Browsing by Subject "Active transportation"
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Item Austin, Texas parkland active transportation accessibility : a GIS network analyst based approach(2018-05) Rajaeian, Arman; Sciara, Gian-Claudia; Karner, AlexThis report measures pedestrian and bicyclist accessibility to parklands in Austin, Texas. An overview of current parkland and active transportation planning practices in Austin is given to properly set the scope of study. Past literature regarding the measurement of spatial accessibility is reviewed to formulate a methodology with which to conduct the analysis. In particular, a framework is presented to create formalized pedestrian and bicyclist network datasets within ArcMap’s Network Analyst. Using these specialized network datasets, accessibility measures are calculated using origin destination travel between census block groups and parklands within Austin. From these calculated accessibility measures, levels of equity amongst various socioeconomic groups are studied in order to ascertain if there are any discrepancies between different groups level of access to parklands and availability of active transportation infrastructure. Findings indicate that no significant discrepancy in levels of access to parklands exist between socioeconomic groups studied, pointing to an equitable environment for Austin citizens.Item Bicycling toward sustainability : built environment and policy recommendations to grow the mode share at UT Austin(2016-08) Lofton, Zachary Tyler; Jiao, Junfeng; Zhang, MingDespite significant progress in prioritizing sustainability goals on campus, the University of Texas at Austin is finding it increasingly difficult each semester to ensure its transportation system is efficient and thriving in a sustainable way. In light of this, I have conducted a research project that sought to evaluate the state of the bicycling community on campus and developed recommendations to benefit bicycling and sustainability. This topic is important because transportation is a significant factor in determining a community’s overall sustainability. For this study, I carried out my work in three activity phases. In Phase I, I evaluated the current bicycle infrastructure, policies, and facilities on campus. Phase II involved conducting research on actual bike commuting traffic through surveys, manual bicyclist counting, pressurized tube counters, and a smart phone application in order to gain deeper understanding of usage and preferences for bicyclists on campus. Phase III entailed the analysis of Phase I and Phase II results to compose recommendations for specific actions to increase bike-commuting rates on campus through safe and efficient means. My main findings in this study are that there are many factors influencing peoples’ decisions to ride bikes to campus, and for the University to significantly grow the bicycle mode share and therefore benefit sustainability, a multi-pronged “carrot and stick” approach should be leveraged and tailored specifically to the community context and the core of the campus.Item Biking equity : the unresolved puzzle piece in San Francisco’s biking renaissance(2019-06-21) Sahu, Disha; Zhang, Ming, 1963 April 22-The surging bicycling rates in U.S. cities and the growing interest to improve avenues of active transportation substantiates the growing presence of the American biking renaissance. San Francisco’s sizeable share of bike-related improvements in the planning pipeline along with its third highest bike mode share amongst U.S. cities affirms that the city is in its most bike-conducive planning phase of history. As cities continue to invest their public dollars towards “Let’s Make Our Cities Bikeable” vision, growing number of planning studies are beginning to show that bike shares and biking infrastructure are inequitably distributed throughout the cities and in a manner that low-income households or communities of color do not use them as often or as comfortably (Smith, 2015) and San Francisco’s case is no different. With numerous Federal and State level grants being used to develop and expand the biking infrastructure in U.S. cities, communities are beginning to realize that biking can be a means to social justice. Additionally, for a high cost of living and housing price area like San Francisco, the low-income communities might benefit the most from the positive externalities accrued from improved access to the biking infrastructure. These benefits include but are not limited to - improved household transportation savings, lower fuel consumption, lowered health risks related to cardiovascular diseases and improved carbon footprint. The intent of this study is to inquire whether San Francisco’s existing biking infrastructure (including bike share programs) are absent or less accessible in communities of lower socioeconomic status. And if yes, how is this persisting inequity being influenced by the upcoming bikeway improvement projects and bike share programs. The study finds that bikers in San Francisco tend to be young, white, males with lower-to-middle income background. The study ran Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) between perceived bike accessibility index and socioeconomic indicators to observe that the low-income neighborhoods in San Francisco have an inequitable access to biking infrastructure. Households in low-income neighborhoods of San Francisco with high dependency rates, low educational levels and with no access to health insurance show low bike accessibility. The study elicits that although the city’s long-term bike and ped planning projects are geared towards addressing this persisting inequity, a closer look at bikeway improvement projects implementation since 2012 hasn’t mended the equity gap. Improving access to safe and convenient biking infrastructure through physical planning and design is a traditional model of addressing inequitable distribution of civic amenities. The study gathers evidence from other U.S. cities in promoting equitable bike share lessons. It postulates that San Francisco with its bike sharing expansion stands at an opportune moment, where appropriate sequencing of bike infrastructure expansion, bike share station siting in low-income communities, active bike sharing advocacy, discounted membership for low-income households, improved bike share and transit integration, and predicted surge in ridership in the newly expanded residential neighborhoods might bridge the equity gap that traditional modes of bike infrastructure improvements have not been able to accomplishItem Examining intersections in Austin, Texas with high rates of pedestrian crashes from a social equity perspective(2021-05) Bernhardt, Maxwell Emerson; Karner, Alex; Kockelman, KaraWith