Walking and Cycling forALL New Jerseyans

Prof. John Pucher, Rutgers Universityhttp://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher

Walking and Bicycling: the MOST sustainable transport modes

• MOST environmentally friendly:>Virtually no pollution at all>Almost no nonrenewable resources used

• MOST equitable:>Financially affordable by virtually everyone>Physically possible by all but the severely disabled

• MOST economical:>Minimal private and public costs>Although they take more time, they provide exercise that reduces medical costs and greatly extends our healthy life expectancy

•GREAT source of physical activity:•Both for daily travel and for recreation

•Cheaper, easier, and more dependable than formal exercise routines

•Can be integrated into daily lifestyle to achieve practical travel needs

WALKING AND CYCLINGARE HEALTHY!

Crucial importance of regular physical exercise:

• Obviously, the daily physical exercise of walking and cycling for practical travel helps burn up calories and helps avoid the problems of overweight and obesity

• Moreover:

“Whether normal-weight, overweight, or obese, physically inactive persons are 2 to 3 times more likely to die prematurely."

Journal of Am. Med. Assoc. (1999)

Huge Health Benefits of Even Small Increases in Physical Activity

Bouchard C. Physical activity and health: introduction to the dose-response symposium. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 2001; 33: S347-350

Worsening Obesity Epidemic among American Children and Adolescents, 1963-2002 (% with body mass index of 30+)

Obesity Rate by Country (Body Mass Index ≥

30)

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0

USAUK

AustraliaNew Zealand

CanadaIreland

GermanyFinland

DenmarkNetherlands

SwedenAustriaFrance

ItalySw itzerland

JapanKorea

Obesity Rate by Country (Body

Mass Index ≥ 30)(percentage of adults)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

USA

New Zeal

and

Austral

ia

CanadaIre

landFran

ce

Finland Ita

lySpa

in

German

y

SwedenAust

ria

Netherl

ands

Switzerl

and

Denmark

Perc

ent o

f Obe

sity

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Perc

ent W

alk,

Bik

e,T

rans

it

Obesity Walk, Bike, Transit

Does car dependence make us fat? Obesity falls sharply with increased walking, cycling, and transit use!

3%5%

9%11%

22%

16%

22% 21% 22% 22% 23% 25%

1%1% 2%

2%

8%

3% 4%4%

9% 9% 10%

18%

16%

23%

11%

26%

1%0.5%

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

USA* ('08)

Australia*

('06)

USA ('08)

Canada* (

'06)Ire

land* (

'06)UK ('0

8)Belg

ium ('99)

France

('08)Austri

a ('05)

Norway ('0

1)Finl

and ('0

5)Sweden

( '06)

Germany (

'08)Denmark

('08)

Netherl

ands ('

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cle

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Walking Cycling

*data for commute only

Share of Trips by Cycling and Walking

0.4

0.80.9 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.0

1.31.1

0.80.1

0.20.1 0.1 0.1

0.2 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.50.7 0.7

0.9

1.0 1.52.4

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

USA UKPort

ugal

Spain

Greece

France

Irelan

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Italy

Austria

EU-15 Aver

ageSwed

enFinn

land

Belgium

German

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ng a

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Walking Cycling

Daily Distance Walked and Cycled Per Person

• 25% of all trips ≤ 1 mile• 40% of all trips are ≤ 2 miles

Lots of Potential for Increased Walking and Cycling in the USA:

Many daily trips in American urban areas are short enough to make by bike!

Lots of Potential for Increased Walking and Cycling in the USA:

•Possible at any age, except for very young and very old

•Women as well as men

•Possible for wide range of skills and physical abilities

•Affordable by everyone

25%27%

30%

55%

49%

56%

52% 53%56%

60%

49%

56%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

USA UK Canada Denmark Germany Netherlands

Perc

ent o

f trip

s by

wom

en

Cycling Walking

Women’s Share of Bike and Walk Trips in Europe and

North America

3224 20 20 21

31

17 19 2230 31

19 1813 13

18 21 24 23 19 21283

2

22

15

7 79

10 10 32

20

14 14 1515

15

40

25

2122

23

1511 12 10 9 13

0.8 0.8 0.7 0.5

1 1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

5-15

16-2

425

-39

40-6

565

+

0-16

17-2

930

-59

60-6

565

+

0-17

18-2

526

-45

46-6

060

-65

65 +

10-1

9'20

-29

30-3

940

-49

50-5

960

-69

70-8

4

0-17

18-2

526

-44

45-6

465

+

Age Group

Perc

ent o

f trip

s by

foot

and

bik

eWalking Cycling

USA Germany Denmark NetherlandsUK

Bike and Walk Share of Trips by Age Group

Cycling can start at a very young age

Foto by Marie Demers

And we can keep cycling all life long!!!

