CONGRESS
CONGRESS WOMAN OMAR AND TALIB HAVE VISITING.
HAVE VISITING. FIRST WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT
THIS.
THIS.
THIS. THIS IS NEAR AND DEAR TO A LOT
OF YOU.
OF YOU.
OF YOU. A
OF YOU. A STUDY ON HOW SAFE PROTECTED
BIKE LANES REALLY ARE.
MAJOR CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
INCLUDING D.C. ARE SEEING A
SURGE IN BICYCLISTS AND A RISE
IN ACCIDENTS AS WELL.
DEATHS ARE UP A STAGGERING 4@25
SINCE 2010.
SINCE 2010. 777 PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN
BICYCLE ACCIDENTS IN 2017.
WHAT'S BEING DONE?
A LOT OF 4@CITIES ARE BUILDING
NEW PROTECTIVE BIKE LANES TO
SEPARATE BIKES AND CARS.
GOOD IDEA, RIGHT?
ACCORDING TO RESEARCHERS, NOT
ALL LANES ARE CREATED EQUAL.
FOR MORE ON HOW CITIES LIKE DC
CAN BETTER IMPROVE CONDITIONS
FOR BIKERS AND DRIVERS I AM
PLEASED TO WELCOME TO OFFSCRIPT
THE VICE PRESIDENT OF RESEARCH
AT THE INSURANCE TIELMANN --
INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY
SAFETY AND LEAD AUTHOR OF A NEW
STUDY.
STUDY.
STUDY. THANKS FOR TALKING WITH US.
PEOPLE THINK ABOUT IIHS AND
THAT'S WHERE THEY CRASH CARS
AND DO THE TEST.
I WASN'T AWARE THAT YOU EVEN
LOOKED AT THINGS CONCERNING
CYCLISTS, BICYCLISTS, SAFETY.
WHAT LED TO YOU WANTING TO DO
THIS STUDY AND WHAT DID YOU
FIND?
FIND?
FIND? >>
FIND? >> WE ARE CONCERNED WITH
INJURIES AND FATALITIES WITH
ALL KINDS OF ROAD USERS.
LIKE YOU SAID FATALITIES AMONG
BICYCLISTS HAVE BEEN GOING UP
AS WELL AS FOR PEDESTRIANS.
WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING MORE 4@AT
THE VULNERABLE ROAD USERS IN
4@ADDITION TO LOOKING AT CARS.
WE WERE INTEREST4@ED IN THE KIN
OF INFRASTRUCTURE CITIES ARE
PUTTING, ESPECIALLY PROTECTED
BIKE LANES SINCE THEY'RE
RELATIVELY NEW.
RELATIVELY NEW. ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO THERE WERE
ABOUT 40 MILES 4@OF PROTECTED 4@
BIKE LANES.
BIKE LANES. NOW THERE IS MORE THAN 400.
WE WANTED TO SEE HOW WELL THESE
WERE WORKING PROTECTING
CYCLISTS FROM INJURIES.
>> LET'S NOT BURY THE LEAD.
WHAT DID YOU FIND?
>> THEY VARY IN HOW WELL THEY
PROTECT BICYCLISTS.
PROTECT BICYCLISTS. WE WERE SU4@RPRISED BY THAT.
WE SAW SOME 4@PROTECTED BIKE
LANES WERE SAFER THAN RIDING IN
THE ROADS AND THAT WOULD BE THE
KINDS ON BRIDGES OR RAISED FROM
THE ROAD LIKE ON THE SIDEWALK. @
>> CLEARLY SEPARATE FROM A
ROAD.
ROAD.
ROAD. >>
ROAD. >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. THOSE TENDED TO NOT 4@HAVE MANY
INTERSECTIONS, DRIVEWAYS.
INTERSECTIONS, DRIVEWAYS. THEY WERE PRETTY 4@SEPARATE, 4@
A GOOD JOB OF SEPARATING THE
CYCLISTS FROM THE ROAD.
OTHERS HAD HIGHER INCIDENCE,
ONES THAT WERE TWO WAY.
