4. Today's techniques
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We know how to improve a bike route - we just have to do it consistently
Having chosen the routes, we need to improve them to a congestion-busting standard. Today’s bike routes are inconsistent. They are good for a section and then, for no apparent reason, the quality drops or there is a gap before the facility resumes. It is frustrating for today’s users and it keeps tomorrow’s users away from bike riding. Some techniques have proven effective at increasing usage, including:
- Space on paths: wider paths work better. Some of the paths today are too narrow and winding to attract or support a heavy commuter load. These paths – largely left untouched for twenty years – need to be rebuilt to do the job we need them to do today. (12)
- Space on roads: wider bike lanes work better. (13)
- Green paint reduces collisions where it is used. It also gives people confidence to ride. Buses benefit from coloured bus lanes and riders benefit from coloured bike lanes. We need to roll out a green carpet on the high quality routes. (14)
- Wider paint increases driver awareness of the bike lane and gives confidence to riders.(15)
- Timing. Early green lights for bikes at intersections increases the performance of the route. Riders prefer to get away early and be visible to drivers behind. Trams also benefit from early green lights. (16)
- Separation. Swanston Street has proved the value of separation. (17)
- Space at the intersection. Bike lanes should not disappear before intersections but should continue to and through the intersection. (18)
- Removing unnecessary turning lanes. Bike lanes often don’t make it as far as the intersection because the space that could have been allocated for bikes has been reserved for vehicle turning lanes. Intersection analysis can reveal whether all the turning lanes are needed, or whether underused space can be allocated to the bike route. (19)
- Detection. Installing an induction loop in the path or lane to trigger signals so bike riders do not need to wait for cars to trigger lights for them. (20)
- Speed limits. Reducing the speed of vehicles near a bike route lowers risk and makes riders feel more comfortable. The strong correlation between reduced speed and reduced collisions is well known. (21)
- Underpasses. There are a number of locations around the network where an underpass would be better than a set of signals, both for riders and drivers. (22)
- Bridges. The network needs a number of new bridges to reach its full potential. (23)
- Counters. Counters measure the return on the investment and help to identify the positive measures that increase riding. A 24-hour counter will reflect the impact of improvements to the route and the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. (24)
