Cycletrack and Blue Marking for Conflict & Transition Zones in Cambridge

Cambridge, MA was one of the earliest adopters of cycletracks in the U.S. and this was my first time cycling on the facility which is adjacent to the MIT campus. The cycletrack was enjoyable to ride on and reminded me of many of the Dutch cycletracks I had used last summer or the one way facilities common in Copenhagen.  The nature of having the cycling facility flush with the driveway (which is lower speed traffic) is a nice touch. The markings at the driveway denote the potential for a conflict or a transition at the locations where the cycletrack is ending.
The City was using the blue markings prior to the feedback the City of Portland got related to using green and apparently they haven't had the need to go back and refresh the markings.  
The treatment that was worth noting was the yield to bikes sign and the lane configuration sign which included the blue bike lane to indicate to motorists that the lane exists and there should be an awareness of the potential for a conflict. The first time I saw the sign, I had a hard time noting the bike marking in the lane, the black and blue does not provide a very good contrast that is easy to pick up and doesn't offer a consistent marking for the bike symbol, I tend to prefer the addition of the rider to match the striping, but that's a detail that's something to talk with the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) National Committee about this week.    
This post reminded me of the early work done by Alta to summarize some of the facilities in 2009, which seemed like an eternity ago what with the Green Lane Project and so much emphasis on cycletracks and protected facilities in the past several years.

NACTO Bike Guide Training at the Oregon Active Transportation Summit

The Oregon Active Transportation Summit (OATS) annually offers education on a broad array of active transportation topics. This year’s Summit will be April 16-17 in Salem.

Offered on Monday, April 16th of the summit will be an intensive day-long training on the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) Bikeway Design Guide. Completing the training offers 6 professional development hours.

The NACTO Guide presents both detailed designs and examples of how best practice bikeways are being implemented throughout North America. The training—taught by Roger Geller, Rob Burchfield and Peter Koonce—will cover the 21 designs found in the guide as well as other treatments in use, but not yet covered there. The course is intended for traffic engineers, project managers, planners and anyone interested in the nuts and bolts and discussion of more recent bikeway designs.

To take the course, register here for the summit!
Registration is $50, which includes conference sessions, lunch and the evening reception. In addition to the bikeway design training is a full two-day agenda that promises a stimulating summit. If you cannot attend both days at the least please plan to stay for the evening talk and reception that follows.

A hard-copy of the NACTO Guide is available for an additional $40 when you register.

Documenting Efforts on NE 12th Avenue: 4 to 3-lane Conversion

I got an email from another colleague regarding the experience converting a 4-lane to 3-lane conversion on NE 12th Avenue. I could spend a lot of time to describe it or I could summarize blog posts that BikePortland.org had on the subject in chronological order with better reporting than I could accomplish at home in the evenings after work.

Pushback on the Plans - are signals enough? - April 28th: This was the time I got involved. There was some earlier work on the concepts, but I hadn't done a whole lot of new information.

Implementation Notice - June 2nd: PBOT implemented the signal changes with some striping modifications before the school year ended.

Moving Forward with Concerns - June 16th: A second meeting was held to discuss initial results.

Consensus with the Stakeholders! - September 29 : We studied the after when school was back in session to do a reasonable comparison.

Implementation pictorial: The completed project, we still have a few things to modify and we committed to evaluate the after before the end of the year. We haven't had any complaints that we were not able to address.

Peter Koonce Bio Updated to 2012

Peter Koonce, P.E., is the Manager for the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation's Signals, Street Lighting, & ITS Division. Prior to serving with the City, he worked with Kittelson & Associates, Inc. He has served as an adjunct professor at Portland State University teaching graduate level courses in transportation engineering. Last year, he established a study abroad course in the Netherlands with Northeastern University and the Technical University in Delft. He is currently president of the Oregon Chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers and was recently appointed Chair of the Transportation Research Board’s Committee on Traffic Signal Systems.

The Portland UGB Trail: A Concept for Building the Region's Bike Network

A regional trail outside of Delft features excellent wayfinding.