15th IN D.C. TURNED OUT
ESPECIALLY RISKY ESPECIALLY THE
SECTION WHERE THE ROAD AND BIKE
LANE IS TWO WAY.
>> THIS IS COUNTER INTUITIVE.
HOW IS SOMETHING CALLED A
PROTECTED BIKE LANE SUBJECTING
PEOPLE IT MORE RISK FOR IN4@JUR
>> SOME OF THE INJURIES WE SAW
WERE RELATIVELY MINOR.
THEY'RE PEOPLE WHO WENDELL TO
THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
SO THEY WERE DEFINITELY
INJURED.
INJURED.
INJURED. BUT WE DIDN'T NECESSARILY LOOK
AT A LOT OF THE MOST SERIOUS
INJURIES.
INJURIES.
INJURIES. SO WE DIDN'T HAVE PEOPLE WHO
DIED IN OUR STUDY.
IT COULD BE THAT SO4@ME 4@OF TH
PROTECTED BIKE LANES MIGHT BE 4@
PUTTING CYCLISTS AT 4@RISK FOR
SOME FALLS OR INTERACTING WITH
PEDESTRIANS WHO MIGHT WALK INTO
THE BIKE LANES.
IT MIGHT BE PROTECTING THEM
FROM SOME OF THE WORST KINDS OF
CRASHES WITH CARS.
>> IS THERE ANY SENSE AT ALL
THAT BICYCLISTS, WHETHER PEOPLE
ARE OUT FOR EXERCISE OR JUST
FOR LEISURE, ARE 4@MORE
EMBOLDENED BY THE FACT THAT
THIS IS A PROTECTED LANE AND
MAYBE THEY'RE JUST NOT AS
CAREFUL AS THEY WOULD BE IF
THERE WASN'T A PROTECTED LANE?
>> IT'S A POSSIBILITY.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE LOOKED AT
IN THE STUDY.
BUT EITHER WAY, WE WOULD WANT
TO MAKE SURE WE CAN DESIGN THE
INFRASTRUCTURE IN A WAY THAT
PROTECTS CYCLISTS BEST.
WHAT WE HOPE TO DO WITH THESE
RESULTS ARE SEE WHAT 4@KINDS OF
CHARACTERISTICS PROTECTED 4@BIK
LANES ARE 4@SAFEEST.
>> THE KEY, DOES THE STUDY END
WITH RECOMMENDATIONS?
WITH RECOMMENDATIONS? WHAT DO YOU DO?
DO YOU SIT DOWN WITH PORTLAND,
WASHINGTON, 4@NEW YORK
TRANSPORTATION LEADERS AND SAY
HERE IS WHAT WE SUGGEST.
MAYBE Y'ALL SHOULD 4@START
TALKING ABOUT IT?
>> WE HOPE THAT IT WILL START
MORE OF A CONVERSATION 4@ON WHA
KIND OF CHARACTERISTICS REALLY
ARE SAFEST.
ARE SAFEST. SOME OF THE THINGS WE SAW THAT
WERE COMMONALITIES AMONG SOME
OF THE SAFEST 4@PROTECTED BIKE
LANES, THEY HAD FEWER
INTERSECTIONS, FEWER DRIVEWAYS @
CROSSING THEM.
CROSSING THEM. WE THINK CITIES IF THEY CAN
SHOULD PLACE THIS
INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACES WHERE @
YOU 4@DON'T HAVE CROSSINGS WITH
CARS.
CARS.
CARS. IT'S NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE.
IT'S NOT ALWAYS WHERE CYCLISTS
NEED TO BE RIDING.
IF YOU CAN, IT SEEMS 4@THEY WOU
BE SAFER.
BE SAFER.
BE SAFER. THE MORE SEPARATION YOU HAVE,
THE BETTER.
THE BETTER. >> ONE THING IS NOT 4@IN DOUBT.
CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY NEED
TO BE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION @
BECAUSE MORE BICYCLISTS ARE
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. NUMBER OF INJURIES AND
FATALITIES 4@IS INCREASING.
THIS HAS TO HAPPEN AND