The document discusses the evolution of bike planning from an initial view that bike infrastructure is not the responsibility of road designers, to the current approach of using data to understand bicyclist behavior and determine infrastructure needs. It outlines 5 phases: 1) why are you asking about bikes, 2) I'll ask the bike guy, 3) get bike people input, 4) bring in a consultant for more community engagement, 5) use data on bicyclist behavior to plan infrastructure. It then discusses using data to analyze safety, connectivity, values like equity and health, and setting a vision for biking to benefit the community. The document promotes using data and analytics to understand bicyclist needs and prioritize infrastructure that achieves community goals.

1. Asking the Right Questions
Combining values and data to improve biking &
build great communities.

2. Bike Planning Evolution
1 2 3 4 5

3. Bike Planning Evolution
1 2 3 4 5
PHASE 1
Why are you asking me about bikes? I design roads.

4. Bike Planning Evolution
1 2 3 4 5
PHASE 2
I’ll ask the bike guy.

5. Bike Planning Evolution
1 2 3 4 5
PHASE 3
Let’s get the bike people in a room and ask them.

6. Bike Planning Evolution
1 2 3 4 5
PHASE 4
Let’s bring in a consultant that knows about biking
to help engage the bike people and figure out what
they want.

7. Bike Planning Evolution
1 2 3 4 5
PHASE 5
Let’s use data about what all these bicyclists are
doing now to figure out what we should do next.

8. Bike Planning Evolution
1 2 3 4 5
.
1. Why are you asking about bikes? I design roads.
2. I’ll ask the bike guy.
3. Let’s get the bike people in a room and ask them.
4. Let’s bring in a consultant to engage the bike community
and figure out what they want.
5. Let’s use data about what all these bicyclists are doing
now to figure out what we should do next.

9. There are two key topics at the forefront of
data-driven bike analysis and planning.

10. SAFETY
&
CONNECTIVITY

11. Data-driven planning for bicyclist safety is
VISION ZERO.

12. Data-driven planning for bicyclist safety is
VISION ZERO.
(It’s great.)

13. Data-driven planning for bicyclist safety is
VISION ZERO.
(But if you wanted to hear about Vision Zero,
you’d be at the other panel right now.)

14. Data-driven planning for biking connectivity is
BikeAble.

15. How it works.

16. Origins | Level of Stress | Destinations

17. Level of Traffic Stress
• Every road & trail,
categorized by:
– Size
– Speed
– Hills
– Stress-reducing
characteristics

18. Overall Connectivity
• Origins: All residential
parcels
• Destinations: Normal,
everyday places like
– Restaurants
– Banks
– Grocery stores
– Schools
– Parks

19. What else can we do?

20. This is where we get to think big.
VALUES
&
VISION

21. What do we want biking to do?
• Economic opportunity
• Civic Engagement
• Health
• Equity

22. What do we want biking to do?
• Economic opportunity
– Access to jobs, for all or for low-income population
• Civic Engagement
• Health
• Equity

23. What do we want biking to do?
• Economic opportunity
– Access to jobs, for all or for low-income population
• Civic Engagement
– Non-auto owners access to polling places, public institutions
• Health
• Equity

24. What do we want biking to do?
• Economic opportunity
– Access to jobs, for all or for low-income population
• Civic Engagement
– Non-auto owners access to polling places, public institutions
• Health
– Residential access to fresh food markets, parks, rec centers
• Equity

25. What do we want biking to do?
• Economic opportunity
– Access to jobs, for all or for low-income population
• Civic Engagement
– Non-auto owners access to polling places, public institutions
• Health
– Residential access to fresh food markets, parks, rec centers
• Equity
– Comparison of connectivity to any resource, high income vs. low
income

26. Health Analysis: Access to Trails

27. Equity Analysis: Access to Trails
All Neighborhoods: 24% Disadvantaged: 8%

28. Data is powerful.

29. Our analytical capacity is
expanding.

30. It is up to us to ask the
right questions.

31. We express our values
through:
• The questions we ask.
• The data we collect.
• The visions we pursue.
• The outcomes we seek.

32. Let’s put our data to its best use.

33. COMMUNITIES
HEALTHY | CONNECTED | SAFE
SUSTAINABLE | EQUITABLE | PROSPEROUS
&
BikeAble

34. About RTC
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a
nationwide network or trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors to build healthier
places for healthier people.
About BikeAble
BikeAble is a GIS-based analytical tool that models low-stress bicycling connectivity in
communities. To bring BikeAble to your community, contact me.
Shane Farthing
Senior Director, Active Transportation Programs
shane@railstotrails.org