I bike CPH

 

The Velocities conference in Copenhagen got pretty nice marketing support around the City. Mostly marketing for bicycling, there is information about the conference. Perhaps it was a Public Service Announcement for the advertisers that provided the space, regardless it was a nice touch.

Copenhagen Bike Counting System

One of the coolest Intelligent Transportation System devices I have seen for bicycles is the counting system (that is before I saw the in pavement warning system which I will describe later). Upon visiting the bike counting system I noticed a few things about it that are worth describing.  
First, it is not just for bike counting, attached to it is a bike pump/compressor that can be used to inflate tires. No coins to add, just another way to intice people to use their bikes. The system also provides the time and the date. I am not sure why there is blue pavement markings at this location, but there are, perhaps that is for tourists to make them recognize how important they are to the community when they are on the bikes (ha!) 
The loop detectors are probably special to the unit because the bikes were going across it anywhere in the lane and you would want to count as many as you could and try to do so accurately to make the cyclists feel like they were part of the 5,000 or so that had travelled the lane that day. I noticed a few being missed as I watched for a few minutes, but it seemed to work pretty well. The double diamond layout might help distinguish cyclists that are travelling side by side in the width of the lane.
It would be great data and information to have, especially if we could track weather and rainfall at the location, which obviously has a significant effect on ridership.

Respecting Cyclists in Work Zones

 
In Copenhagen, it is clear that respect for cyclists is part of their green ethic. This photo is one such example. Note the placement of this construction equipment on the street. Even in Portland, we'd have the equipment as close as possible to the curb, perhaps even on part of the sidewalk to insure no potential conflict with vehicular traffic. In this example, the equipment provides an opportunity for passage by people on bicycles and motorists. The guidebook was true to the words on the paper when it states: "In Denmark the cyclist is king. Everyone in Denmark cycles, regardless of age or class, and there are excellent cycle lanes in all towns, cities, and most of the countryside. Cyclists usually have right of way in traffic and, particularly in Copenhagen, they take no prisoners."
Tomorrow, I will do more peak hour riding and will see if I can tell any difference.

As I was riding around the City tonight, there was a lot of traffic for Sunday night after 9 PM. I drove through the square where they have the World Cup viewing parties and enjoyed the scene. Argentina beat Mexico 3 to 1 and there was a big crowd. A few light blue and white jerseys cheering for Argentina, but mainly just Danes enjoying football. I left just as the game was ending and took a circular route going home. As I was biking home, there was a group of about 15 cyclists in the lane ahead of me. It was a nice way to end the day.

Ray LaHood is my hero

There was a good amount of reservation in Portland following Ray LaHood's appointment as USDOT czar. There was talk of Earl Blumenauer serving in this position, so everyone was very excited about this and for us Oregonian's, a guy from IL was not our cup of tea considering how different the City has been then mainstream U.S. Fortunately, Ray has stepped in and become a tour de force for responsible transportation. His speech at the Bike Summit was impressive and his argument for freight related to bikes was epic. Here's some of the dialogue summarized on BikePortland.

TIGER means bus priority will start soon

When I worked as a consultant, I worked on efforts such as this with WMATA and the COG. I find it refreshing to find them getting funded. Like the author of the post, the public acceptance of some of these improvements will be key to their effectiveness. What may be as important is the traffic engineers' reception. TIGER means bus priority will start soon

Governor's Advisory Group On Global Warming

Taken directly from page 88 of the report from the Oregon Strategy for

Greenhouse Gas Reductions

TRAN-12: Set up traffic flow engineering “Best Practices.”

Specific Recommended Actions:

• Improve signal timing by leveraging The Climate Trust, Federal Highway Administration and City of Portland initiatives.

• Enforce speed limits.

• Apply Intelligent Transportation System solutions.

• Identify, prioritize and reduce recurring traffic congestion and optimize highway speeds to the preferred range.

• Analyze potential projects using value pricing (i.e., congestion pricing).

Truck and auto travel is most energy efficient when vehicles travel in the 40 to 50 mph range without frequent stops and starts. Traffic flow can be optimized through targeted infrastructure investments, traffic signal re-timing, value pricing, and investments in alternatives to the automobile. Projects that improve traffic flow through road widening or traffic management strategies will reduce fuel use in the short-term if vehicles operate at more efficient speeds with less braking and accelerating. However, increasing or improving road capacity may attract more

drivers, thereby increasing vehicle miles traveled and eroding GHG benefits.

Intelligent transportation systems encompass a broad range of wireless and wireline communications-based information, control and electronics technologies. When integrated into the transportation system infrastructure and in vehicles themselves, these technologies help monitor and manage traffic flow, reduce congestion, provide alternate routes to travelers, enhance productivity, and save lives, time and money.

Minneapolis' Left Turns Yield to Bikes

I learned a lot from the visit to Minneapolis. In downtown, I thought there are the starts of a pretty good system. A fair number of bike lanes and a lot of activity in downtown. While there are a lot of bike lanes, there isn't a continuity throughout the streets that builds new riders confidence. I found myself in a couple of locations where the bike lane ended without signage notifying me of the upcoming change.

As I biked and walked around the City, the first thing I (and a few others of my colleagues noticed) is that the traffic signals are set for moving traffic. The cycle lengths (the amount of time) are long, which leads to a wide variety of speeds on the streets.

The left turns throughout downtown are set up to make the streets accessible, yet this can result in drivers that are looking for gaps in traffic and creating a less safe environment of people on bikes.

Minneapolis uses some left hand bike lanes, which I understand in some cases are useful. One of the things I found in using these was there were times I didn't know which side to be on in advance. Especially when you are turning from a permitted left turn onto a new street. So, I am not sure I like the application all that much, but at the same time one can't design for visitors. Yet.... one should design (especially for cyclists and trying to lure commuters) for newer riders to encourage that they'll bike for the second time.