Pilot project will push potential of e-bikes as commute vehicles
Image taken from Metro Regional Travel Options grant application.
research
Bike commuters are happiest (and other PSU research tidbits)
Graph of “commute well-being” from a presentation poster by Oliver Smith.
As Portland inches along, new research shows separated bike infrastructure is safer
Riding on SW Broadway in downtown Portland.(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland) A new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia and published in the American Journal of Public Health shows that physcially separated, bicycle-specific infrastructure can lead to much lower risk of injury for people riding bicycles. Here’s more on the study from Atlantic … Read more
PSU research makes connection between bike-friendly and bottom line
Researcher Kelly Clifton at a presentation at City Hall today.(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland) Portland State University researcher Kelly Clifton has shared more detailed data on her research into how mode choice impacts spending behaviors. After talking to Clifton at the outset of her research and then sharing some initial findings back in July, I learned … Read more
Researcher considers cargo bikes as tools for social justice
Cargo bike researcher Jane Pearce.(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland) If more people of modest means had access to an affordable, dependable cargo bike, could they avoid being sucked into “forced car ownership”? Can cargo bikes play a role in rebuilding a city devastated by a major earthquake? Jane Pearce, a PhD student in the Geography department … Read more
PSU research delves deeper into ‘Four types of cyclists’
Roger Geller’s chart that started it all. It’s been six-and-a-half years since Portland Bureau of Transportation bicycle coordinator Roger Geller first defined the “Four types of cyclists”. Geller’s insights proved to be groundbreaking and his definitions have stood the test of time. I frequently hear references about the need to attract more “Interested but concerned” … Read more
Study shows biking customers spend more
Survey results suggest that patrons who arrive by automobile do not necessarily convey greater monetary benefits to businesses than bicyclists, transit users, or pedestrians. — From TR News article Does your mode of transportation have any relationship to how much you spend at restaurants and bars? That’s the question researchers at Portland State University set … Read more
PSU wins $3.5 million DOT grant for transportation research center
Portland State University announced today that they’ve been awarded a $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to continue work at the federally recognized University Transportation Center — the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC) — housed on their campus. They’re also breathing a huge sigh of relief.
Study shows cycling in heavy traffic may pose heart risk
Riding on SW Broadway in downtown Portland.(Photo © J. Maus) [Via Environmental Health News] In what researchers call the first study ever to examine the relationship between traffic-related air pollution exposures and cardiac health among people who ride bikes, a study published last month found that cycling near heavy traffic “may have a significant impact” … Read more
Researchers look into connection between bicycling, consumer behavior
Research will put numbers behind biking customers.(Photo © J. Maus) A research project at the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC, housed at Portland State University) is taking a closer look at how bike-riding customers and bike infrastructure (or lack thereof) impacts the business bottom line. The principal investigator is Kelly Clifton, an associate … Read more
New research explores cost of bikes/transit integration (Updated)
Crowded.(Photos © J. Maus) A new report funded by the US Department of Transportation and conducted by the Mineta Transportation Institute, Bicycling Access and Egress to Transit: Informing the Possibilities (PDF), takes an in-depth look at a topic that is very relevant for the Portland region: How to integrate bikes and transit. The study sought … Read more
Research shows biking, walking can thrive in suburbia
As long as connections exist, riding in suburbia can happen.(Photo © J. Maus) It’s a somewhat generally accepted concept in urban planning circles that there’s no hope for suburbia. Cinder block walls, cul-de-sacs, and wide arterials all make for a car-centric lifestyle. But new reseach shows that among suburban multifamily housing — the fastest growing … Read more