I have often said that there is a lot that we can learn from the Dutch. The fact that they have 35% of their trips made by the bicycle is by design, not an accident. I spent the last summer learning with the PSU students about this when we explored the seven communities throughout the 2-week program. There was a lot about land use planning and facility construction that were part of our daily field trips that I am sure I never captured via my blog. This foundation of knowledge is serving me well as I think about the future of the Portland region's trail network.

On a bike ride this afternoon, I found the Gresham-Fairview Trail. I have passed the spot on the Springwater several times, but never explored the link it makes north to Fairview. I recall biking on the Springwater a year or so ago and someone from the City was doing a study of the corridor and a survey of the potential users. Apparently, the trail was opened last year with Blumenauer cutting the ribbon. At the time, when I rode past the surveyor they hadn't yet finished the bridge that would connect the Springwater to the new portions of the trail (the following link has a summary of the project in a text box next to a larger story about Gresham and wayfinding signs). The survey was mostly about use of the Springwater and origin-destinations of users of the Trail. I wasn't aware of the context the time. I must have missed the BikePortland coverage that can be found here.

The trail is a wonderful connection in East Portland. It connects several neighborhoods and is a major spine for the off-street network. The trail may be underused (compared to the Springwater), and it is something that seems easy to overlook because it is managed by the City of Gresham. This is something that Metro's Intertwine could help with, but I digress. It is in a great spot parallel to the I-205 path. The trail doesn't seem to have a good north end connection yet. That will come in Sections D & E as described in the Trail Master Plan.  It may sound like a complaint but often our projects only go so far and there's no common way to designate the end of a trail or a transition from the higher order facility to a shared experience. I found a Ride Report from the Tandem club that similarly critiqued the signage at the  northern end of the trail (I wasn't clear I was at the end) and the crossing of the light rail tracks (I actually got off the trail due to a missed sign) .

So the operative question is how do we build more of these sorts of facilities. It looked like they cobbled together federal, state, and City sources over ten years to get this done. The good news is Metro is active in this and have great staff working on the effort. There are a lot of good projects that have been completed, and the 40-mile loop is one of my favorites.

There's a host of complaints one could make about this. The most important one is why does it take so long? The easy answer, and this is largely speculation, is that we don't own the land, money is scarce (we've spent the bond money on larger natural areas as opposed to trails), an no one is jumping to give us that land like in the Lake Oswego Streetcar case. For this reason, I would focus some of the efforts on communities that are not yet built up.

Outside Portland's Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), the land is undeveloped because our forefathers had the vision to use land use laws to limit sprawl and restrict their use. The concept, inspired by my bike ride, is this:

For lands outside the UGB, or on the boundary itself, the local jurisdiction and Metro should team up to buy right of way to create/preserve a trail facility that would further build the regional network. The land would either be donated by the property owners and valued at the urban price point (assuming it is exempted and brought into the UGB) or Metro could use its Regional Trails resources to purchase the land at 10% above rural prices to provide the landowner some relief to the costs associated with the land use laws.

What about essential nexus?
There is the Dolan vs. The City of Tigard case that put limits on what the public agency could require from a citizen or development, but it seems like this would eliminate that because the compensation would be part of my concept.

Regional trails can serve as linear parks.
The rural equivalent of Portland's Sunday Parkways!

In the Netherlands, there are a lot of great examples of this sort of trail development in the rural environment. I found in talking to folks that some of these are used for longer commutes. They are not all trails and some of them are cyclepaths or one way roads that allow for some passing by vehicles. These facilities stretch throughout the country and there are excellent maps to show you where you are and the direction you're headed.

The system was a little disorienting at first, but if you had a smart phone and a GPS the system would give you instant access outside of the urban area that we would get if we did something similar to my concept above.

