Accepted truism: Building bicycle infrastructure creates bicycle riders. It's a complicated issue that isn't easily dis-proven... but neither has it been easily proven.
In most cases, the bicyclists came first, with the infrastructure following as a traffic control device to keep cyclists out of the way of 'real' traffic. Whether one chases the other, or they chase each other circularly, hasn't been clearly shown. Infrastructure investment hasn't been shown to increase the bike mode-share in Austin, or in Corvallis, Oregon. It's debatable if infrastructure development has done it in Portland, too. All three cities (all three heavily university-influenced towns with centralized bicycle activity around the campus sites) experienced a surge in bicycle activity prior to major infrastructure construction, with a mode-share gain considerably lower than predicted after the investment.
What has been clearly shown is a channelization effect, where cyclists who otherwise used streets of their own choosing (or sidewalks) use the facilities because they feel they A) feel safer using them, B) think they should use them, C) get harassed by motorists for not using them. Before and after bike-counts of streets that get bike lanes show a significant increase, but screening bike-counts that take in parallel streets don't show an overall increase.
But, for fun, let's apply the accepted logic that "build it and they will come" to other facility types. Say for example, prisons. The more we build, the more they fill up with criminals. So if we didn't build prisons, we would obviously have fewer criminals, and therefore less crime.
Does that make sense to you?
12 comments:
In all honesty, calling Portland a "University Town" is like calling Obama a right winger. I can name FIFTY places with higher University populations but much lower cycling shares. Need I actually DO SO? While I agree it is "iffy" to claim that the dimbulb stuff they put in there caused the cycling, it is EVEN "iffier" to claim it is there because of Universities.
At least let's not let fanaticism substitute for facts!
Steve, the TWO universities and one large undergraduate feeder college, all located within the downtown core, have over 50,000 students plus another 10,000 support staff/faculty, all within one mile of each other. The vast majority of cycling activity in Portland spins off this hub (no pun intended) in the Downtown District.
Cascade Community College: 21,000 undergrads
Portland State: 29,000 undergrads and graduate students
Oregon Health & Science University: 3,900 post-grads (not all in the two downtown sites)
Additionally, there are three other private colleges in close proximity to the urban core with another 6,000 or so students.
So, do I take this as a "yes?" To start with, take NE Campus of Tarrant County Community College with a student population of 16,742, amongst a Hurst population of 37,337.
I ride to work through Hurst every day. It is RARE to see another person on a bike. Despite the student population. Need I go to TCC and count bikes to let us get down to REAL facts?
And that is BEFORE we get to major universities within the metroplex such as SMU, TCU, Texas Wesleyan, and many others. UTA amongst them.
50 more "studentized" than Portland would be an easy task, but I'm not sure what point it would serve other than to get us back to fact-based discussion. Really, PSU?
Not at all. Compact the Tarrant County Colleges into a 5 square mile area. This is an urban, high-density area, not the Kingdom of Alliance Sprawl.
Not sure when was the last time went to downtown Portland and studied the demographics, employment, transportation, and residential interactions, or how urban universities impact the sociological patterns of growth and activity in an urban environment, but I'd guess it's either been a long time or never.
Does the surface area of a wing have a different lift capacity based upon the size of the aircraft fuselage to which it is attached?
The 16,742 population is ONLY the Hurst Campus. The others have added populations. I'd be surprised to see 100 cycle commuters within 5 miles of the Hurst Campus. HOWEVER, within 5 miles of the campus is the new Hurst Convention Center. I asked why there are NO bike racks there. I was told "there is no demand." My own reply - if you'd not put in any ADA stuff, you'd not see any demand for THAT either. I've made posts on this subject. I think the "University" hypothesis is untenable on its own. Need I repeat the offer? Portland, University Town? Let's get real. This is no better than I'd expect from BFOC.
RE surface area and lift. An odd question to ask an aeronautical engineer. Obviously not, but that wing has to develop a LOT more lift to get a BIG body (like Portland) off the ground than it does a LITTLE body (like Hurst).
A positive feedback loop, perhaps? More bikes => more infrastructure => more bikes => more infrastructure?
Funny thing, Steve, but when I spent a day with The City of Portland's Urban Planning and Transportation departments discussing and studying land use there, they described the Portland core as essentially functioning like a university town, right down to the low-cost subsidized housing and transportation patterns. They were quite proud of how the student/ex-student/student-support community heavily impacted the urban core and nearby areas.
You'll have to take your complaints to them.
As for lift, I guess you are saying size matters.
...or that "surface area plus mass" means something.
"You'll have to take your complaints to them."
Well THAT ain't gonna happen! Why would I expect more from Portland than another "University Town" - Fort Worth? And I posted their response to what I said about their bike plan.
Let me know if you need the list of 50. Starting with Hurst who have one student for every two residents.
OTOH, as you know, these things are about politics.
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