Fwd: What makes people comfortable biking?

[Jim Baross]

The Toole folks offer how to gauge comfort toward encouraging more bicycling. They offer the four "Comfort typology of Bicyclists," the Geller types of responses people have to bicycling; at least they changed from "Fearless" to "Highly Confident" as our category.

My goal as an educator/advocate is to help more people become not only confident but more capable by adding to their knowledge and skills.

Jim Baross

Board Member, League of American Bicyclists

President, Calif. Assoc. of Bicycling Organizations

Board Member, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Toole Design Group <newsl...@tooledesign.com>
Date: Mon, Oct 23, 2023 at 12:14 PM
Subject: What makes people comfortable biking?
To: <jimb...@cox.net>

Thinking beyond Level of Traffic Stress

Inspirations | October 2023 View this email in your browser What Makes a Street Feel Comfortable for Bicycling? It seems obvious: When streets are more comfortable for biking, more people will choose to bike. But how do you measure the subjective experience of bicycle comfort? Active Transportation Practice Lead Adam Wood points to our work with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency as an example. We took Level of Traffic Stress a step further to develop a Bicycle Comfort Index that evaluates each network segment based on a more holistic definition of comfort. Read Adam's post on how redefining comfort can lead to better bike networks. Cindy Zerger on Incorporating Urban Design in Active Transportation "For a long time, active transportation was treated as an 'amenity' or afterthought in the street design process,” says Cindy Zerger, Toole Design's new Urban Design Practice Lead. "We’re moving beyond that now to give these spaces their due as part of the urban fabric."  Learn more about Cindy and how she turns paths into places.  Looking Ahead to ASLA 2023 We're looking forward to the American Society of Landscape Architects 2023 Conference and celebrating President Jennifer Toole's induction as an ASLA Fellow! Plus, Noah Halbach and Cindy Zerger will be leading Tour de Minneapolis Bike Infrastructure, a 7.5-mile bike tour exploring the city's bicycle network. If you’re attending, be sure to say hello! What Moved Us A roundup of recent news, resources, or other cool stuff we’ve come across that’s inspiring our staff:  Power hour: Tune in on October 25th for Smart Growth America's Complete Streets Power Hour, a series on how to build an effective Complete Streets policy. This month’s session will spotlight safe streets advocates and the tools they need to succeed.  The future of transportation: The National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) is helping to highlight often-marginalized BIPOC youth voices through the National Youth Transportation Equity Fellowship. The 2023-2024 Fellowship is open for applications until 10/30.  Mobility justice: We loved scrolling through pictures from a #WeekWithoutDriving. Thank you, America Walks and Disability Mobility Initiative, for expanding the conversation around barriers to mobility for non-drivers. (If you’re not on Instagram, their blog featured some amazing local initiatives.)  Micromobility recap: NABSA just released key takeaways and recordings from the Growing Shared Micromobility: Connecting People & Places Conference.  A crucial shift: In case you missed it, review our post about how dramatically reducing car-dependency is a critical piece to tackling climate change, and join the conversation on LinkedIn.  Calling all safety engineers and planners! The SS4A program creates an incomparable opportunity to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities in the U.S. If our industry continues to apply the same methods used to develop the last decade of SHSPs, we won’t succeed in reaching zero. If, like us, you’re eager to see our profession do more toward eliminating traffic deaths, we want to get to know you. We’re expanding our team of industry-leading safety specialists to deliver game-changing safety plans, roadway designs, and policies for communities of all sizes. These leadership-level positions can be based anywhere we have an office. View our safety positions.   View all open positions.   Copyright © 2023 Toole Design Group, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you are a friend or colleague of Toole Design or opted in on our website. Our mailing address is: Toole Design Group 8484 Georgia Avenue Suite 800 Silver Spring, MD 20910 Add us to your address book

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10/23/23, 07:43:03 PM

[Gary Cziko]

Jim,

I find the low-to-high stress tolerance from left to right works in the opposite direction for me and I suspect many cyclists here who understand the limitations and added risks of the additional conflict points and poor sight lines provided by separate bicycling infrastructure.

Other than the completely separated bike paths along the beach and other waterways in Los Angeles (called Class 1 bikeways in California) which I use and enjoy, I do my best to avoid all streets here with bike lanes and cycle tracks because I have low risk tolerance for the dangers they impose. This is particularly the case when I am cycling at higher speeds on my faster bikes, or for anyone wanting to use the full speed potential of an ebike.

--Gary

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[Jim Baross]

About "completely separated bike paths" ...

I had the pleasure but also the white-knuckle experience of riding several miles of the DC Mt. Vernon Trail and Tow Path last week. 

Extremely separated from motor vehicle crossings, through wide open grassey park spaces, with scenic vistas across placid waters of famous monuments, often under a canopy of fall colored leafy trees. And barely wide enough for singles to ride past each other while also avoiding the frequent two or three-abreast pedestrians, and on Saturday the incoming runners competing their 10k.

Miles of this with only infrequent connectivity to the surrounding/adjacent residences, businesses, and other attractions. 

How to compare the value, comfort, safety, or utility of various facilities?

I surmise, IT DEPENDS on so many factors that general comparisons are of limited value.

Providing choices that fit our bicycling needs at the time seems important. 

On Tue, Oct 24, 2023, 8:11 AM Gary Cziko <gcz...@gmail.com> wrote:

Jim,

I find the low-to-high stress tolerance from left to right works in the opposite direction for me and I suspect many cyclists here who understand the limitations and added risks of the additional conflict points and poor sight lines provided by separate bicycling infrastructure.

Other than the completely separated bike paths along the beach and other waterways in Los Angeles (called Class 1 bikeways in California) which I use and enjoy, I do my best to avoid all streets here with bike lanes and cycle tracks because I have low risk tolerance for the dangers they impose. This is particularly the case when I am cycling at higher speeds on my faster bikes, or for anyone wanting to use the full speed potential of an ebike.

--Gary

On Mon, Oct 23, 2023 at 7:47 PM Jim Baross <jimb...@cox.net> wrote:

The Toole folks offer how to gauge comfort toward encouraging more bicycling. They offer the four "Comfort typology of Bicyclists," the Geller types of responses people have to bicycling; at least they changed from "Fearless" to "Highly Confident" as our category.

My goal as an educator/advocate is to help more people become not only confident but more capable by adding to their knowledge and skills.

Jim Baross

Board Member, League of American Bicyclists

President, Calif. Assoc. of Bicycling Organizations

Board Member, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Toole Design Group <newsl...@tooledesign.com>
Date: Mon, Oct 23, 2023 at 12:14 PM
Subject: What makes people comfortable biking?
To: <jimb...@cox.net>

Thinking beyond Level of Traffic Stress

Inspirations | October 2023 View this email in your browser

What Makes a Street Feel Comfortable for Bicycling? It seems obvious: When streets are more comfortable for biking, more people will choose to bike. But how do you measure the subjective experience of bicycle comfort? Active Transportation Practice Lead Adam Wood points to our work with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency as an example. We took Level of Traffic Stress a step further to develop a Bicycle Comfort Index that evaluates each network segment based on a more holistic definition of comfort. Read Adam's post on how redefining comfort can lead to better bike networks.

Copyright © 2023 Toole Design Group, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you are a friend or colleague of Toole Design or opted in on our website.

3/23, 07:43:03 PM