Green wave Raadhuisstraat - Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Great video describing a green wave for cyclists in Amsterdam.

Combined with the simulation it shows how people on bicycles can be given priority and how signal timing analysis and simulation can represent the real world.

Book Review - Better: Notes from a Surgeon on Performance

This book was recommended to me by Paul Zebell who had read it. I found several takeaways that can apply to transportation or any industry.  

 Here are some of my favorite excerpts:

You go into this work (medicine) thinking it is all a matter of canny diagnosis, technical prowess, and some ability to empathize with people. But it is not, you soon find out. In medicine, as in any profession, we must grapple with systems, resources, circumstances, people-and our own shortcomings as well. We face obstacles of seemingly unending variety. Yet somehow we must advance, we must refine, we must improve.

Three core requirements for success:

1. diligence, the necessity of giving sufficient attention to detail to avoid error and prevail against obstacles. You just pay attention, right? No.
2. do right, reduce failings like avarice, arrogance, insecurity, misunderstanding.
3. ingenuity, thinking anew. Ingenuity is often misunderstood. It is not a matter of superior intelligence but of character. It demands more than anything a willingness to recognize failure, to not paper over the cracks, and to change.

Betterment is a perpetual labor. The world is chaotic, disorganized, and vexing. We are distractible, weak, and given to our own concerns.

Trying to find a way to reduce malnutrition, doctors went to the homes of villagers to learn what the families of the best-nourished children were doing.

There was a “positive deviance” idea- the idea of building on capabilities of people already had rather than telling them how to change. 

Chapter 3 entitled “Casualties of War” – describes how the armed forces have determined how to save more lives during battle by using forward medical teams that reduce transport time.

One way to improve is “to make a science of performance, to investigate and improve how well “they” use the knowledge and technologies they already have at hand”. You can make simple, almost banal changes that produce enormous improvements.

Follow Up Actions from Trip for Signals

There's a lot of information that was on this blog related to what I saw in Europe. Someone asked me today what I was going to bring back to Portland. Here's 5 things, part of these are already underway..

1. Nearside bicycle signals designed at a human scale: common application in the Netherlands: in procurement.
2. Redundant detection for bicycles (and other users): loop detection and push button: started this, but not complete.
3. Confirmation of actuation for travelers: LEDs light up after being sensed: this would take some work.
4. Uncoordinated operation to improve responsiveness: underway at Half Signals, do we need to expand?
5. Collection of data and Performance Measures (where possible) at Traffic Signals: underway.

PSU Delft Experience highlights

Taking the students on this adventure was a great experience. The program achieved its objective of presenting an introduction into transportation engineering applications in the European context. It built on earlier courses with a special emphasis on differences between U.S. and Dutch standards. The course curriculum featured material that shows the contrast between engineering principles and policies focusing on the standards presented in both the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices and the Highway Capacity Manual. More on the PSU website:

The last full day in Delft is marked with heavy rains and wind that will soak cyclists to the core on even the shortest trips. The woman helping me check out of the place I was staying chalked it up to climate change. Climate change is a serious issue for the Dutch considering that a good percentage of them live below sea level. It's going to rain 55 mm today, just over 2 inches.

I am pleased with the rain because it is giving me a chance to catch up on the students' projects and blog posts.

So here's my Top 5 things that happened on the trip (not in rank order, sorry Brian).

1. Jane Jacobs and her Influence - How European Cities Have Social Networks (no not Facebook)
My favorite post to date was a psuedo assignment related to the book I assigned for the class: Death and Life of American Cities by Jane Jacobs. Brian Davis provided this insightful blast related to how communities can be organized to provide social support. It's not something I ever learned in a transportation engineering course, but creating a transportation system that allows a place to play seems as important as any effort I would produce in my profession. Recognizing the importance of a local community is key to the success of city planning. The density of the City allows this easily in Delft, but I wonder if the combination of the Farmers Market, local businesses, and interactions surrounding Llewllyn Elementary will contribute to the sort of community that will make Sellwood like this.

2. Education of the Future Users of the Transportation System
I really enjoyed the lectures that were part of the program. I learned a lot that I am looking forward to taking back to the City of Portland to apply in our community. One of the most important elements in the Netherlands is their education of future users of the transportation system. It is mandatory that each student take a test on navigating the City by bicycle in the 7th grade. This is all part of the sustainable safety program. They get police involved during the test and the students go through a course that is on city streets. This is after a detailed program on an off-street course.