Pucher: Biking for all Texans

Mother and kids cycling together in Amsterdam

Parents and kids cycling together in Portland

Pucher: Walking and Cycling for Health

Bikes can be adapted for different abilities and needs

Ann and Mike’s ‘Triple Take Tandem’

•Especially important for the young, the old, for anyone with disabilities, for the timid or risk-averse

•Women more sensitive to safety than men

•Safety of walking and cycling in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany helps explain high levels of walking and cycling there

Make Walking and Cycling Safe forEveryone !

5.5

1.62.3

1.9

3.6

9.7

1.3 1.3

2.4

3.3

13.7

1.11.6 1.6

3.3

1.6 1.5

4.75.7

33.5

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

NL DK GER UK USA

Cyc

list a

nd P

edes

tria

n Fa

talit

y an

d In

jury

Rat

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Cylists killed per 100 million km cycled 2008

Cylists injured per 10 million cycled 2008

Pedestrians killed per 100 million km walked

Pedestrians injured per 10 million km walked

≠

Cyclist and Pedestrian Fatality and Injury Rates

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

1970

1972

1974

1976

1978

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

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2002

2004

2006

2008

Tota

l cyc

list f

atal

ities

rela

tive

to 1

970

(=10

0

USAUKDenmarkGermanyNetherlands

Trends in Cyclist Fatalities

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1970

1972

1974

1976

1978

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

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2008

Tota

l ped

estri

an fa

talit

ies r

elat

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to 1

970

(=10

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USAUKDenmarkGermanyNetherlands

Trends in Pedestrian Fatalities

SAFETY IN NUMBERS

•As levels of cycling increase, injury and fatality rates per trip and per km traveled fall dramatically

•Thus, if we can increase cycling, it will almost inevitably be safer

• Pro-car policies in European cities in 1950s and 1960s caused huge decline in cycling

• Dramatic policy turn-around since 1970s to limit car use and promote cycling, walking, and public transport in Dutch, Danish, and German cities

Public Policies Crucialto Increase Cycling

Bridge in Freiburg BEFORE and AFTER reforms

Typical residential street in Freiburg BEFORE traffic calming reforms

Typical residential street in Freiburg

AFTER traffic calming reforms

Cathedral Square in Freiburg BEFORE transport and urban planning reforms

Cathedral Square in Freiburg AFTER

transport and urban planning reforms

Lörrach, Turmstrasse 1953 Source: Archives, City of Lörrach

Transformation of German Urban Planning and Transport Policies since 1950s

In 1953, prior to massive car use

Lots of cycling and few cars in city center

Lörrach, Turmstrasse 1972 Source: Archives, City of Lörrach

In 1972, just before urban planning and

transport reforms

Lörrach, Turmstrasse 2006

In 2006, after car-restrictive reforms

Return to civility, keeping out cars completely and reserving city center for pedestrians and

cyclists

German Cycling Boom Engineered by Explicit Shifts in Transport Policy in 1970s

City Time PeriodChange in Bicycle Modal Split Share

Percentage Increase in Bicycle Share

Munich 1976 to 1996 6% to 13% +117%

Nuremberg 1976 to 2001 4% to 9% +125%

Cologne 1976 to 1998 6% to 12% +100%

Freiburg 1976 to 1998 12% to 19% +58%

Stuttgart 1976 to 2000 2% to 6% +200%

Bremen 1976 to 1997 16% to 21% +31%

Muenster 1976 to 2001 29% to 35% +21%

Average for all urban areas in Western Germany

1972 to 2002 8% to 10% +25%

Sources: Broeg and Erl, Mobilitaet und Verkehrsmittelwahl. Muenchen: Socialdata, 2003; Deutsches Institut fuerWirtschaftswissenschaften, Mobilitaet in Deutschland, 2002. Berlin: Bundesministerium fuer Verkehr, 2004.

