exists that identifies which features of streets andintersection lead parents to feel that walking is unsafe for their children. In this study, parentvolunteers conducted an audit of streets and intersections leading to seven elementary schoolsin a suburban school district. Parents were most likely to feel concern about streets that lackedsidewalks or had sidewalks with obstructions. Wheelchair-accessible routes were seen asappropriate for walking children. Parents expressed concern over safety at intersections,particularly those involving large streets; traffic controls did not mollify their concern. Theseresults support the use of appropriate behavior models for assessing walking choices, highlightthe importance of well-maintained sidewalks and age-appropriate crossings for young families,and demonstrate the importance of including the public in street audits. Subject Area: Safe routes to school; Child physical activity; Environmental psychology; Publicparticipatory GIS Availability: Evers, Cody, et al. "Parent safety perceptions of child walking routes." Journal of Transport & Health (2014).http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214140514000322 The Case for Crowdsourcing in Bicycle Planning: An Exploratory Study JenniferMolina Abstract: In an effort to make broader mode shifts by attracting users of all abilities to bike,research needs to focus on understanding cyclists’ behaviors at the local level and collectingreal time travel data. Crowdsourcing is an online problem solving and production model thatpresents great potential in the area of bicycle planning by tapping into the collectiveintelligence of networked communities to support local policies and programs, as well asimprove community engagement. This model has benefited both the private and public sectors,but has yet to be fully realized as a method for improving bicycling planning. A mixed-methodsapproach was employed, using a literature review, document and media research, andinterviews with a subset of program managers and software developers. Through thisexploratory case study, existing practices and limitations of crowdsourcing for bicycle planningprojects in various metropolitan communities are discussed. The document also providesplanners with recommendations as they look to this data collection and public participationmethod for bicycle planning projects, specifically bicycle facility demand, network planning,suitability modeling, and route choice modeling. In an effort to make broader mode shifts by attracting users of all abilities to bike,research needs to focus on understanding cyclists’ behaviors at the local level and collectingreal time travel data. Crowdsourcing is an online problem solving and production model thatpresents great potential in the area of bicycle planning by tapping into the collectiveintelligence of networked communities to support local policies and programs, as well asimprove community engagement. This model has benefited both the private and public sectors,but has yet to be fully realized as a method for improving bicycling planning. A mixed-methodsapproach was employed, using a literature review, document and media research, andinterviews with a subset of program managers and software developers. Through thisexploratory case study, existing practices and limitations of crowdsourcing for bicycle planningprojects in various metropolitan communities are discussed. The document also providesplanners with recommendations as they look to this data collection and public participationmethod for bicycle planning projects, specifically bicycle facility demand, network planning,suitability modeling, and route choice modeling. Subject Area: Crowdsourcing, Bicycle Planning, Web 2.0, Mobile, Public Participation,Civic Technology Availability: Molina, Jennifer. The Case for Crowdsourcing in Bicycle Planning: An Exploratory Study. Diss. Tufts University, 2014.http://sites.tufts.edu/MaryDavis/files/2014/04/MastersThesisUEP_Final_JMolina.pdf Understanding the Underutilization of Urban Bicycle Commuting: ABehavioral Reasoning Perspective Marius C. Claudy & Mark Peterson Abstract: In an effort to make urban transportation more sustainable, bicycling has receivedgrowing attention from policy makers and social marketers. This study applies behavioralreasoning theory (BRT) to investigate consumers' mental processing of bicycle commuting inorder to better understand why such an active mode of transportation is underutilized in manyurban areas. Using a large-scale sample of commuters in Dublin, Ireland, the study offersknowledge about the psychological antecedents of bicycling adoption. The structural equationmodeling results confirm BRT's main premise in that reasons serve as important linkagesbetween individuals' values and their attitudes and behavior. In particular, findings suggest thatcommuters have reasons not to engage in bicycling, such as inconvenience or perceived danger,which account for most of the variance in bicycle-commuting behavior. The findings challengeinterventions, which emphasize the role of information campaigns and one-off infrastructuralchanges in encouraging voluntary change in travel behavior. Instead, findings suggest thattransportation planners and social marketers would do better to address consumers' reasonsfor and reasons against bicycling via community-based initiatives. In an effort to make urban transportation more sustainable, bicycling has receivedgrowing attention from policy makers and social marketers. This study applies behavioralreasoning theory (BRT) to investigate consumers' mental processing of bicycle commuting inorder to better understand why such an active mode of transportation is underutilized in manyurban areas. Using a large-scale sample of commuters in Dublin, Ireland, the study offersknowledge about the psychological antecedents of bicycling adoption. The structural equationmodeling