Perceived Safety and Separated Bike Lanes in the Midwest: Results from a Roadway Design Survey in Michigan

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (36) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca L. Sanders ◽  
Belinda Judelman
Keyword(s):  
Past Research ◽  
Sample Survey ◽  
Driving Safety ◽  
Compelling Evidence ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Perceived Safety ◽  
Bicycle Infrastructure ◽  
Key Barrier ◽  
Roadway Design ◽  
Design Preferences

This article presents the results of an address-based sample survey ( n = 351) conducted in the fall of 2016 for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) as part of an effort to provide guidance for building sidepaths. The survey investigated attitudes toward bicycling among drivers and bicyclists, bicycling habits, barriers to bicycling, and roadway design preferences regarding bicycle infrastructure in Michigan. In particular, this survey explored design preferences while bicycling with children, bicycling by oneself, and driving. Safety emerged as a key barrier to bicycling, as did distance, weather, and the difficulty of carrying things or traveling with others. Roadway design preferences were clearly weighted toward greater separation when sharing the roadway whether as a bicyclist or a driver, and this trend was most pronounced ( p < 0.001) when considering bicycling with children. In all cases, ratings for one-way separated bike lanes were similar to those for sidepaths, suggesting that separated bike lanes could be a key part of addressing the safety and comfort concerns of more cautious riders. Preferences for separation were strongly associated with perceived safety as a barrier. These results were even stronger for non-transport-cyclists, although all groups, regardless of frequency or type of bicycling, preferred more separation. These results corroborate past research and add compelling evidence for separated facilities as a key part of expanding the potential for bicycling trips in general, and particularly with children. The survey findings will inform guidance about sidepath design for MDOT.

Low-Stress Bicycle Network Mapping: The District of Columbia’s Innovative Approach to Applying Level of Traffic Stress

2017 ◽  
Vol 2662 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Conor Semler ◽  
Meredyth Sanders ◽  
Darren Buck ◽  
James Graham ◽  
Alek Pochowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
System Approach ◽  
Additional Data ◽  
Congestion Management ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
National Leader ◽  
Bicycle Infrastructure ◽  
Infrastructure Investments ◽  
Network Mapping ◽  
New Facilities

Washington, D.C., has been a national leader in the adoption of innovative bicycle facilities. However, with much of the low-hanging fruit already plucked (i.e., bicycle facilities already in place), the District Department of Transportation (DOT) needed a mechanism to prioritize investments. Thus the District DOT developed a bicycle level of traffic stress (LTS) map as part of a Multimodal Congestion Management Study. Existing roadway information, combined with an innovative geographic information system approach, was used to create the map and to prioritize and expedite the collection of supplemental roadway information. The results confirmed existing perceptions about the availability of bicycle facilities in the District and identified previously unidentified gaps in the overall bicycle network. In addition, the methodology used to develop the LTS network map provided a proof-of-concept for other jurisdictions to use as they look to develop their own LTS network maps. With this information, the District DOT can now prioritize future bicycle infrastructure investments. It also has a mechanism to update the LTS map as additional data are collected and new facilities are constructed.

scholarly journals Communicating Reproductive Coercion in the Context of Domestic and Family Violence: Perspectives of Service Providers Supporting Migrant and Refugee Women

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Sheeran ◽  
Laura Tarzia ◽  
Heather Douglas
Keyword(s):  
Family Violence ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Refugee Women ◽  
Reproductive Coercion ◽  
Conceptual Clarity ◽  
Shared Language ◽  
Police Encounters ◽  
Key Barrier

Abstract The current study explored the language barriers to help-seeking in the context of reproductive coercion and abuse (RCA), domestic and family violence (DFV), and sexual violence (SV), drawing on observations by key informants supporting women from migrant and refugee communities. A lack of shared language has been identified as a key barrier to help seeking for migrant and refugee women experiencing DFV more broadly, though how language intersects with help seeking in the context of RCA is yet to be investigated. We conducted 6 focus groups with 38 lawyers, counsellors, and social workers supporting women experiencing DFV in Brisbane and Melbourne, Australia. Our findings address two main areas. First, consistent with past research in DFV, our participants identified language as a barrier for women when communicating about sexual and reproductive issues in the context of health and police encounters. More specifically, our findings suggest that the inability of health professionals and police to communicate with women who have low or no English proficiency not only negatively impacted victims/survivors’ ability to access support, but also facilitated the perpetration of RCA. We conclude that language can be a mechanism through which coercive control is enacted by perpetrators of RCA and health and policing systems may not be equipped to recognise and address this issue. We also suggest that greater conceptual clarity of RCA is needed within the DFV sector in order to tailor responses.

