Understanding and measuring bicycling behavior : a focus on travel time and route choice, final report, December 2008.

691258979PDFTech ReportOTREC-RR-08-03BicyclingBicycle commutingBicycle travelRoute choiceTravel timeMode choiceOregonOregon Transportation Research and Education ConsortiumDill, JenniferGliebe, JohnPortland State University. Center for Urban StudiesNohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning. Center for Transportation StudiesRobert Wood Johnson Foundation. Active Living Research ProgramNTL-PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLES-BicyclesUS Transportation CollectionWith rates of obesity, heart disease, and related health problems increasing in the U.S., many policy makers are looking for ways to increasephysical activity in everyday life. Using a bicycle instead of a motor vehicle for a portion of everyday travel could help address these problems.This research aims to fill a gap in the existing literature on the effect of different types of infrastructure, such as bicycle lanes or paths, onbicycling. The project used global positioning system (GPS) technology to record where a sample of 164 adults in the Portland, OR region rodetheir bicycles. Data was collected from March through November 2007. The participants in this study were primarily regular bicyclists whousually rode more than one day per week, year-round. This report uses that data to address the four primary sets of research questions: (1) Howoften, why, when, and where do cyclists ride? How does this vary based upon rider characteristics? (2) How do cyclists\ue2\u20ac\u2122 routes differ from theshortest network distance? (3) What factors influence cyclists\ue2\u20ac\u2122 route choice decisions? How do personal attributes influence these decisions? (4)What is the difference in travel time between bicycling and driving