National Institute for Transportation and Communities

Bike Planning Methods in Oregon Communities

Summary: In this seminar, Tara Weidner will discuss changes in the works to the State Analysis Procedures Manual (APM) to include three graduated levels of bike planning methods for use in Oregon communities, based on community size, data needs, and planning stage. These include the Bike Level of Traffic Stress (BLTS), a sketch tool used to assess bike network connectivity, the data-heavy Highway Capacity Manual Multi-modal Level of Service (MMLOS) procedures, and a simplified MMLOS developed by the same researchers.

Bio: Tara Weidner is an Integrated Transportation Analysis Engineer in ODOT’s Transportation Planning Analysis Unit (TPAU). She has over 20 years of experience in modeling and analysis of multi-modal transportation systems. Her work focuses on arming Oregon’s communities with tools to plan for the future, including being the lead on ODOT’s GreenSTEP Greenhouse Gas model and coordinating other multi-modal transportation and land use tools and analysis. She joined TPAU about a year ago after working as a Senior Planner for Parsons Brinkerhoff (PB), where she was the consultant lead for the ODOT StateWide Integrated Model (SWIM) and worked with the FHWA on Mega-Regions modeling tools and managed a webinar series on "Climate Change Planning for MPOs.

The Use of Science and Adaptive Management to Perfect Wildlife Crossings

Special Seminar: Room 471 Cramer Hall on the Portland State University campus

Abstract: Across the globe wildlife crossings are becoming an accepted mitigation to adapt roads for wildlife movement. With over 800 crossings in the U.S., there are efforts to create new wildlife crossings and retrofit existing structures for wildlife in every state. Science plays a critical role in designing wildlife crossings. Research can show how well different bridge, culvert, and fence designs work at passing wildlife safely under the road, and areas that need adaptive management. This talk will give viewers an overview of wildlife crossings in North America from the speaker's National Academies study, and how research in the western U.S. is helping departments of transportation design, place, and retrofit wildlife crossings that allow multiple species to move under and over roads safely. Dr. Cramer will speak about the ongoing and past wildlife and road studies she has conducted in Utah, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and soon Oregon.

Low-Stress Bicyling and Bike Network Connectivity

The video begins at 2:06.

Abstract: The most fundamental need in a bicycling network is low-stress connectivity, that is, providing routes between people’s origins and destinations that do not require cyclists to use links that exceed their tolerance for traffic stress, and that do not involve an undue level of detour. Evaluating network connectivity therefore requires both a set of criteria for tolerable levels of traffic stress and measures of connectivity appropriate to a bikeway network.

We propose criteria by which road segments can be classified into four levels of traffic stress (LTS), corresponding to four levels of traffic tolerance in the population. LTS 1 is suitable for children; LTS 2, based on Dutch bikeway design criteria, represents the traffic stress that most adults will tolerate; LTS 3 and 4 represent greater levels of stress. As a case study, every street in San Jose, California was classified by LTS. Maps in which only lower stress links are displayed reveal a city fractured into low-stress islands separated from one another by barriers that can only be crossed using high stress links.

To measure connectivity, two points in the network are said to be connected at a given level of traffic stress if there is a path connecting them that uses only links that do not exceed that level of stress and whose length does not exceed a detour criterion (25% longer than the most direct...

Sustainable Design and Transportation: Verifiably Measuring the Carbon Benefits

Portland State University, Urban Center (SW 6th and Mill), Parsons Gallery, Level 2

Special Transportation Seminar:

Join us for a presentation by Projjal Dutta, NY Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s first-ever Director, Sustainability. He tries to reduce MTA’s environmental footprint and quantify carbon benefits that accrue to the region from transit. This unrecognized service, if priced, can generate substantial resources for transit.

Sponsored by PSU's College of Urban and Public Affairs and the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium

Traffic Safety Engineering at Wisconsin: Using Traditional Methodologies with Full-Scale Driving Simulation to Advance Roadway Safety

Watch video

Abstract: Traffic safety engineering continues to rely on the traditional methods of design and operational guidelines, correlated to post-crash outcomes, in an attempt to understand the safety attributes of our roadway system. The recently published Highway Safety Manual provides the newest source of methodologies and statistical models that can be applied to help predict or modify safety outcomes. Additionally, Road Safety Audits are a commonly used practice to gain the insight and experience of traffic and safety experts in an effort to avoid or solve a perplexing and/or unexpected safety problem. Although none of these activities are completely void of human factors considerations, the ability to directly consider driver behavior, driver comprehension, and the impact of driver decision making in the analysis is incredibly complex and often omitted. The use of full-scale driving simulators as a research and analysis tool may help significantly reduce the complexity of human factors-based consideration in the context of safety analyses and provide a new and effective tool to improve the safety of our roadway system. This lecture will consider several safety issues facing transportation agencies, namely median crossover crashes, permissive left-turn crashes, and roundabout safety, presenting thoughts and findings on related research. Additionally, this lecture will integrate the attributes...

Emerging Trends in Developing and Implementing Bicycle Master Plans – The Seattle Example

The video begins at 0:47.

View handout

Abstract: Using the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan as a model, this presentation will provide a roadmap for developing and implementing bicycle master plans.

Toole Design Group (TDG) served as the prime consultant for the City of Seattle Bicycle Master Plan. In partnership with the City, TDG took a diverse approach to public involvement, including working with a Citizen’s Advisory Committee and local advocacy groups, conducting an online survey, and conduction highly successful public input meetings that were attended by hundreds of people. The project involved extensive GIS and field analysis, and the development of specific recommendations for street reconfigurations and wayfinding signs for a 450-mile network of on and off-street facilities. The project included design innovations such as shared-lane markings, up-hill bike lanes, buffered bike lanes, and new warning and wayfinding signs. It also included new thinking on right-of-way assignment and the design of trail street crossings. In addition, TDG developed bicycle facility design guidelines recommendations for education and enforcement programs to support and encourage bicycling, and policies for integrating bicycle considerations into all City projects and programs. The Plan focused heavily on implementation and included...