Bicycle Commuting in the Downtown

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Bicycle Commutingin the Downtown

• Laurie Shiels
• May 10, 1999

San Francisco
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• Objective Graduate from San Francisco State
  University in Spring 2000 with B.A. degree in
  Urban Studies. Attend graduate school in Fall
  2000 and receive Masters degree in City Planning
  (MCP). Enter career in city planning.
• Education
• 1992-1996 Half Moon Bay High School Half Moon
  Bay, CA
• Diploma
• Graduated Honor Roll
• 1996-1998 Canada College Redwood City, CA
• A.A. Degree, University Studies
• Graduated With Honors
• Research Project Objectives
• Determine if bicycle- commuting in downtown San
  Francisco is a practical way of transportation.
• Analyze the effects of bicycle-commuting on
• Traffic congestion
• Pollution
• Overcrowding
• Inquire opinions regarding bicycle-commuting from
• Bicyclists

Phone [phone] e-mail lshiels_at_pacbell.net
Laurie Shiels
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Literature Review

• Web Sites
• Dorn, Paul. The Revolution Will Not Be Motorized.
• httpuserwww.sfsu.edu/pdorn/
• Community/commuting.html (28 February,
  1999).
• Promoting the Bike for Everyday Transportation.
• http//www.sfbike.org/ (28 February, 1999).
• RIDES. Bike Resource Guide.
• http//www.rides.org/ (28 February, 1999).
• San Francisco Critical Mass.
• http//cyclery.com/ (28 February, 1999).
• Worldwide Critical Mass Hub.
• http//michaelbluejay.com/cm/ (14 April, 1999).

• Articles
• Epstein, Edward. Critical Mass Sets Wheels in
  Motion for Free Bicycles Supervisors propose
  similar idea for some city employees.
• San Francisco Chronicle. 26 August, 1997 A13
• Johnson, Jason B. S.F Supervisors Ok
  Bike-Friendly Plan.
• San Francisco Chronicle. 27 October, 1998 A12.
• Lopez, Steve. The Scariest Biker Gang of All.
• Time. 11 August, 1997 4.
• Wilson, Josh. Hats and Bats All the Way.
• Bicycling. November-December (1997) 23.
• Bennett, Hal Zina. The Complete Bicycle Commuter
  The Sierra Club Guide to wheeling to work. San
  Francisco Sierra Club Books, 1982.

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Research Problem

• Is bicycle commuting in downtown San Francisco a
  practical method of transportation?
• Safety
• Efficiency
• How effective are local organizations in
  promoting bike use and increasing community
  awareness?
• Critical Mass
• San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
• What has the City done to improve bike-commuting
  conditions and what steps need to be taken?
• Bike-friendly Plan
• Yellow Bike Program

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Results From Prior Research
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Research Objectives and Hypotheses

• Research Objectives
• To determine if bicycle commuting in downtown San
  Francisco is a practical form of transportation.
• Evaluate the progress that local organizations
  have made to increase community awareness and
  promote bike use.
• See what steps the City has taken to improve
  bike-commuting conditions and what more needs to
  be done.
• Research Hypotheses
• Bicycle commuting in downtown San Francisco has
  practical potential but lacks a safe and
  accommodating environment.
• Pro-bike groups are the most effective when they
  appeal directly to city officials rather than
  hold public demonstrations.
• The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has
  implemented bike-friendly plans but the support
  of City Hall would help make bike-commuting an
  overall success.

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Research Methods

• Direct Observation
• Evaluation Research
• Face-to-Face Interview
• Mail Survey
• Participant Observation

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Direct Observation

• Over the course of several months the researcher
  will observe bicycle commute traffic from
  selected locations in downtown San Francisco.
• He or she will observe
• Safety Hazards
• Frequented Routes
• Bicyclist-Motorist Relations
• Bicyclist-Pedestrian Relations
• Bicycle Rider Behavior
• The Big Picture
• Observation schedule
• 2 days a week including Friday
• 800 A.M and 500 P.M.
• The last Friday of every month will be devoted to
  a group observation of Critical Mass, which takes
  place at 600 P.M.
• Every Saturday
• 1200 P.M., 500 P.M., and 1100 P.M.
• Observations will take place for a duration of
  about 3 months.
• Observations will be recorded in a journal and
  photographs will be taken of Critical Mass.

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Evaluation Research

• Critical Mass
• Has this organization been effective in promoting
  bike use in San Francisco?
• What are the opinions of San Francisco residents
  regarding Critical Mass?
• How many members are there now compared to the
  groups beginning in 1992 and what is the rate of
  change?
• Do Critical Mass participants communicate well
  with City Officials to address bicycle commuting?
• San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC)
• Has the SFBC moved toward accomplishing their
  goal of making San Francisco the most
  bike-friendly city in the country?
• What measures have been taken to encourage bike
  use in San Francisco and how effective are these
  measures?
• What are San Francisco residents opinions
  regarding the SFBC?
• Bike-Friendly Plan
• Is there adequate bicycle parking in all publicly
  and privately owned parking garages in San
  Francisco?
• Is the bicyclist injury hotline provided by the
  Department of Parking and Traffic sufficient?
• Have no-parking zones been designated on streets
  frequented by bicyclists during rush hour?
• Yellow Bike Program
• Has the number of bikes available increased since
  the first event in 1997?
• What are the opinions of people who have used
  this program?
• These programs and organizations will be
  evaluated mainly through methods of interviews
  and surveys.

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Face-to-Face Interview

• Various adults will be interviewed face-to-face
  in different locations of downtown San Francisco.
  Interviews will take place during the week
  between the hours of 1000 A.M to 400 P.M.
• Closed-Ended Questions
• Frequency of bike use in the downtown
• Rating of practicality of bicycle commuting in
  the area
• Opinion of effect on traffic congestion, air and
  noise pollution, and traffic accidents
• Commute habits
• Open-ended questions
• Impact of bicycle commuting on him/her
• What could be done to encourage bike-commuting
• Feelings about Critical Mass
• Open comment, criticism, or suggestion

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Mail Survey

• 500 adult San Francisco residents will be mailed
  a 20 question survey asking them about
  bicycle-commuting in the downtown.
• Respondents will be informed 2 weeks in advance
  of the survey by a notification letter.
• The survey will be anonymous
• A pre-stamped envelope will be included with the
  survey to boost response rate
• Participants will be provided with the necessary
  information if they wish to contact the
  researchers
• Respondents will enjoy the option of receiving a
  follow-up letter with the survey results
• A follow-up letter will be mailed to all
  respondents to thank them for their participation
• If a survey is not returned within 30 days a
  second one will be mailed to the same address

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Participant Observation

• The researcher is a bicyclist who will ride along
  a route in San Francisco that is frequented by
  bicyclists.
• Where
• The ride will begin at Justin Herman Plaza
• It will progress along Market Street until
  reaching Van Ness Avenue
• From Van Ness Avenue the rider will proceed back
  the way he/she came
• When
• 2 days during the typical workweek, including
  Friday
• Saturday
• Weekday rides scheduled for 800 A.M. and 600
  P.M.
• Saturday rides scheduled for 700 P.M and
  midnight
• Rides will take place for a duration of 6 weeks
• What
• The researcher will observe motorists responses
  as he rides
• Safety hazards for bicyclists
• Amount of time it takes to travel from Justin
  Herman Plaza to Van Ness Avenue
• How
• Will use stopwatch to time bike ride
• Relevant information will be recorded in a
  journal following the ride

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May 18
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Thank You