Effect of Bike Lane Infrastructure Improvements on Ridership in One New Orleans Neighborhood
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BRIEF REPORT
Effect of Bike Lane Infrastructure Improvements on Ridership in One New Orleans Neighborhood Kathryn M. Parker, M.P.H. & Janet Rice, Ph.D. & Jeanette Gustat, Ph.D. & Jennifer Ruley, P.E. & Aubrey Spriggs, Ph.D. & Carolyn Johnson, Ph.D.
Published online: 19 January 2013 # The Society of Behavioral Medicine 2012
Abstract Background Incorporating cycling into daily life is one way to increase physical activity. Purpose This study examined the impact of building new bike lanes in New Orleans to determine whether more people were cycling on the street and with the flow of traffic after bike lanes were built. Methods Through direct observation of one intervention and two adjacent streets, observers counted cyclists riding on the street and sidewalk, with and against traffic, before and after installation of the lanes. Data were tallied K. M. Parker (*) Prevention Research Center, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, TW-19, Suite 2301, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA e-mail: [email protected] J. Rice Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, TW-19, Suite 2301, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA J. Gustat Department of Epidemiology, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, TW-19, Suite 2301, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA J. Ruley Louisiana Public Health Institute, 1515 Poydras Street Suite 1200, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA A. Spriggs : C. Johnson Department of Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, TW-19, Suite 2301, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
separately for adults, children, males, females, and by race for each location. Results There was an increase in cyclists on all three streets after the installation of the bike lanes, with the largest increase on the street with the new lane. Additionally, the proportion of riders cycling with traffic increased after the lanes were striped. Conclusions Bike lanes can have a positive impact in creating a healthy neighborhood. Keywords Bicycling . Built environment . Bicycle lanes . Transportation infrastructure . Environmental design . Active living
Background Overweight and obesity are major public health problems in the USA affecting both children and adults. Some 68 % of men and women over 20 years of age living in the USA are either overweight or obese [1]. Overweight and obesity are also affecting children; 16.9 % of children and adolescents aged 2–19 are above the 95th percentile, and 31.7 % are above the 85th percentile [2]. In New Orleans, rates of obesity and overweight are near national averages. According to the 2010 New Orleans Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System telephone survey, 31.4 % of adults were classified as obese and 32.6 % were overweight [3]. For New Orleans youth, 17 % were obese, compared to 13 % nationally [4]. Active transportation, such as biking and walking for shopping and going to work or school, is one way f
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