results confirm BRT's main premise in that reasons serve as important linkagesbetween individuals' values and their attitudes and behavior. In particular, findings suggest thatcommuters have reasons not to engage in bicycling, such as inconvenience or perceived danger,which account for most of the variance in bicycle-commuting behavior. The findings challengeinterventions, which emphasize the role of information campaigns and one-off infrastructuralchanges in encouraging voluntary change in travel behavior. Instead, findings suggest thattransportation planners and social marketers would do better to address consumers' reasonsfor and reasons against bicycling via community-based initiatives. Subject Area: Bicycling, Sustainable Transportation, Behavioral Reasoning Theory, SocialMarketing Availability: Claudy, Marius C., and Mark Peterson. "Understanding the Underutilization of Urban Bicycle Commuting: A Behavioral Reasoning Perspective." Journal of Public Policy &Marketing (2014). http://journals.ama.org/doi/abs/10.1509/jppm.13.087 Shifting short motorized trips to walking: The potential of activetransportation for physical activity in Montreal Catherine Morency, Marie Demers& Eric Poliquin Abstract: Objectives: To estimate the number of walking steps resulting from shifting shortmotorized trips to walking at a population level and determine the weight gain from notoperating this transfer. Methods: Analyses are based on data from the 2008 Origin-DestinationSurvey carried out in the Greater Montreal Area (Canada). This survey collects geocodedinformation on all trips (motorized or not) made by 5% of the population during a typicalweekday. Using appropriate stride lengths for various population segments, short motorizedtrips were converted into steps to see how many steps per day could be performed bytransferring these trips to walking. Until they are performed, these steps are accounted for“steps in reserve”. Results: During a typical 2008 weekday, 7.72% of daily motorized trips wereflagged as walkable. These trips account for 608 million steps, an average of 2380 daily stepsper person. Shifting short motorized trips to walking would allow 8.33% of the population toincrease its level of daily physical activity. Conclusions: Shifting short motorized trips to walkingoffers a valuable opportunity for increasing daily physical activity and might also help reduceweight gain at a population level. Objectives: To estimate the number of walking steps resulting from shifting shortmotorized trips to walking at a population level and determine the weight gain from notoperating this transfer. Methods: Analyses are based on data from the 2008 Origin-DestinationSurvey carried out in the Greater Montreal Area (Canada). This survey collects geocodedinformation on all trips (motorized or not) made by 5% of the population during a typicalweekday. Using appropriate stride lengths for various population segments, short motorizedtrips were converted into steps to see how many steps per day could be performed bytransferring these trips to walking. Until they are performed, these steps are accounted for“steps in reserve”. Results: During a typical 2008 weekday, 7.72% of daily motorized trips wereflagged as walkable. These trips account for 608 million steps, an average of 2380 daily stepsper person. Shifting short motorized trips to walking would allow 8.33% of the population toincrease its level of daily physical activity. Conclusions: Shifting short motorized trips to walkingoffers a valuable opportunity for increasing daily physical activity and might also help reduceweight gain at a population level. Subject Area: Active transport; Physical activity; Walking; Commuting; Modal choice Availability: Morency, Catherine, Marie Demers, and Eric Poliquin. "Shifting short motorized trips to walking: The potential of active transportation for physical activity in Montreal."Journal of Transport & Health (2014). http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214140514000310 Public Opinion towards Bicycle Lanes: The Case of New York Wil Fisher Abstract: As bicycles gradually become an established form of transportation in the UnitedStates, planners and policymakers need new evidence to determine how best to expand bicycleinfrastructure. Using logistic regression analysis of 2012 public opinion data from New YorkCity, this article explores the demographics behind support of bicycle lanes. Due to an absenceof literature on public opinion toward bike lanes, it examines a breadth of variables in order toprovide a basis for future research, answering the question: What personal characteristics areimportant in one's support for bike lanes? This study also demonstrates the distinction betweendemographics of bicycle ridership and demographics of supporters of bicycle infrastructure. As bicycles gradually become an established form of transportation in the UnitedStates, planners and policymakers need new evidence to determine how best to expand bicycleinfrastructure. Using logistic regression analysis of 2012 public opinion data from New YorkCity, this article explores the demographics behind support of bicycle lanes. Due to an absenceof literature on public opinion toward bike lanes, it examines a breadth of variables in order toprovide a basis for future research, answering the question: What personal characteristics areimportant in one's support for bike lanes? This study also demonstrates the distinction betweendemographics of bicycle ridership and demographics of supporters of bicycle infrastructure. Subject Area: Public opinion, bike lanes, transportation policy, urban planning, demographics Availability: Fisher, Wil. "Public Opinion towards Bicycle Lanes: The Case of New York." (2014). http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/sturesearch/87/ Problems and Suggestions of Walking in the Resident Trip Survey K. Wang, X.Guo, & N. Zhang