cont...

State Urban Area
Ohio Akron
Dayton
Canton
Cincinnati
Columbus
Toledo
Youngstown-Warren
Wisconsin Madison

Milwaukee


The Bicycle

Bicycling is:

Nonpolluting. The majority of Americans live in areas which
do not meet national air pollution standards for public
health and welfare. Much of the pollution, especially in
urban areas is caused by the automobile. The pollutants may
cause serious long-term health risks and can cause lung and
respiratory damage. Traffic also causes noise pollution.

In many urban areas noise disturbs human activity, and can

be physiologically and psychologically damaging. The bicycle
is an alternative to the automobile, especially for short
trips four miles or less. It can also be used for longer
trips using two modes of travel like bike/bus, bike/car, bike/
train.

energy efficient. Transportation consumes 25 percent of the
total energy budget in which the automobile is primarily res-
ponsible. Bicycles can help reduce this consumption. The
bicycle ranks number one in energy efficiency. Human trans-
port (bicycling and walking) are 10-40 times as efficient as
motorized transport.

Healthy exercise and pleasurable recreation. Cycling has been
referred to as the "perfect exercise." Lack of regular vigor-
ous exercise is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease,
a major killer in industrial countries. The benefits are
great; cycling enhances the cardiovascular status, lowers
blood pressure, helps control body weight, etc. Bicycling is
a wonderful recreation sport for the family, the individual

or with groups of people.

Economical. The maximum annual cost for maintaining a bicycle
is $50, versus $1,170 for an automobile. Buying a new car
often costs over $5,000 versus $50 to $400 for a bicycle.
Facilitating for bicycles is also less expensive then facili-
tating for autos. A mile of interstate highway costs $6.3
million in urban areas and $1.4 million in rural areas. In
comparsion, a mile of separated bikeway eight-foot wide, costs
about $40,000. Lesser road improvements such as widening the
curb lane by a few feet or providing a smooth shoulder suit-
able for cycling is not very expensive.

Space efficient. Eight bicycles can be parked in the same
space aS one automobile. However, when counting the total
maneuvering area in a parking lot, the figure goes up to 15-20.
Bicycling does not cause as much congestion. For example,
there are over 1.4 million autos driven in the Washington area,
the same number of people that are employed.


Northwest - EPA Bicycle Coordinator - Lori Smith FTS 8-399-1226
206-442-1226

EPA; Region X; 1200 6th Avenue; Seattle, Washington 98101

State Urban Area
Oregon Portland
Washington Seattle-Everett

Spokane

Tacoma

Suburbs of

Portland, Oregon


Northeast - EPA Bicycle Coordinator - Lou Heckman 212-264-9800
EPA; Region II; Room 1005; 26 Federal Plaza; New York, New York 10007
State Urban Area
New Jersey Trenton

Allentown-Bethlehem

Easton, Pa. area

New York, N.Y. area

Philadelphia, Pa. area

Wilmington, Del. area
New York Albany-Schnectady-Troy

Buffalo-Niagara Falls

New York

Rochester

Syracuse


6

If more people bicycled there would be:

Less air pollution. It is estimated that a safe and wide-
Spread bicycle system has the potential of decreasing auto-
mobile usage by at least one percent. This can be achieved
by diverting 12-25 percent of urban work trips of less than
four miles from auto commuting to bicycle commuting. There
would be additional savings from bicycle trips for recrea-
tion, shopping or trips greater than four miles long. How-
ever, the savings will differ from city to city depending
upon the extensiveness of the bicycle program.

Less noise. Wouldn't it be more pleasant if only a swish of
hundreds of bicycles was heard at intersections?

Less energy consumption. Two and one-half billion gallons
of gasoline could be saved each year if trips less than two
miles were taken by bike.

Less waste. One hundred bicycles can be made from the
materials needed for one automobile. Bikeways can possibly
be made from fly ash and incincerator ash. 30 million tons
of fly ash and five million tons of incinerator ash are dis-
carded from utilities and incinerators each year.

Less congestion, more space. There would be reduced need
for on-street parking and additional highway lanes.