pedestrian crashes and fatalities on the rise across both Austin and in the United States, research on understanding the root causes of this increase is a pressing need. As low-income people and people of color are disproportionately affected by pedestrian crashes and fatalities, addressing the underlying social equity issues are often relevant when considering countermeasures to reduce the rates of pedestrian crashes. Using Austin, Texas as the backdrop, this professional report examines the existing literature on pedestrian safety with a social equity component, how the socioeconomic changes around Austin complicate these matters and then evaluates Austin’s most dangerous intersections and corridors for pedestrians to make treatment recommendations based on benefit-cost analyses that complement Austin’s 2018 Pedestrian Safety Action Plan. Crash data from the Texas Department of Transportation’s Crash Records Interface System (TxDOT CRIS) was used to evaluate the 10 most dangerous intersections and corridors in Austin, which are principally located in lower-income communities and communities of color. Recommendations to policymakers include addressing pedestrian safety in the broader context of anti-displacement issues and forming community partnerships with leaders who have ‘buy-in’ from the communities that are impacted to get the most representative sample possible of feedback on proposed countermeasures.Item Footing the bill : evaluating local government funding mechanisms for sidewalk infrastructure in Austin, Texas(2019-08-30) McGrath, Nicole Erin; Sciara, Gian-ClaudiaThe City of Austin is missing almost half of its sidewalk network and 80% of existing sidewalks are in poor condition. Expanding the city’s sidewalk network has repeatedly been recognized as an important component of Austin’s larger mobility goals, but how the city will fund this effort is unclear. The city’s Sidewalk Master Plan estimates that building out and repairing the entire network will take almost 200 years at current funding levels. Austin’s sidewalk investments are primarily being funded by bond money, but is depending solely on bond funding for sidewalk infrastructure advisable? Bonds are a form of borrowing not a revenue generating mechanism. Having a revenue generating mechanism dedicated to active transportation investments can help achieve multimodal transportation goals sooner. However, local governments are often constrained in their ability to implement such mechanisms due to state authorization laws. Given that sidewalks are primarily a local responsibility, the inability to generate revenue at the local level for transportation projects can severely hamper walkability goals. This report highlights examples of local governments that are using revenue generating mechanisms to fund pedestrian infrastructure and evaluates the potential implementation of such mechanisms in Austin, TX. Using a qualitative case study design, this study investigates the different approaches used in the following locations: Ithaca, NY; Fort Wayne, IN; Seattle, WA; and San Antonio, TX. Funding mechanisms used in these case study cities include special assessment districts, local income taxes, property tax assessments, and sales taxes. The report finds that each city has had varying degrees of success with their funding mechanism, with three of the four case study cities generating more sidewalk funding per capita than bond funding alone in Austin, TX. Of the different mechanisms evaluated, dedicated property tax assessments and special assessment districts are the best options for addressing Austin’s sidewalk needs. However, state preemption laws in Texas make implementing these mechanisms difficult. Examples of best practices highlighted in this report should be used by local officials to lobby for more autonomy when it comes to funding local transportation needs.Item Identifying factors explaining pedestrian crash severity : a study of Austin, Texas(2016-08) Welch, Elizabeth Anne; Zhang, Ming, 1963 April 22-; Jiao, JunfengFrom the Federal Highway Administration to local departments of transportation, traffic safety is a persistent concern for transportation planners and engineers. Pedestrians are among the most vulnerable road users and require consideration beyond typical analysis of vehicle safety. This study has two objectives: to identify environmental, demographic, and behavioral factors explaining crash severity, and to compare methods for determining the significance of these factors. Binary and ordered logistic regression models were developed and compared to assess factor significance. Environmental and local factors, such as lighting and speed limit, had the strongest correlation with crash severity in all cases. However, inclusion of driver and pedestrian behavior and demographic characteristics improved the fit of the model and, in some cases, predictive ability. The two model types identified the same significant variables in traffic safety, but the magnitudes of the effects differed by model. This finding demonstrates that while the simpler method may yield the same overall results, combining methods can differentiate factors which contribute to the most severe crashes.Item Mapping bikeability : a spatial analysis on current and potential bikeability in Austin, Texas(2015-08) Greenstein, Ashley Sarah; Paterson, Robert G.; Zhang, MingCycling has continued to gain attention as a form of transportation and recreation in Austin, Texas over the last decade. This past year, the City of Austin passed an update to its bicycle master plan that envisions building an all ages and abilities network at a projected cost of $150 million. As the City searches for dedicated funding, it needs to strategize its current holdings to capture short trips in areas that host the most potential for bikeability. Many aspirational bicycle-friendly cities have evaluated existing and potential bikeability through spatial analyses. The goal of this report is to produce a series of maps that attempt to mirror the on-the-ground reality of how cycling feels throughout Austin, Texas. Each recognized factor of the built environment that affects cycling is mapped and then scored, creating composite maps that represent current and potential bikeability. These factors include: bicycle facilities, network density, land use, topography, and barriers. These maps can be used as a tool by the City of Austin's Active Transportation program and other transportation organizations to better understand which parts of the city are best suited for generating large numbers of cycling trips. It can also be used to explain which areas maximize cycling potential through strategic investments, innovative treatments, or policy changes.