Source: Pucher, Dill, and Handy, “Infrastructure, Programs, and Policies to Increase Bicycling,” Preventive Medicine, Jan 2010, Vol. 50, S.1, pp. S106-S125.

Increase in Bike Share of Trips in Cities Around the World

Source: Pucher, Dill, and Handy, “Infrastructure, Programs, and Policies to Increase Bicycling,” Preventive Medicine, Jan 2010, Vol. 50, S.1, pp. S106-S125.

Increase in Bike Share of Trips in Cities Around the World

Year:0 0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Bridge Bicycle Traffic

Bikeway Miles

Bridge Bicycle Traffic

Bikeway Miles

Increasing Bicycle Use in Portland

BikewayMiles

1992:83 miles of bikeways

2,850 daily trips2007:

271 miles of bikeways14,563 daily trips

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

2,500

5,000

7,500

10,000

12,500

15,000

2,850 3,555 3,885 3,830 3,207 4,520 5,225 5,690 5,910 6,015 7,686 8,250 8,562 8,875 10,192 12,046 14,56378 84 86 103 113 144 166 183 213 222 235 252 254 260 262 263 266

CyclistsPer Day

Decreasing Crash Rate in Portland

Year

Crashes/Crash RateDaily Bicycle Trips

Annual CrashesCrash RateBridge Bicycle Traffic

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 20050

2,500

5,000

7,500

10,000

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

550

600

Portland vs. Dallas• Bike share of trips in Dallas FELL:

0.15% in 19900.05% in 2008

• Bike share of trips in Portland ROSE 5-fold:1.15% in 19906.20% in 2008

Differences in cycling policies:• Almost no bikeway facilities in Dallas• Quadrupling in bikeway facilities in Portland

How to Encourage More Walking and Cycling while Improving Safety

•Better cycling and walking facilities

•Integration of walk/bike with public transport

•Traffic calming of residential neighborhoods

•Mixed-use zoning and improved urban design

•Restrictions on motor vehicle use

•Traffic education and Safe Routes to School

•Traffic regulations and enforcement

Most European cities have extensive car-free districts ideal for walking and cycling

Lively, safe, pleasant car-free zone in central Copenhagen

Which crosswalk do YOU think is safer?

Pucher: Walking and Cycling for Health

Best pedestrian crossing in New Brunswick

Roughly 80% of motorists stop for pedestrians in this crosswalk

Lousy pedestrian crossing at core of Rutgers University

Only about 20% of motor vehicles yield for pedestrians at this crosswalk on Hamilton Street

Pucher: Biking for all Texans

LETHAL pedestrian crossing in New Brunswick: Rt. 18 ‘improvement’

Motor vehicles SPEED UP on this off-ramp and NEVER yield to pedestrians

Insanely configured crosswalk is extremely dangerous for cyclists as well

What idiot designed this crosswalk?

Accelerating motor vehicles coming from the left who NEVER yield to pedestrians

Extremely sharp angles at both ends of crosswalks that force most cyclists to dismount

Good luck making this sharp turn: Non-existent sidewalk at other end

Why 99% of cyclists ride on the walkway and not on the roadway

No provisions of any kind AT ALL for cyclists on this crucial arterial connection between Highland Park and New Brunswick

Every time it rains, water ponds up on Rt. 27, and pedestrians get DRENCHED with bucketsful of water!

Outrageous conditions for pedestrians on most important crossing in Middlesex County!

Photo: Ralph Buehler

Running the gauntlet across the bridge, dodging masses of filthy water splashed by cars and trucks onto the walkway!

Big decision: Which way to hold the umbrella??

Photo: Ralph Buehler

Unsafe sidewalks in New Brunswick

Photos: Andy Besold

My favorite pedestrian walkway in New Brunswick

Plenty of room for cyclists as well! Perfect mixed-use path!

