Thursday, February 21, 2008

Way more info about bicyclists than you want

No, really, this survey is extremely interesting to bike planning geeks like me. Warning: it is very long and detailed!

The new study by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), is the most comprehensive look at bicycling ever done in the Delaware Valley, and may be the largest of its kind ever conducted in the United States.

'Bicycling in the Delaware Valley in 2005' provides information about the behavior of adult bicyclists and the trips they make. Data was collected about trip purpose, length and duration of the trip, use of supplemental modes of transportation (transit, vehicle), frequency of bicycle travel, reasons for riding, crash experience, safety habits and more.

Key findings included:
- Nearly two thirds of daily bicycle trips are for utilitarian transportation purposes, rather than for exercise or recreation.
- Approximately 60 percent of adult bicyclists were observed without a helmet.
- One out of three bicyclists reported having been in a crash or fall in the preceding year and slightly more than one in six were involved in a crash involving a motor vehicle.
- Bicycle lanes are favored by bicyclists over any other facility type; other popular facilities included wide roadway shoulders and education of motorists on sharing the road.

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