Less hassle. Fewer cars on the road, fewer rush hour traffic
jams. Bicycle commuters can travel independently, door-to-
door, while getting their daily exercise.

Healthier Americans. Medical literature reports the physical
and psychological benefits (feeling of well being) of bicycle
exercise and training.


5
- Independent. Bicycling provides door-to-door service.

- Timesaver. The bicycle travels at the same speed as the
average car in traffic, 13 mph. Inner city trips are
faster by bicycle than by taxi in New York, Hong Kong,
and Bangkok. In many commuter races the bicycle has
ranked among the highest in speed.

- Environmentally sound. Bicyclers help stop pollution
and stop energy consumption.
Who Bicycles and Where

- Bicycling is a serious, effective and useful: form of trans-
portation in many countries, accounting for 43 percent of all trips.

- One out of every two Americans, 100 million, own and ride
a bicycle. Since 1970, more bicycles than automobiles have been
sold in the U.S. (83.5 million to 79.8 million). Adults buy 50 per-
cent of the bicycles sold.

- Bicycles are ridden by every class of people: children,
recreational buffs, racers, college students, government officials,
Congressmen, secretaries, industrial workers, factory workers, and
others.

- The bicycle is used for a variety of utility trips to stores,
schools, recreational centers, and employment centers.

- A recent Washington, D.C. Council of Government's study,
"Washington Regional Bikeways Study" found that five percent of the
total working population 70,000 people commute to work by bicycle
(2.5 percent commute regularly and 2.5 percent commute occassionally).

- A survey for the District of Columbia in June 1975 revealed
that 60 percent of the total bicycling activity was for purposeful
trips--a trip with a specific destination made for a reason other
than just enjoyment. The District of Columbia study showed that
purposeful bicycle travel would increase 250 percent in the next
five to 10 years given proper encouragement through improved facili-
ties. Forty percent of all urban work trips are four miles or less,
a distance easily traveled by bicycle.


Southwest - EPA Bicycle Coordinator - Steve Drew 415-556-6925

EPA; Region IX; 215 Fremont Street; San Francisco, CA 94105

State

Arizona

California

Hawaii

Nevada

Urban Area

Phoenix

Tuscon

Fresno

Los Angeles-Long Beach
Sacramento

San Bernardino-Riverside
San Diego

San Francisco-Oakland
San Jose
Oxnard-Ventura
Honolulu

Las Vegas

By;

Nina D. Rowe


New England - EPA Bicycle Coordinator - Barbara Ikalainen 617-223-5630

EPA; Region I; Room 2303; J. F. Kennedy Building; Boston, Mass. 02203

State

Connecticut

Massachusetts

New Hampshire

Rhode Island

Urban Area

Bridgeport

Hartford

New Haven

Springfield

Chicopee-Holyhoke, Mass.
area

Boston

Lawrence-Haverhil1

Springfield-Chicopee-Holyhoke

Worcester

Providence-Pawtucket-Warwick, RI
area

Lawrence-Haverhill, Mass.
area

Providence-Pawtucket-Warwick
area


United States Office of Transportation EPA-400/9-78-008
Environmental Protection and Land Use Policy June 1978
Agency Washington DC 20460

Bicycle Strategies to
Reduce Air Pollution



Southeast - EPA Bicycle Coordinator - Ron McHenry FTS 8-257-3043
404-881-3043

EPA; Region IV; 245 Courtland Street, NE; Atlanta, Ga 30308

State Urban Area
Alabama Birmingham
Mobile

Alabama suburbs of
Columbus, Georgia

Florida Ft. Lauderdale-Hol1ywood
Jacksonville
Miami
Orlando

St. Peterburg
Tampa Bay

Florida Palm Beach County
Georgia Atlanta
Columbus

Chattanooga, Tenn.
GA. suburbs

Kentucky Louisville

Cincinnati, Ohio
suburbs in Kentucky

Mississippi Mississippi suburbs of
Memphis, Tenn.

