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PUBLICATION
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 MTI Report 01-01
Statewide Safety Study of Bicycles and Pedestrians on Freeways, Expressways,
Toll Bridges, and Tunnels
Principal Investigator:
Dr. Thomas C. Ferrara, PE
Published: September 2001
The purpose of this study is to attempt to clarify some of
the issues pertaining to bicycles on freeways. Specifically, the goal of this
project is to “develop policy recommendations, guidelines, and policies for
bicycle and pedestrian use of freeways, expressways, tunnels, and toll bridges in
California.”
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ABSTRACT
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The purpose of this study is to attempt to clarify some of the issues pertaining to bicycle on freeways. Specifically, the goal of this project is to develop policy recommendations and guidelines for bicycle and pedestrian use of freeway shoulders.
Based on the literature and investigations done as part of this study, highway bicycle collision rates per mile of bicycle travel are an order of magnitude higher than collision rates for motor vehicle traffic. Bicycle collisions are no more frequent on bridges and in tunnels than on the approaches to the bridges and tunnels. Overall vehicle collision rates are no higher on freeways open to bicycles than they are on adjacent highways open to bicycles.
Most freeway pedestrian collisions involve individuals who enter the freeway in a vehicle and leave the vehicle. A disproportionate share of these pedestrian collisions are related to installing and removing tire chains. The project recommendations include: enhanced efforts to inform drivers and passengers of the dangers related to exiting their vehicles on a freeway, a bicycle counting program to establish bicycle ridership and collision rates, a requirement to wear a helmet and possess a drivers license to operate a bicycle on the freeway, a minimum of eight foot paved shoulders on freeways that are open to bicycles, and restrictions relating to bicycles crossing freeway ramps on the freeway side.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
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Thomas C. Ferrara is a Professor of Civil Engineering at
California State University, Chico, and served as department chair form
1987 to 1993. He hastaught more than 20 different courses since joining the
faculty in 1971. His dissertation was on bicycles and motor vehicles at
intersections—receiving a Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering from University of California, Davis, in
1975. He has served as a project director and consultant
on five statewide highway research studies and does professional traffic
engineering on a regular basis. He holds registrations as a civil and traffic
engineer in California. Dr. Ferrara is the principal investigator on this project and made
contributions throughout this report. Mr. Solorio and Dr. Ferrara were
the primary authors of Chapter 7, Policy Recommendations, of this report.
A. Reed Gibby is a Professor of Civil Engineering at California State
University, Chico. After graduating from BYU with a
bachelor of engineering science degree in 1967, he began his career designing
freeways for the Washington Department of Highways. He obtained a
master's degree from University of California at Berkeley in 1970, then worked in
traffic engineering, including some time as a city traffic
engineer. He also worked a number of years in transportation planning in Oregon, California, and Alaska.
Since joining the California State University, Chico, Civil Engineering faculty
in 1984, he has taught courses in transportation
engineering and has been involved in nearly two dozen research projects, many of
them directly related to highway safety. For a number of years he served on
the Subcommittee on Bicycle Capacity for the Transportation Research Board
Committee on Highway Capacity and Quality of Service. Dr. Gibby served
as consultant on this project, providing weekly assistance throughout the
effort. His major contributions were to the statistical analysis presented
in Chapter 6 and to the policy recommendations.
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TECHNICAL
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MTI Report 01-01
Statewide Safety Study of Bicycles and Pedestrians on Freeways,
Expressways, Toll Bridges, and Tunnels
Principal
Investigator: Dr. Thomas C. Ferrara, PE
Published: September 2001
Keywords: Bicycle, Bicycle collision, Bicycle facilities, Bicycle
safety, Bicycle travel, Freeways, Expressways, Toll bridges, Runnels,
Highway safety, Pedestrian safety, Pedestrian, Policy, Transportation
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MTI
Report 01-01
Statewide Safety Study of Bicycles and
Pedestrians on Freeways, Expressways, Toll Bridges, and
Tunnels
Principal Investigator: Dr. Thomas C. Ferrara, PE
Published: September 2001
Keywords: Bicycle, Bicycle collision, Bicycle
facilities, Bicycle safety, Bicycle travel, Freeways,
Expressways, Toll bridges, Runnels, Highway safety,
Pedestrian safety, Pedestrian, Policy, Transportation
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