Adopting Innovative Bicycle Infrastructure Ideas in US Cities: A Case Study in the City of Sacramento.

摘要

In the US, automobiles account for nearly 90% of all personal travel and contribute 45% of the world's automotive carbon dioxide emissions. One way to reduce our dependency on driving is to shift to other modes of travel such as cycling. In the US there is still a relatively wide gap in bicycle infrastructure development compared to European countries. It is important to explore how these innovative designs could be adopted in the US. Using the City of Sacramento as the area of study, I investigated Stockton Blvd. and Broadway to determine the causes of their higher than usual cyclist collision rates in the past 10 years. I performed road audits, site analyses, and bicycle counts along Stockton Blvd. and Broadway to determine the causes of the high collision rates. Then by using innovative infrastructure ideas from Europe, I explored how these two streets could be enhanced to not only improve cyclists' safety but also make cycling more enjoyable. Results from my research reveal that high vehicle speed & volume and discontinuous or lack of bicycle lanes could be some of the major causes for the high collision rates. Cycle tracks have been recommended to be the default intervention measures with buffered bicycle lanes as the backup if there is limited funding. In addition, coupled with innovative bicycle infrastructure, streetscape redesigns have been recommended to improve the comfort and aesthetics of the two streets.