Green Wave Signal Timing in Copenhagen with Transit

A great conversation with a consultant who is working on modifying the Green Wave signal timing to incorporate transit priority measures that will reduce delay for buses. In describing the two Green Wave projects we have implemented in Portland outside of downtown (which is all timed for human scale speeds) we discussed the relative importance of certainty associated with the signal timing and the practical implementation issues associated with what you cannot at the intersectionof two green waves. Our experience in Portland is a little difference because our Green Waves are on one way couplets, which makes the progression issue less of an issue in the opposite direction.

From One Greenwave unofficially starts at the Bike Signal at Interstate & Oregon

My experience in Copenhagen was fantastic on their green waves. It was also very necessary to facilitate the movement of people with their impressive bike mode split nearing 40% for people on bikes. The impetus for reduced bus delay is to reduce costs of service. This is also consistent with an argument I consistently made as a consultant... Any public sector employee should want to reduce bus delay since ultimately the investment in transit is a service that if faster is a savings we can all enjoy. It also can reduce pavement wear if buses are not suddenly stopping at the stop bar.

The person I talked to was also very interested in what we've done with VISSIM to assess bicycles and pedestrians. While we've used some of the elements of simulation, I would say we've just scratched the surface related to what can be done. Beyond the simple assessment of adequacy of the facilities, is the quality of the network to support multimodal travel. There are a lot of details we are not ready to assess to fully evaluate tradeoffs between transit, bike, ped, and freight mobility. Things like the use of detection are difficult to weigh without performance measures and a complete assessment for the 24/7 operating conditions we deal. This is not to mention the maintenance issues associated with the decision of the engineers.

Finally, we discussed detection technology, which is consistent with several posts and a recent inquiry from the Oregonian, BikePortland, and Alta about some work that was done in Pleasonton, CA.

Transportation Safety Map - Fatalities 2001-2009

Portland Bicycle Signals

Google alerts is a pretty great at highlighting new activities on the internet. I got a request based on the City of Eugene posting the following press release about their first ever bicycle signal.

I have been keeping track of the various bicycle signals we have whether they have the stencil or are merely exclusive bicycle signals and coded them in Google maps (you can follow the link below. There are a few that are in various stages of design/planning associated with some of the capital projects that the City is involved in that are color coded as described in the google map.


View Portland's Bicycle Signals in a larger map

Turning Vehicles Yield to Bicycles Dynamic Sign



The City of Portland installed a dynamic warning sign at NE Grand and Couch in Portland during the past week. The intent was to clarify the traffic control at the intersection and to warn motorists of an approaching cyclist.

Inductive loop detection is located upstream from the traffic signal by 200 feet. We have second  detector in the bike lane approximately 60 feet downstream is used to identify and confirm that all people on bicycles are approaching the signal.

The active sign is behind the no turn on red sign and the advance ctop here on red sign.

50' from the intersection you can see the bike box and the active warning sign. The arrow in the bike lane advances.

A close up of the sign shows the information. This is the same message as the MUTCD sign with the exception of the bike lane and the bicycle (the MUTCD sign is only for pedestrians). The sign is the same size as the signal head (3' x 3')

UPDATED: Video that shows the animation of the sign prior to deployment. 

 

NYC Mixing Zone for Cycletrack

There is interest in exploring cycletrack opportunities where we have excess road capacity in Portland. There aren't many locations where this is easy to do persay, but jumping off from Ronald Tamse's (Dutch Engineer) recent presentation, it's not a very far leap to find the right spots where there's space available. 

In order to transition back from a cycletrack into a spot where capacity is constrained takes care. You can maintain adequate capacity when making the transition if the signal timing is combined with geometric design elements like we produced on NE 12th Avenue. To this end, I think New York City is onto something for making a cycletrack work well at intersections. They take care to produce a "Mixing zone" at right turn opportunities that blend the facility in with the traffic. The diagram on the right isn't for the heaviest right turn traffic, but it seems to offer promise for retaining the auto capacity while providing opportunities for finding the right match. 

