Bicycles and bicycling

The emphasis now being placed on bicycle transportation requires an understanding of bicycles, bicyclists, and transportation facilities. The bicycle, when adequately planned for and used, plays an important part in the overall transportation system. Safe, convenient, and attractive facilities are essential to encourage safe bicycle driving. Bicycle trips are generally under 8 km and often occur in urbanized areas. Therefore, these guidelines emphasize increased use and safety in urban areas. The purpose of this manual is to provide bicycle network and facility planning and design guidelines that planners, engineers and designers should follow, unless otherwise noted, to encourage increased use of the bicycle.

This research summary is part of report 2024-19, "Mobile-device data, non-motorized traffic monitoring, and estimation of annual average daily bicyclist and pedestrian flows," published June 2024.

People who walk and bike are the most vulnerable road users. However, understanding where they walk and bike requires continual data monitoring. Traditional methods rely on physical sensors in the infrastructure to detect the presence of pedestrians and bicyclists. However, these are expensive to deploy and only detect road users at the specific locations they are deployed. Instead, this study develops methods to use mobile phone based GPS data to estimate the number of bicyclists and pedestrians, and applies this methodology to the Twin Cities Metro area in Minnesota. The developed methodology is able to estimate average pedestrian and bicyclist volumes with relatively high accuracy.

The goal of the Minnesota State Bicycle Transportation System Plan is to develop and coordinate a safe and efficient bicycle transportation network along Trunk Highway corridors which will accommodate the utilitarian and recreational bicycling needs of the state's citizens and its visitors. Trunk Highways comprising the System Plan were determined based upon fundamental criteria including: 1) Major connections with cities of 5,000 population and over and the Twin Cities Metropolitan area; 2) Major links with cities of 5,000 population and over within a 25 mile radius of each other; 3) Major links with cities of 5/000 population and over with state parks, recreational areas/ and significant natural features of the state; 4) Major links with adjoining states; and 5) District identified local needs on the Trunk Highway system. The plan identifies unsuitable (poor or unsatisfactory) segments within each corridor and evaluates bicycling conditions. A design or alternate route recommendation is made which will bring the roadway up to at least a "Fair" bikeway rating. These needs and recommended designs can be used as roadways undergo study for improvement. Segments have been prioritized based upon established criteria to assist in this process. The plan has identified 4,467 miles of Trunk Highway bikeway corridors. Approximately 1/700 miles of these corridors need bikeway improvements. Based upon standard design and construction procedures, a preliminary estimate of the cost for improving these segments has been developed.

In order to increase the mileage of public roads that provide an acceptable level of service with available funds and to maximize fully the value of existing roadways for bicyclists, Mn/DOT has adopted bikeway design standards. Because more flexibility is provided, these standards will permit improvements to be made which will result in greater uniformity of highway geometries over major lengths of roadway. These standards are based on the relationship between the characteristics of the road design (bicycle driving area) to the average daily motorized traffic. Although these bikeway standards have been developed and should be used to the maximum extent possible, as with most engineering projects, the designer should use engineering judgement in the application of the standards.

To improve the visibility and safety of pedestrian and bicyclist crossings, traffic-safety professionals across Minnesota have installed the Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) and Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (PHB) at numerous locations around the state. The purpose of this evaluation was to determine the safety benefits, if any, for pedestrians and bicyclists after installation of an RRFB or PHB. This report included a before-after analysis as well as a cross-sectional analysis for each type of beacon with a corresponding group of comparison sites. The before-after analysis found that installation of an RRFB resulted in a 67% decrease in fatal crashes and a 62% decrease in bicyclist crashes. Installation of a PHB resulted in a 53% decrease in suspected minor injury crashes, a 67% decrease in pedestrians crashes, and a 50% decrease in bicyclist crashes. The results of the cross-sectional analysis did not indicate that these reductions were statistically significant compared to similar reductions in the control group. Still, the decreases in severe crashes and crashes involving non-motorists at RRFBs and PHBs indicated that both types of beacons could be effective safety treatments.

