Let me count the ways: ABC plans bicycle counts

With gas prices rising and environmental awareness growing, it's no surprise we're seeing more people riding bicycles across Atlanta. But how many more? We were asked this question so often that we finally decided it was time to come up with some answers.

While there are endless traffic counts available, most local studies are focused on vehicular traffic and lump bicyclists and pedestrians into one category. We did find one organization, Central Atlanta Progress, that counted bicyclists separately from pedestrians. While most of the locations surveyed are not prime bicycle routes, because the counts were conducted in late 2006 before gas prices rose so sharply, they provide a useful basis for comparison.

Our goal in counting bicyclists is to establish a baseline against which to measure future bicycling populations. This count will be just the first of a recurring project, so that we have trend data to show whether bicycling is rising or falling. To read more about bicycle counts, here's more info: toolkit, guide, case studies.

Why Count Bicycles?

1. Network planning: On streets slated for future bike lanes, having "before" numbers will help us assess whether these facilities encourage more people to ride bikes. Bicycle counts will also help locate those areas that need attention.
2. Conditions and Trend analysis: Changes in bicycling over time can be plotted alongside things like gas prices, population demographics, and even ABC membership, to increase our understanding of the trends.
3. Crash Analysis: Little data exists on what's called "exposure" (where, when, and how much people bike). Exposure is a commonly used measure in transportation planning, used to determine the relative safety of various modes of travel (ie, bicycling, walking, driving, taking transit).
4. Demand forecasting: Knowing how many people are already cycling on a particular street, combined with demographics and crash data, helps determine whether demand for bicycle facilities is being met.

How it will work

Armed with data from downtown Atlanta, we set out to design our own counts. Our planning team decided to branch out from downtown, selecting at least one location in each quadrant of the city. Locations were chosen to comprise the following categories: tunnel, bike lane, bike corridor, corridor planned for bicycle lanes in the future, area with known cycling population, near MARTA station, in small retail district.

Volunteer teams of two will set up at their assigned intersections. One person will count each cyclist that goes by, using a tally sheet to code their direction of travel, gender, approximate age, whether they are wearing a helmet, whether they are riding on the street or on the sidewalk, and time of day.

The other volunteer will attempt to conduct more in-depth but still brief surveys of a small percentage of cyclists. Questions will include their origin and destination, purpose of trip, ethnicity/race, level of experience, whether their employer offers bike commute incentives, and ask respondents to name any "hot" corridors they consider especially dangerous.

Dates/Times

While we do need to establish some parameters for time of day and days of week, there will be some flexibility built into the count to accommodate volunteers' busy schedules. You can sign up for one (or more) of four days of counting, either morning or evening shift (weekdays 7-9a or 4:30-6:30p, or Sat 10a-12p). Days available will be Tues 6/24, Thurs 6/26, Sat 6/28, or Tues 7/1.

And then there was coffee

Coincidentally (or not) we realized that nearly every location was in front of or right down the street from a local coffee shop, so we decided to approach each shop for a coffee donation to help us attract cyclists to participate in the survey part of the count, at least in the mornings. Atlanta afternoons make this a less attractive incentive.

Volunteers needed!

There will be a brief volunteer training on Saturday, June 21st from 10-11am at Park Grounds in Cabbagetown. Volunteers will select their chosen time/date slot if they haven't already and receive tally sheets, signs, clipboards, pens, and ABC cards. After a half hour coffee/explanation/Q&A, we'll head out to the street to do a short dry run.

We need about 16 volunteers to help us make the count happen. Sign up to attend the volunteer training or a particular time/date/location using the volunteer opportunities tool to the right side of your screen.