The research conducted by Portland State University about our SW Broadway cycletrack suggests that its an application that will work well in places where we have few conflicts with driveways. I first saw the Mixing Zone during a visit back in November 2010 and it seemed to work exceptionally well and I felt extremely comfortable when cycling in the cycletrack. It also eliminates the need for a specific phase for people on bikes, so you end up with a traffic engineering win-win. 

Traffic Signal Detection Confirmation Lights for Bicycles in the Netherlands (Delft)

I have often said that the Dutch have figured out most of our traffic signal design challenges. It's not that they are smarter than us, it is just that they come from the perspective of the cyclist. Meeting with Ronald Tamse this past week confirmed that. A video of his presentation is here.

There is a question that was recently highlighted on the Institute of Transportation Engineers' listserv, and on the same day I got an email asking about this, so rather than write this once and copy & paste, I figured by posting it here, google might pick it up and it can be part of the FAQ.  Here's the post.

In the summer trip to the Netherlands, I came across the following intersection confirmation indication for being detected as a person on a bicycle. The push button would also turn on a light that showed that you had been detected.



In Portland, we're planning to complete an installation where the detection from the loops is connected to the button and specifically the LED in the push button that offers confirmation. The downside of this configuration is that you will see a longer amount of time in the controller Walk & Flashing Don't Walk, then just the minimum green plus actuated time if you wired it separately.

UPDATED: October 31, 2011...

From: Vendor (email me if you want details)
Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2011 1:56 PM
To: City of Portland
Subject:

It is possible to light the LED on the Polara Bulldog buttons if you have the following equipment and wire everything accordingly.

#1           You would need to use the Latching Bulldog Control unit (PBCU) with BDL-3 pushbuttons.

#2           You then need to wire the output of the Bicycle detection loop amplifier in parallel to where the Pedestrian push button land in the controller cabinet.

#3           you would also need a 180 ohm resistor wired in series with the Detector loop amplifier output.

Please call if you have any questions.

12th Avenue Overcrossing on Mayor's Blog

By taking the time to understand the situation on the ground, the project team crafted a proposal that balances a variety of functional demands and results in an all-around improved situation for trucks, autos, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
Mayor Adams weighed in on the project, saying, “This is the type of project I expect to see more of in Portland. We identified areas that needed improvement, tested the proposed changes, used fact-based analyses to make improvements, and came up with a solution that works better for trucks, helps out two important manufacturing companies in the city, and makes the street safer for bicyclists and pedestrians going to school.”

Roads Going High Tech... and Bicycle Lanes Too

Today's blog from the Secretary of Transportation describes roads going high tech. At yesterdays, TransPort meeting (the Intelligent Transportation Systems Subcomittee of Metro's TPAC) we learned about how the Oregon DOT is going to implement some queue warning signs and additional technology to highlight where highway traffic is stopped and to reduce the speed limit accordingly. It's an exciting development for improving safety and improving our highways (specifically Highway 217 and ) as we seek to do more with our existing infrastructure. This specifically should reduce the potential of wasting capacity that can be restored if motorists are aware of the change. One can debate the extent of the improvements, but putting information in the hands of engineers can yield societal benefits. 

Not to be outdone, we're working to pull together information on bike lanes in a similar fashion. The link below shares where the map is and the progress on where we're counting and monitoring use of the system.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=201784094409028558690.0004a3e54739207228bb4

UPDATED: I recieved a comment about how we're detecting bikes and that's found here: http://koonceportland.blogspot.com/2011/09/automated-bicycle-counting.html

NE 12th Avenue: The Capacity of Two Approach Lanes at a Signal (4 vs. 3 Lanes)

The 12th Avenue Bridge is an overcrossing of I-84 in NE Portland. The history around the delineators on the bridge are part of the study the City completed to determine if there was sufficient capacity at the traffic signals to warrant restriping the existing four lanes on the bridge to three lanes that would accomodate space for a bike lane in the northbound direction of the bridge. The study was documented by BikePortland here and the final resolution was reported just this week after I gave an update on our performance reporting.