By the end of 2022, nearly 450 roundabouts were installed on Minnesota roadways. An evaluation of traffic safety at roundabouts published by MnDOT in 2017 showed substantial decreases in fatal and serious injury crashes for all users at intersections after installation of a roundabout. The safety effects of roundabouts are largely due to geometric design practices that reduce the speed of motorized vehicles as they approach and travel through the intersection. The purpose of this evaluation is to determine if the safety effects seen in the 2017 evaluation still apply to roundabouts with higher levels of use by pedestrians and bicyclists. This evaluation conducts a before-after analysis of 95 roundabouts in Minnesota and an analysis comparing roundabouts to untreated intersections. With the installation of a roundabout, this study finds that the before-after analysis results in a 40% decrease in all severity injury crashes for all roadway users, a 70% decrease in fatal and serious injury crashes for bikes and pedestrians, and a 15% decrease in total pedestrian bike and pedestrian crashes. The results of the comparison analyses suggest roundabouts have better safety performance than through-stop and traffic signal-controlled intersections and similar safety performance to locations with all-way stop control. The results of this evaluation thus indicate that roundabouts can be an effective safety treatment for pedestrian and bicycle crashes.

The front side of Minnesota Bikeways: Map J - West Duluth and Superior" contains a list of municipal parks, the map index, a checklist of touring supplies with a diagram of where to put supplies on a bike, and a "potpourri" article. The back side contains the larger bikeways map, a legend of signs and symbols, and a mini-tours map of local landmarks around Duluth, Proctor, Oliver, Superior, and Superior Village. MnDOT's bikeway maps serve as a reference guide illustrating major historical and cultural points of interest in Minnesota, public park lands and facilities, equipment, and safety information. They also depict road analyses for bicycle travel, location of paved road shoulders and off-road bikeways, and controlled access roads where bicycles are prohibited. There are 54 maps in the Statewide Series (1979-1983), 4 maps in the Statewide Quadrant Series (1986-1993), and 2 maps in the Metro Series (1989). Legislatively mandated, these maps were prepared as convenient guides to help bicyclists select their routes. Each map is unique and signifies a historical reference to the state of bicycle facilities at the time of publication.

The front side of "Minnesota Bikeways: Map I - East Duluth and Superior" contains a list of municipal parks, the map index, a checklist of touring supplies with a diagram of where to put supplies on a bike and a "potpourri" article. The back side contains the larger bikeways map, a legend of signs and symbols, and a mini-tours map of local landmarks in Duluth and Hermantown. MnDOT's bikeway maps serve as a reference guide illustrating major historical and cultural points of interest in Minnesota, public park lands and facilities, equipment, and safety information. They also depict road analyses for bicycle travel, location of paved road shoulders and off-road bikeways, and controlled access roads where bicycles are prohibited. There are 54 maps in the Statewide Series (1979-1983), 4 maps in the Statewide Quadrant Series (1986-1993), and 2 maps in the Metro Series (1989). Legislatively mandated, these maps were prepared as convenient guides to help bicyclists select their routes. Each map is unique and signifies a historical reference to the state of bicycle facilities at the time of publication.

The front side of "Minnesota Bikeways: Metro/South - Map H" contains: a "potpourri" article; the map index; a checklist of touring supplies with a diagram of where to put supplies on a bike; a list of municipal and county parks in the South Metro; and a history article about Indians and pioneers in the region. The back side contains the larger bikeways map and a legend. MnDOT's bikeway maps serve as a reference guide illustrating major historical and cultural points of interest in Minnesota, public park lands and facilities, equipment, and safety information. They also depict road analyses for bicycle travel, location of paved road shoulders and off-road bikeways, and controlled access roads where bicycles are prohibited. There are 54 maps in the Statewide Series (1979-1983), 4 maps in the Statewide Quadrant Series (1986-1993), and 2 maps in the Metro Series (1989). Legislatively mandated, these maps were prepared as convenient guides to help bicyclists select their routes. Each map is unique and signifies a historical reference to the state of bicycle facilities at the time of publication.