Robbie, Yes, I agree completely. Counts are a great tool for establishing baseline and demonstrating a change over time.
I just wanted to point out that what I recall hearing from Traffic Engineering over and over at the public input meetings that I have attended over the years is that they do use current MV counts to determine demand. For example, in regards to the upcoming Atwood reconstruction, they are using current MV counts to justify keeping Atwood a multi-lane car & bus-only road (no on-street bike facilities) with posted speed limits of 25 & 30 mph but prevailing speeds of 40-50mph. I have no reason to believe that bike counts would not be mis-used in the same way, and wanted to voice my concern so that we can push for proper use of this extremely valuable tool. It's my strong opinion that only in convincing our city staff to think of how improved road design can influence future counts, rather than having road designs be dictated by current counts, are we going to be able to make our roadways more accessible for all road users and road-crossers. -India Co-Founder & Instructor, We Are All Mechanics <http://www.WeAreAllMechanics.com> *Madison's premier bicycle maintenance courses since 2003* WeAreAllMechanics.com [email protected] Follow WAAM on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/We.Are.All.Mechanics> Founding Board Member, Madison Bikes <http://www.madisonbikes.org/> *...envisioning a city where anyone can ride a bicycle conveniently and comfortably, year round.* MadisonBikes.org <http://www.MadisonBikes.org> [email protected] Follow Madison Bikes on Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/groups/MBIIC/> On Thu, Oct 12, 2017 at 11:27 AM, Robbie Webber <[email protected]> wrote: > I understand India's concerns, and would agree with them to a point. > Bicycle or pedestrian count data should not be used to indicate demand. You > can't assume that only 200 people (to use a random number) want to bike a > certain route or corridor because that is how many people are using that > route/corridor now. > > However, I also think it is very important to have a baseline from which > to look at changes in behavior and demand. We know that certain roads are > actually seeing LESS motor vehicle traffic than they were 10 or 15 years > ago, while others are carrying more MV traffic. How do we know that? > Because we count the motor vehicles on a routine basis. > > Portland, OR, can publish a report showing a correlation between the > growth of its bicycle network (paths, protected bike lanes, and > neighborhood greenways--aka bike boulevards) because they actually count > the traffic on a regular basis. > > How has the addition of the Starkweather Creek Path or overpassed of Hwy > 30 and E Washington affected the traffic on the Isthmus Path or the mode > split to MATC? /shrug/ > > How has the completion of the Cannonball changed the number of kids that > bike at or to Leopold School? /shrug/ > > How many people cross John Nolen at North Shore by bike? /shrug/ > > How many people use the new underpass of Verona Rd -- the one with all the > cool murals? /shrug/ > > Are more people using the Military Ridge Trail to access the SW Path, now > that there is an overpass at McKee Rd? /shrug/ > > Etc. > > We need to do better. > > Robbie Webber > Transportation geek > All opinions are my own, and not necessarily those of any group or > organization with which I am affiliated. > > Founding member, Madison Bikes <http://www.madisonbikes.org/> > *...where anyone can ride a bicycle conveniently and comfortably to any > place year round.* > MadisonBikes.org <http://www.madisonbikes.org/> > Follow Madison Bikes on Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/groups/MBIIC/> > > >
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