Bike paths such as these make it safe and comfortable for all to bike: including women, children, and seniors

55% of all bike trips in Denmark are by women

Denmark: Ubiquitous short-cuts for right-hand turns and full-speed ahead for cyclists at red lights at T-intersections

Note exclusive cycle path in middle and completely separate pedestrian walkways on both sides

Bicycle expressway-beltway in Muenster, Germany

•38% of all trips in Muenster are by bike•58% of bike trips are by women•One injury per 608,000 bike trips

My favorite recreational bike path along the Raritan-Delaware Canal

But this path is recreational and has almost no daily, utilitarian use

Santa Barbara coastal path: Safe and attractive both for

cyclists and pedestrians

Conversion of two car lanes to

bike path and wider sidewalk

Traffic-protected cycle track on 9th Avenue, NYC

•250 mi of new bike lanes and paths since 2005•doubling in bike trips•halving of cyclist fatalities from 28 to 14

Typical intersection in Copenhagen, with separate crossings for pedestrians and cyclists

From 1996 to 2006, bike share of trips rose from 25% to 38%; fatalities fell 60%

Bike access lane approaching intersection in Dutch city

Netherlands has a cyclist fatality rate only a fifth as high as in the USA

Using special markings to raise visibility and safety of crossing

Improving safety of cycle tracks at road crossings

Contraflow lane in Strassbourg, France

Bike bridge along Yarra

River in Melbourne

Bike bridge along Ems River in Muenster

Delaware & Raritan Canal Path:Ped-bike bridge over Rt. 1 near Trenton

Photo: Andy Besold

Extensive, fully-integrated bikeway network in Freiburg, Germany

CRUCIAL to have full

connectivity of cycling facilities! Usually lacking

in North America

Special traffic signals and signs give priority to cyclists

Four-way all-green signal for cyclists in Portland

Bike sensor in pavement

Bike sensors in pavement

to trigger green light for cyclists

in Richmond,

Metro Vancouver,

BC

Green wave for cyclists in

Odense, Denmark

Troels Andersen, “Cycling in Odense, Denmark”

Express bikeways for commuters

Bike speed indicators

Raised curb protects

bike path from cars

Good bike route signage is crucial

Convenient air pumps for bikes throughout Odense

Traffic Calming of Residential Neighborhoods•Speed limited by law to 30km per hour (19mph) or less

•Physical measures that force cars to slow down:

•Road narrowing, zigzag routing, chicanes

•Raised intersections and crosswalks

•Traffic circles

•Speed humps and bumps

•Mid-block closures and artificial dead-ends

•Bulb-outs at intersections and crosswalks, with sidewalk widening

Source: World Health Organization (2008) and OECD Transport Research Centre (2006)

Why Traffic Calming Saves Lives

Speed kills!

Speed kills!

Speed Humps Chokers

Traffic Circles

Traffic Circle Raised Crosswalk

Curb Extension

Chicanes

Neckdown/Bulbout

Median Island

Traffic calming in Vancouver that promotes cycling while discouraging car use

One-way for cars, two-way for bikes

Foto: Rich Drdul

Convenient bike cut-thru for cyclists in MelbourneFoto by Peter Berkeley

3,800 km of traffic-calmed streets in Berlin:ideal for cycling

Traffic Calming in Freiburg, GermanyImproves safety and encourages more walking and cycling

Bike Boulevards in Portland

Traffic calming turns these streets into bikeways

Fotos: Jonathan Maus

Many neighborhood streets in NJ are perfectly good for cycling even

without any special facilities

I cycle on this street in Highland Park every day and never have any problems.

Fahrradstrassen in Germany, bicycle streets where cyclists have absolute priority over cars for entire width of roadway

Car-free John in Nuernberg Muenster

Over half of NJ Transit buses now have bike racks, 95% by 2015

Bike on LRT in NJ and Minneapolis

Photo: Metro TransitPhoto: John Boyle

Bike on Suburban Rail in NJ

Photo: Leigh Ann Von Hagen

Photo: John PucherPhoto: Ralph Buehler

Bikes on Caltrain in San Francisco

Photo: San Francisco Bicycling Coalition

Convenient and secure parking for 3,500 bikes at main train station in

Muenster

Bike and Ride

Bike Wash at Muenster Bike Station

BikeParking Corrals in Portland 86 corrals with 1,428 bike parking spaces in 2011

Traffic Education

•Improved motorist training, with much more emphasis on how to avoid endangering pedestrians and cyclists

•Compulsory traffic safety lessons for all school children by the age of 10, with testing by traffic police on actual traffic test courses, to ensure safe and defensive walking and cycling by an early age (as in the Netherlands and Germany)

German traffic laws generally favor cyclists and pedestrians over motorists

Cycling training and testing course in Berlin

Most German and Dutch children take cycling lessons by the 3rd or 4th grade and must pass a police-administered cycling safety test!