The Signals, Street Lighting, & ITS Division worked hard to synchronize the timing so that the capacity of the facility was maximized. We had an intern drive the corridor over 40 times to measure the before and after during the evening peak hours of traffic and more throughout the day to determine the morning and noon time conditions. All in all, it was a successful project for the City balancing the needs of all users with the interest in having the facility be safer for everyone.

Bicycle Commute Challenge - Day 19 Introducing Your Friends to Cycling and the Services Offered.

It was great to see the multitude of new people exposed to cycling associated with the Bicycle Commute Challenge. I was responsible for four cyclists that hadn't been commuting regularly. I am very proud of them and it will be interesting to see if they continue on as the weather turns and the days become shorter. It makes me wonder why bikes don't just come with lights. Some of the "Dutch" bikes have those features, but it's one more barrier to getting on your bike in the morning and of course lights are important for safety.  One of the best programs to that end is the "Get Lit" program. It's another smart program put out there Portland volunteers that are motivated with the goal of getting more people on their bikes and getting them there safely.

Green Driver Article

The City has provided data to a company in Eugene that produced the Green Driver ap for Android and iPhone.

It has gotten some press coverage and it seems to work well (where we have communication to the traffic signals which is about 65% of them). The article from Bloomberg describes a variety of different companies in the market and is worth a read.

Leaving Delft

Luckily I won't feel like Yehuda does in this comic when I get back home.

Bicycle Comics - Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery | Modal Share Math

Unfortunately, this is reality in many U.S. cities. There's a lot to be said about safety in numbers and Portland has been successful in doing a lot with a little. I am looking forward to the future. I pondered my return to Delft and after finishing dinner, biked through the amazing square paying respects to the people of Delft that built such amazing monuments. 

Portland State Student Blogs for the Study Abroad Course

Updated to bring this to the front of the page. I continue to use this to keep track of the students and their work. I am expecting the students on the Portland State University Study Abroad course to produce all of their information electronically via their blog. We have a number of assignements prepared. Here's the list of blogs.

Brian: http://halfthefun.net/
Will: http://wrfarley.blogspot.com/
Pam: http://eurobikegeek.blogspot.com/

Sam: http://smonsef.blogspot.com/
Kirk: http://www.pedalportland.org/blog/
Kate: http://katepetak.wordpress.com/
Ian: http://eotrout.blogspot.com/

We're not the only Oregonians in the Netherlands studying this summer. Marc Scholossberg has a group of students from the University of Oregon and Portland State. Their blogs are online at: http://2011bikesabroad.blogspot.com/

Climate Efforts

A nice mention of Portland's work and quote from Mayor Adams. We're working on the street lighting elements and hope to be a leader in this area. There's a leap one needs to make to invest in green technology and to make the case that the reduced maintenance costs will serve the community in the long-term. Our study on LED lighting has been published and showed promise. Unfortunately, if the maintenance staff are concerned about reduced costs resulting in fewer jobs, there may be a negative connotation to the effort. The good news is there are maintenance needs elsewhere in street lighting, so there will be different jobs to do, like look after the conduit, deteriorating pole foundations, and the communication system that will be needed to control the LEDs to further reduce power demands.

There's also the need to find staff to maintain electric vehicle charging stations.

Bicycle Signals Moving Forward in Oregon Senate

One of the many unique tasks I have enjoyed while working at the City has included the chance to testify in front of the Senate and House Committees on Transportation related to Bicycle Signals. SB 130 has moved forward due to my testimony and response to questions. The last round was very contentious and there were several pointed questions related to the following topics:

1. Compliance (we have some sense of this based on the early studies), 
2. Delay to motorists (there's the potential for some, but we have kept it as low as possible without compromising safety), 
3. Costs (they are truly minimal since we're adding signals where we already have a lot of infrastructure), and
4.  Safety (our records have been very good in this regard).

The City has six now and we're in the process of developing some additional sites currently where it can improve the performance of the street network or we have bicycle only movements where it is intuitive. 

To address #1, #2, and #4 we need to get Portland State involved more to study the issue.