3. It's All About the Bike (in Urban Planning)

It's often debated of whether there is a bike culture here. I would argue there is, yet it is not a subculture. Everyone has a bicycle. Most use it on occasion which results in them appreciating the vulnerability you feel when one is cycling. This results in a fairly courteous driving population overall and everyone concerned with the safety of each other. They also appreciate the importance of mobility, so the streets carefully discriminate between those that are for cars and freight and ones that are community oriented. They have support for the bike oriented streets because most people cycle. The City of Houten was an extreme example for making it irresistible to cycle to most destinations as highlighted in Sam's post on the community. Kirk and Pam from the class have also done an amazing report that shows some of the bike vs. car routing. Kirk summarized his visit with some more pictures. We also saw the ring road that seemed to work really well for freight and other traffic movements that were longer than just a few miles.

4. What's Wrong with the U.S. - Getting the Little Things Right

I borrowed the last part of the title from Marc Schlossberg Most of the concepts common in the Netherlands are considered radical in the U.S. It seems that working with some of the principles will take time but that incorporating small items like bicycle signal heads that are 10 cm are worth moving the industry towards design at a human scale. It is also clear from this trip that many of the things I have been introducing at the City are consistent with practice here. It is very interesting to consider how the public and the press will take to these ideas. The Portland Mercury followed some of the work here, but they are also the newspaper that post the Pedalpalooza schedule (not exactly on the coffee table of every home in Portland).


Traffic Signal Timing for Cyclists from Peter Koonce on Vimeo.


Here's another one that we did for Broadway/Williams. This is important for the Broadway bicycle traffic that we're trying to make safer. There's a slight tradeoff currently for motorist traffic that we will improve when we make the modification at Victoria associated with the streetcar.

5. Creating the Transportation Leaders of the Future

Lastly, I had a great time getting to know the students of PSU, Peter Furth, and Tom Bertulis. Their energy and excitement about the future of transportation was an inspiration during the trip.

So, in all a great experience. Now, it will be great if it will just stop raining.

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. 

Last Field Trip for PSU Netherlands Trip - Rotterdam

Fietsenstalling is bike parking. It is a bike shop where we got our day rentals.  

We started out meeting at Delft the train station. There was a little confusion about the train station, but the good news is that Delft provides better train service than Delft Zuid (south).

We got off at Rotterdam Centraal which was under construction. We would come back there after an orientation at Rotterdam University. Our topic today: Sustainable Safety.

Excellent ramp down into the parking garage at the University!

The bike parking was under the garage and amazing welcome mat the University lays out for its students every day!
Hogeschool Rotterdam or the University is establishing an exchange with Northeastern University. There was interest in setting up a similar arrangement with Portland State. I think it would be an amazing opportunity for students if you can swing the tuitiion arrangements. The housing costs might be a bit challenging, but what a pheonomenal opportunity for exposure to another culture, especially one that has such amazing experience with construction techniques with below sea level and flood control.

It was a great day with a great topic and a fun city to explore. Sustainable safety is a fantastic topic and the Dutch seem to have it figured out. That is, until I got back to the Delftse Hout and as I was making the 50 meters to the house there were two kids that ended up crashing on their bikes because one of the kids wasn't looking. I hope that doesn't disuade them for riding their bikes, they are much better off on two wheels.

Rotterdam Part 2

Entering the Maas Tunnel, we enjoyed the elevator that took us down below the river. Kirk Paulsen, Tom Bertulis, Kate Petak, and several Northeastern University students (in the background) were amazed by the infrastructure and the 1,070 meter length of the tunnel.
As I was taking this picture, I was thinking "Welcome to Rotterdam, now get underground".
For the next picture it was, " Welcome to Rotterdam, there's traffic behind you!"  Rotterdam is a bustling metropolis, very busy with traffic and freight as it hosts the second busiest port in the world. Not known for its cycling infrastructure there are parts of the City where you feel like you're in the U.S.


One of the most impressive sites in Rotterdam outside of the wide range of modernist architecture and buildings is the Erasumus Bridge. This engineering marvel was completed in 1996. The 802 metre long bridge has a 139 metre-high asymmetrical pylon, earning the bridge its nickname of "The Swan".