Bike Training for Children in NJ

MARKETING CYCLING TO ALL SOCIAL GROUPS

•Very diverse needs of different groups

•Need to tailor cycling facilities, policies, and programs to serve this broad range

•Be as inclusive as possible

•Need good facilities as well as active marketing of cycling, with different approaches to each potential group of cyclists

Cycling Duckie for very young kids in Odense,

Denmark

Troels Andersen, “Cycling in Odense, Denmark”

Cycling competitions for somewhat older kids

in Odense, Denmark

Troels Andersen, “Cycling in Odense, Denmark”

Bike Training for Adults

Troels Andersen, “Cycling in Odense, Denmark”

GIVE EMPLOYEES FREE BIKES INSTEAD OF FREE PARKING!

The perfect zero emissions vehicles!

“Get rid of the sack” Campaign aimed at overweight middle-aged

men with pot bellies

Troels Andersen, “Cycling in Odense, Denmark”

Get on a bike and lose weight!

Guided Bicycle Tours for SeniorsTroels Andersen, “Cycling in Odense, Denmark”

Safe Routes to School: Enable Children to Walk or Bike to Schools!

•Two thirds of American children who live within a mile of their school travel there by car

•Only 13 percent of children in the USA walked or biked to school in 2001, compared to 60 percent in 1974

•Most European children walk or bike to school, some ride transit, virtually none get chauffered by their parents or drive themselves

•Need improved walking and cycling facilities to prevent dangerous conflicts with motor vehicles, especially at crossings and intersections

Good crosswalks crucial near schools!

Walking School Bus in Newark, NJ

These kids are actually having fun and getting good exercise, too!

Walking School Bus in Wharton, NJ

These kids are actually having fun and getting good exercise, too!

In the Netherlands, children can ride safely to school on traffic-protected bike paths

Bike path leads directly to school in NL

Bike to School Day in California

Mixed-Use Zoning and Better Urban Design

•Inclusion of sidewalks and bikeways or bike lanes in all new suburban developments and retrofitting of existing developments, where possible

•Mixed land use zoning so that residential units are within easy walking or cycling distance of cultural facilities, shopping, and service establishments

•Encouragement of compact, mixed-use developmentaround transit stops to facilitate walking/bicycling communities (transit-oriented development) through subsidies, mortgage bonuses, and zoning.

•Restrict parking lots to locations behind buildings rather than between buildings and the street (as with most strip mall development in USA).

Traffic Regulations and Enforcement

•Revise traffic laws to place burden of proof on motorists, with the assumption that motorist is guilty unless it can be shown otherwise, especially when children or elderly are involved in crashes (forcing motorists to be extra careful to avoid crashes with pedestrians and cyclists)

•Enforce existing legal rights of pedestrians and cyclists, with strict penalties and fines for motorist violations of ped/bike rights of way in crosswalks, bike lanes, intersection crossings.

•Traffic cameras at intersections to photograph motorists failing to stop or yield when required to do so, with automatic ticketing for violations

CONCLUSIONS:

• Broad range of public health benefits of walking and cycling have potential to provide widespread political support for more sustainable transport policies

• Almost everyone could walk and cycle more on a daily basis, and thus reap these health benefits

• Many local trips in American cities are short enough to cover by walking or cycling

• Crucial to design ped-bike facilities and programs for everyone! Be as inclusive as possible!

• Public information campaign needed to emphasize both direct and indirect public health benefits of walking and cycling

For any questions or further information, please contact:

Prof. John Pucher Bloustein School of Planning and Public PolicyRutgers University33 Livingston Avenue, Room 363Email: pucher@rutgers.eduWebpage: http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher.html