North Caroline Charlotte
Durham

South Carolina Charleston
Columbia

Tennessee Chattanooga
Memphis

Nashville
West Virginia Charleston


East Central - EPA Bicycle Coordinator - Bill Belanger 215-597-8188

EPA; Region III; Sixth and Walnut Streets; Philadelphia, Pa. 19106

State

District of
Columbia

Maryland

Pennsylvania

Virginia

Delaware

Urban Areas

Washington, D.C.
Metropolitan area

including Md. and
Va. suburbs
Baltimore

Suburbs to
Washington, D.C.

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton
Harrisburg

Philadelphia

Pittsburgh

Scranton

Wilkes-Barre

Trenton, N.J. area
Newsport News-Hampton

Nor folk-Portsmouth
Richmond

Washington, D.C.
Va. suburbs

Wilmington


The Bicycling Environment

More people would bicycle if there were:

A safe bicycle transportation network.

More bicycle safety education programs teaching people how

to ride their bicycles in traffic, and how to properly and
safely maintain their bicycles.

Adequate secure bicycle parking facilities at office buildings,
schools, stores, churches, recreation facilities, bus stops,
metro stations.

Cleanup and changing facilities at places of work.

Maps of good bicycling streets and bike routes.

Information on how to commute to work (what to wear, how to
carry it).

Consistent rules of the road for cyclists throughout the
country.

Enforcement of bicycle rules of the road.

Equal funding possibilities for all modes of travel including
bicycles.

Who to Contact

After

you've justified and identified the elements for a comprehen-

sive bicycle program take this opportunity under the Clean Air Act to make
sure your State includes bicycle programs and strategies in their trans-
portation component of their State Implementation Plan (SIP).

The following is a list of regions, states and urbanized areas which
will be responsible for coming up with strategies to reduce transportation
related pollution.


3

- Bike lockers that completely enclose the bicycle offer the
most protection; cost: approximately $150 per bicycle.

- Bicycle racks are an alternative; they offer less protec-
tion and need surveillance. However, racks are available
which completely secure both wheels and only require the
cyclist to carry a lock.

4. Develop bicycle education programs for adults and children. In-
clude the following:

(a) Proficiency of riding in traffic.

(b) Rules of the road.

(c) Techniques for bicycle.maintenance.

(d) What to wear, how to carry materials, clothes, etc.

5. The police, schools, and the judiciary all need to be involved
in a comprehensive enforcement program that will protect bicy-
clists' rights on the road and insure bicyclists’ compliance
with traffic rules. In some States, the bicycle laws may need
to be updated. Some States are helping children to learn safe
bike riding practices without intimidating them. Some methods
used:

(1) A policemen on a bicycle--at the same level--gives cyclist
a warning ticket.

(2) A letter is sent to the parents with information on bicycle
safety and the citation of the child.

(3) Children and parents attend safety seminars.

(4) Peer courts are used for trials involving children who vio-
late traffic regulations while riding their bicycle.

Reasons for a Bicycle Program

Some facts justifying a bicycle program follow:


South Central - EPA Bicycle Coordinator - Bill Taylor 214-767-2742
rs FTS 8-729-2742

EPA; Region VI; 1201 Elm Street; Dallas, Texas 75270

State Urban Area
Arkansas Little Rock-non-
Little Rock
Louisiana Baton Rouge
New Orleans
Shreveport
New Mexico Albuquerque
Oklahoma Oklahoma City
Tulsa
Texas Austin

Corpus Christi
Dallas

£1 Paso

Fort Worth
Houston

San Antonio


Rockies - EPA Bicycle Coordinator - Barry Levene FTS 8-327-3711
303-837-3711

EPA; Region VIII; Suite 900; 1860 Lincoln Street; Denver, CO 80203

State Urban Area
Colorado Colorado Springs
Denver

Utah Salt Lake City


2
1. Establish institutional framework giving bicycling high priority.
- Establish a bicycle coordinator's office in the Governor's
office or the State Department of Transportation, to serve
as the central point for creating a better physical and
institutional environment for bicycling.

- Develop adequate funding sources to carry out programs
fostering bicycling.

- Establish ongoing programs to encourage bicycling.

2. Develop a comprehensive network of safe bicycle routes. Some of
the elements of this comprehensive system could include:

Bikeways along abandoned railroad rights-of-ways.
- Bikeways along sewer interceptor lines.