Balancing Goods Movement and Livability with Freight Roadway Design Considerations

2017 ◽  
Vol 2609 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Hardy ◽  
Brian Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Tampa Bay ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Complete Streets ◽  
Context Sensitive ◽  
Interagency Coordination ◽  
Design Considerations ◽  
Goods Movement ◽  
Florida Department ◽  
Roadway Design

Freight Roadway Design Considerations (FRDC), the document described in this paper, was developed by the Florida Department of Transportation District 7 to provide guidance to transportation planning and engineering practitioners for balancing livability and the needs of goods movement in a context-sensitive manner. The FRDC implemented one recommended element of the 2012 Tampa Bay Regional Strategic Freight Plan to develop a new approach to the roadway design process. This approach takes into consideration the analysis of freight activity and land use compatibility in the Tampa Bay plan. The FRDC benefited from a literature review of current practices and guidance from an internal review group and interagency coordination and commentary on draft materials throughout its development. The FRDC provides guidance on identifying roadway context, understanding and clarifying design intent, and selecting from a series of design strategies to help integrate goods movement into the development of complete streets.

scholarly journals Are continued public sector and CGIAR investments on wheat crop improvement research justifiable? A Moroccan case

2021 ◽  
pp. 003072702110230
Author(s):  
Yigezu A Yigezu ◽  
Tamer El-Shater ◽  
Zewdie Bishaw ◽  
Abdoul Aziz Niane ◽  
Mohamed Boughlala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Benefit ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Past Research ◽  
International Investment ◽  
Sample Survey ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Cost Ratio ◽  
Switching Regression ◽  
Wheat Varieties ◽  
Benefit Cost Ratio

In Morocco, the adoption of recent improved wheat varieties is low, casting doubt on whether investments in wheat research are paying off. This paper generates estimates of the returns to the national and international investment in wheat research for Morocco. The benefits are estimated by applying the endogenous switching regression model to data from a nationally representative sample survey of 2,296 wheat fields, whereas costs were estimated using data on public and CGIAR (INRA-CG) investments on wheat research in Morocco. Considering all the benefits and costs of wheat research investment in Morocco, we estimated a conservative benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 19.64 with 623 thousand tons (14.8%) of additional wheat supply from domestic production and net economic benefit of US$355 million. We also estimated that institutional problems in the seed system identified by past research are causing the country to lose at least 746.6 thousand tons (17.7%) wheat production and net economic benefit of US$75.2 million. These results show that despite the institutional challenges, wheat research in Morocco is still paying off and the country has sufficient incentives to address the problems in the seed sector that prevent the development and uptake of recent varieties.

scholarly journals Impacts of Bicycle Infrastructure in Mid-Sized Cities (IBIMS): protocol for a natural experiment study in three Canadian cities

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e019130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan Winters ◽  
Michael Branion-Calles ◽  
Suzanne Therrien ◽  
Daniel Fuller ◽  
Lise Gauvin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Health ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Active Travel ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Motor Vehicles ◽  
Experiment Study ◽  
Perceived Safety ◽  
Bicycle Safety ◽  
Bicycle Infrastructure ◽  
The City

IntroductionBicycling is promoted as a transportation and population health strategy globally. Yet bicycling has low uptake in North America (1%–2% of trips) compared with European bicycling cities (15%–40% of trips) and shows marked sex and age trends. Safety concerns due to collisions with motor vehicles are primary barriers.To attract the broader population to bicycling, many cities are making investments in bicycle infrastructure. These interventions hold promise for improving population health given the potential for increased physical activity and improved safety, but such outcomes have been largely unstudied. In 2016, the City of Victoria, Canada, committed to build a connected network of infrastructure that separates bicycles from motor vehicles, designed to attract people of ‘all ages and abilities’ to bicycling.This natural experiment study examines the impacts of the City of Victoria’s investment in a bicycle network on active travel and safety outcomes. The specific objectives are to (1) estimate changes in active travel, perceived safety and bicycle safety incidents; (2) analyse spatial inequities in access to bicycle infrastructure and safety incidents; and (3) assess health-related economic benefits.Methods and analysisThe study is in three Canadian cities (intervention: Victoria; comparison: Kelowna, Halifax). We will administer population-based surveys in 2016, 2018 and 2021 (1000 people/city). The primary outcome is the proportion of people reporting bicycling. Secondary outcomes are perceived safety and bicycle safety incidents. Spatial analyses will compare the distribution of bicycle infrastructure and bicycle safety incidents across neighbourhoods and across time. We will also calculate the economic benefits of bicycling using WHO’s Health Economic Assessment Tool.Ethics and disseminationThis study received approval from the Simon Fraser University Office of Research Ethics (study no. 2016s0401). Findings will be disseminated via a website, presentations to stakeholders, at academic conferences and through peer-reviewed journal articles.

