Bicycle-friendly

Bicycle-friendly policies and practices help some people feel more comfortable about traveling by bicycle with other traffic. The level of bicycle-friendliness of an environment can be influenced by many factors including town planning and cycling infrastructure decisions. A stigma towards people who ride bicycles and fear of cycling is a social construct that needs to be fully understood when promoting a bicycle friendly culture. ^[1]

Urban planning

Assuming people prefer to get to their destination quickly, urban planning and zoning may affect whether schools, shops, public transport interchanges and other destination are within a reasonable cycling distance of the areas where people live. If urban form influences these issues, then compact and circular settlement patterns may promote cycling. In 1990, the Netherlands adopted the "ABC" guidelines, specifically limiting infrastructure developments that are major attractants to locations that are readily accessible by non-car users.^[2]

The manner in which the public roads network is designed, built and managed can have a significant effect on the utility and safety of cycling as transport. Settlements that provide a dense roads network consisting of interconnected streets will tend to encourage cycling.

In contrast, other communities may use a cul-de-sac based, housing estate/housing subdivision model where minor roads are disconnected and only feed into a street hierarchy of progressively more "arterial" type roads. Designs that propose to resolve the contradiction between the cul-de-sac and the traditional interconnected network, such as the fused grid, have been proposed and built with varying levels of success.^[3]

In the UK, the principle of 'filtered permeability' has been proposed in some government guidance to maximise the ease of movement of cyclists and pedestrians, whilst constraining it for motor vehicles, see permeability.

Cycling infrastructure

Destinations of CS7 in the style of a tube line, on a large upright sign. — Cycle Superhighway CS7 start point at Colliers Wood Underground Station

Cycling infrastructure includes bikeways, maps, signs, signals, protected intersections and bicycle parking.

Selection of cycling-friendly infrastructure

Benefits of bicycle-friendly communities

A community's infrastructure can affect its citizens’ health, especially in regard to obesity and physical activity.^[4] Cities that incorporate bicycle routes have a higher percentage of bicycle commuters.^[5] Studies have shown that even moderate increases in physical activity can have a substantial effect on health. Bicycling to work has been shown to decrease mortality by as much as 40%.^[6]

Bicycling is often used as an alternative to travel by car. Automobile travel provides the perception of increased mobility and convenience for travelers, but also has high costs associated with taxes, insurance, fuel, maintenance, road construction and repair, and contributes to air pollution. When infrastructure is built to allow consumers to choose between automobile and other forms of travel, it reduces a community's automobile dependency and allows for more efficient transport choices and land usage.^[7]

Recognition

In the U.S., the League of American Bicyclists has formally recognized some cities as bicycle-friendly communities for "providing safe accommodation and facilities for bicyclists and encouraging residents to bike for transportation and recreation."

Tourism

The British tourist board award holiday accommodation providers who are cycle friendly with a "Cycle Friendly" award.^[8]

The League of American Bicyclists designated New Orleans as a Bicycle Friendly City in 2011.^[9]

References

^ "Fear of Cycling 01 - Essay in five parts by Sociologist Dave Horton". Archived from the original on 2022-10-03. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
^ Legislative Tools for Preserving Town Centres and Halting the Spread of Hypermarkets and Malls Outside of Cities: Land Use Legislation and Controls of Conflicts of Interest in Land Use Decision Making, by Ken Baar, Ph.D. Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, New York NY 10001, 2002
^ Durning 1996 cited in Safe Travels, Evaluating Mobility Management Traffic Safety Impacts by Todd Litman & Steven Fitzroy Victoria Transport Policy Institute, 1250 Rudlin Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, CANADA
^ Russell P Lopez and H Patricia Hynes. Obesity, physical activity, and the urban environment: public health research needs. Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source. Vol. 5, pg. 25, 2006.
^ Arthur C. Nelson and David Allen. If You Build Them, Commuters Will Use Them: Association Between Bicycle Facilities and Bicycle Commuting. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. Vol.1578, pg. 79-83, 1997.
^ Lars Bo Andersen, Peter Schnohr, Marianne Schroll and Hans Ole Hein. All-Cause Mortality Associated With Physical Activity During Leisure Time, Work, Sports, and Cycling to Work. Arch Intern Med, Vol. 160, pg. 1621–1628, 2000.
^ Todd Litman Felix Laube. Automobile Dependency and Economic Development. Victoria Transport Policy Institute. 2002.
^ [1], VisitEngland accreditations, (Accessed 31 March 2012)
^ "New Orleans Legendary Walking Tours".

External links

Cycling for Everyone: Lessons for Vancouver from the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany (video of lecture by John Pucher)
Walking, Bicycling and Public Spaces: Experiences from Bogota and Beyond (video of lecture by Gil Penalosa of Walk and Bike for Life)
Shared Space. No code on German roads (Video, 2:42). France 24 English.
Livable Communities Resource Guide

[1] "Fear of Cycling 01 - Essay in five parts by Sociologist Dave Horton". Archived from the original on 2022-10-03. Retrieved 2020-07-15.

[baar1-2] Legislative Tools for Preserving Town Centres and Halting the Spread of Hypermarkets and Malls Outside of Cities: Land Use Legislation and Controls of Conflicts of Interest in Land Use Decision Making, by Ken Baar, Ph.D. Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, New York NY 10001, 2002

[3] Durning 1996 cited in Safe Travels, Evaluating Mobility Management Traffic Safety Impacts by Todd Litman & Steven Fitzroy Victoria Transport Policy Institute, 1250 Rudlin Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, CANADA

[4] Russell P Lopez and H Patricia Hynes. Obesity, physical activity, and the urban environment: public health research needs. Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source. Vol. 5, pg. 25, 2006.

[5] Arthur C. Nelson and David Allen. If You Build Them, Commuters Will Use Them: Association Between Bicycle Facilities and Bicycle Commuting. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. Vol.1578, pg. 79-83, 1997.

[6] Lars Bo Andersen, Peter Schnohr, Marianne Schroll and Hans Ole Hein. All-Cause Mortality Associated With Physical Activity During Leisure Time, Work, Sports, and Cycling to Work. Arch Intern Med, Vol. 160, pg. 1621–1628, 2000.

[7] Todd Litman Felix Laube. Automobile Dependency and Economic Development. Victoria Transport Policy Institute. 2002.

[8] [1], VisitEngland accreditations, (Accessed 31 March 2012)

[9] "New Orleans Legendary Walking Tours".

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v t e Cycling
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Lists	List of bicycle types List of bicycle brands and manufacturing companies List of BMX bicycle manufacturers List of bicycle-sharing systems List of cyclists List of films about bicycles and cycling List of doping cases in cycling
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v t e Urban transportation planning
Land use forecasting Transportation forecasting Trip generation Trip distribution Mode choice Route assignment
Modes favoured	Automotive city Bicycle friendly Green transport hierarchy Transit-oriented development Pedestrian village
Modal measurements	Automobile dependency Bicycle counter Cycling mobility Modal share Passengers per hour per direction Public transport accessibility level Traffic count Walkability