01697857

Component

The walkability score has been developed to assess the suitability of built environments for walking. However, many planners use it in a more general manner to assess and promote ‘active transportation’. Previous studies found that environments can be suitable for pedestrians but uncomfortable for bicyclists. In this study, the authors assess whether walkable environments influence bicycling in the same manner as they influence walking. The authors have used data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Bureau of Census to examine the walkability index’s influence on walking and bicycling commute rates, using a Zero-Inflated Negative-Binomial regression model. The authors have found that walkability influences walking and bicycling rates at about the same degree. However, the walkability index’s components influence the active transportation modes differently. The authors' findings suggest that overly dense and diverse streets and environments seem to be less comfortable for bicycling as they are for walking.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ANF20 Standing Committee on Bicycle Transportation.

19-05102

English

7p

2019

Transportation Research Board 98th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; References; Tables

Attitudes; Bicycle commuting; Bicycling; Built environment; Promotion; Regression analysis; Walkability; Walking

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Operations and Traffic Management; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2019 Paper #19-05102

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Dec 7 2018 9:40AM