Neighbourhood social trust and youth perceptions of safety during daily activities

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 445-447
Author(s):  
Kalen Flynn ◽  
Therese S Richmond ◽  
Charles C Branas ◽  
Douglas J Wiebe
Keyword(s):  
Social Trust ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
Sample Survey ◽  
Point Scale ◽  
Complex Interplay ◽  
Perceived Safety ◽  
Youth Perceptions ◽  
Perceptions Of Safety ◽  
The Impact

Exposure to adverse neighbourhood conditions can negatively impact adolescent well-being and perceived safety. However, the impact of neighbourhood social trust on perceived safety is largely unknown. We studied 139 adolescent men to investigate how their perceptions of safety varied as a function of social trust levels in the neighbourhoods they traversed; neighbourhoods that were not necessarily their own. Adolescents mapped their minute-by-minute activities over a recent day and rated their perceived safety on a 10-point scale during in-person interviews. Neighbourhood social trust was measured via a citywide random sample survey. Mixed effects regression showed that, compared with their safety perceptions when in areas of low social trust, older adolescents were 73% more likely to feel unsafe when in areas of medium social trust, and 89% more likely to feel unsafe when in areas of high social trust. Inverse relationships between neighbourhood social trust and adolescents’ perceived safety highlight the complex interplay between youth, environmental contexts and safety.

Validation of Bicycle Level of Traffic Stress and Perceived Safety for Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 2674 (4) ◽  
pp. 397-406
Author(s):  
Nicholas N. Ferenchak ◽  
Wesley E. Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Analysis Of Variance ◽  
Stated Preferences ◽  
Perceived Safety ◽  
Important Group ◽  
Safety Perceptions ◽  
Adult Supervision ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
Design Characteristics ◽  
Roadway Design

The level of traffic stress (LTS) methodology was developed to measure, track, and improve the suitability of bicycle networks. Thanks to the simplicity of its data needs and interpretation, LTS has been implemented by several states, regions, cities, non-profits, and researchers. However, relatively few validations of the methodology exist. There is a specific gap in relation to safety perceptions for children, an important group since it serves as the critical population for LTS 1. This study validates LTS using a survey of parents in Denver, Colorado, in which they are asked about perceived safety and biking allowance relative to roadway design characteristics. After the LTS score and biking allowance rates for 612 roadway scenarios are determined, a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used to determine the suitability of LTS for children. Findings suggest that while LTS 1 and LTS 4 align well with stated preferences, parents told that their children would be able to tolerate some roadway conditions—when allowing for adult supervision—that are currently considered LTS 2 or even LTS 3. These scenarios are primarily on low-volume roadways that have bike lanes. By further refining LTS, it is hoped to ensure that all populations have access to safe and comfortable bicycle facilities.

Evidence Items as Signals of Marketing Competencies and Workplace Readiness: A Practitioner Perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 145-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Honea ◽  
Iana A. Castro ◽  
Paula Peter
Keyword(s):  
Past Research ◽  
Compelling Evidence ◽  
Considerable Effort ◽  
Media Environment ◽  
Standardized Measures ◽  
Academic Curriculum ◽  
Workplace Readiness ◽  
Academic Activities ◽  
The Social

Although past research has spent considerable effort identifying competencies and academic activities that are associated with workplace readiness, the literature is largely silent regarding what might best serve as evidence to employers that a graduate possesses specific marketing competencies. In the current research, we develop a comprehensive set of evidence items that serve as potential signals of specific macro and micro competencies demanded for marketing graduates’ employability. Specifically, we first systematically compile a list of evidence items and then explore what employers perceive to be compelling evidence of graduates’ competencies. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to capture and compare multiple evidence items related to academic curriculum, standardized measures, experience-based indicators, and the social-collaborative media environment and connect them to specific competencies as signals of workplace readiness. This research provides insights regarding how marketing curriculum should be leveraged in terms of assessments and deliverables that could be used by students to signal workplace readiness to employers.

scholarly journals Survey-Based Accident Analysis for Human-Powered Three-Wheeled Vehicles

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Toni Wilhelm ◽  
◽  
Volker Dorsch ◽  
Frank Gauterin ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Driving Safety ◽  
The Road ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Manual Analysis ◽  
Bicycle Infrastructure ◽  
On The Road ◽  
Human Powered ◽  
Wheeled Vehicles ◽  
Near Accidents

The causes of accidents involving nonconventional bicycle types have hardly been investigated in the literature to date. However, these vehicles could play an important role in reducing the CO2 emissions generated by traffic. As a basis for improving the driving safety of these environmentally friendly vehicles, this article presents the results of a survey on accidents and near-accidents of multitrack bicycle vehicles. More than 120 critical or accident situations of 86 drivers were analyzed. The situations are investigated with respect to the circumstances, the causes, and the consequences of the accidents using manual analysis and multiple correspondence analysis. A distinction is made between single accidents and accidents with another party. The aim of the survey is not to make statistically accurate statements on the frequency and probability of accidents, but rather to analyze the accident or near-accident circumstances. It is shown that the causes of single accidents are usually too high cornering velocities in combination with other factors such as road conditions. In the case of accidents with external involvement, the person who caused the accident is usually the other party involved. The accident opponent is in most cases a passenger car. Here the overlooking of the vehicles is the most frequent cause of accidents. Finally, possibilities to reduce the probability of accidents are briefly discussed for the different situations. As the research shows, most of the situations described occur on the road. This indicates that there are deficits in the bicycle infrastructure for the vehicles considered here. The results also indicate that there are deficits with regard to the perceptibility of the vehicles by other road users.

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