- Bikeways along stream beds and through recreational parks
and open space.

- A commuter map, which shows the existing bikeways and
interconnecting lightly traveled streets.

- Bicycle streets or bicycle boulevards closed to traffic.

- Bike lanes on existing streets which take up a whole lane
of traffic.

- Design policies for all newly constructed roads and bridges
that will reduce hazards and increase mobility for bicy-
clists by allowing enough space in the right-of-way for
cyclists to safely travel.

- Eliminate obstacles and bottlenecks which hinder bicycling
in urban and suburban areas.

3. Install adequate bicycle parking facilities at office buildings,
schools, stores, churches, recreation facilities, bus stops, and

metro stations. (Some cities have made this a requirement in
their zoning ordinance).


Bicycle Strategies to Reduce Transportation
Air Pollution as Part of State Implementation Plans

Clean Air Act Requirements

Under the Clean Air Act as amended 1977 States must revise their
State Implementation Plan (SIP) for areas which do not meet air pollu-
tion control requirements. (National ambient air quality standards).
The states must submit SIP revisions which will include strategies to
attain air pollution standards by January 1982 to the Environmental
Protection Agency, (EPA) January 1, 1979.

In most major urbanized areas of the country, the revised SIP's
will require strategies designed to reduce emissions from transporta-
tion/related sources by means of structural and operational changes
in the transportation system.

EPA will publish information documents in 1978 for reasonably
available control measures. The measures include such things as:
on-street parking controls, park and ride and fringe parking lots,
carpools, improved public transit, etc. Bikeways (bicycle lanes),
bicycle storage facilities, employer programs to encourage bicycling
are all acceptable measures. A detailed bicycle information document
will be available in the fall of 1978.

EPA, the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) are all seeking to integrate the transportation/air
quality planning and implementation required by the Clean Air Act into
existing planning and programming procedures.

Now is the time for bicycle activists, bicycle planners, trans-
portation planners, and transportation engineers, to get bicycle pro-
grams into the planning process. One of the major plans is the three
C's plan, The Continuing, Comprehensive transportation planning pro-
cess carried on Cooperatively by states and local communities.
Administered by DOT the three C's process includes the Unified Work
Program, Transportation Plan which includes Transportation System Man-
agement (TSM) and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and its
annual elements.

Bicycle Program Plans

Bicycle Plans should be comprehensive. One short bike path is
not going to divert a great deal of people out of their cars onto
bicycles. A comprehensive approach is needed; including an institu-
tional framework, a comprehensive network of bike routes, bicycle
parking facilities, educational programs and enforcement programs.

The whole community needs to be involved, the press, police,
transportation departments, citizens, schools, etc. The approaches
will vary from community to community. Here is a preliminary list
of elements to be included in a comprehensive bicycle plan and some
alternative approaches.


Great Lakes - EPA Bicycle Coordinator - Phyllis Kierig 321-353-2205
EPA; Region V; 230 S. Dearborn; Chicago, Illinois 60604

State Urban Area

Tilinois Aurora~Elgin
Chicago
Peoria
Rockford

Moline, Illinois
and Davenport,
Illinois suburbs

St. Louis, Mo.
suburbs in I1linois

Indiana Indianapolis
Fort Wayne
South Bend

Chicago, Illinois
suburbs

Louisville, Ky.
suburbs

Michigan Detroit
Flint
Grand Rapids
Lansing

South Bend, Ind.
suburbs

Michigan Toledo, Ind.
suburbs in Michigan

Minnesota Minneapolis- St. Paul


Central - EPA Bicycle Coordinator - Thomas D. Gillard FTS 8-729-2742

214-767-2742

EPA; Region VII; Room 249; 1735 Baltimore Avenue; Kansas City, MO 64108

State

lowa

Kansas

Missouri

Nebraska

Urban Area

Des Moines

Davenport and
Moline-Rock

Island, I11. suburbs

Omaha, Neb.
suburbs in Iowa

Wichita

Kansas City and
Kansas City,

MO. suburbs in Kansas

Kansas City

St. Louis

Omaha