The presence and connectedness of bicycle facilities provides a quantitative measure of how well a corridor or other facility accommodates bicyclists. This measure evaluates the presence of bicycle facilities within a corridor in relation to adopted transportation plans. The quality of bicycle facilities for riders of different ages and abilities is addressed in the related Bicyclist Quality of Service metric.
| PERFORMANCE MEASURE | PERFORMANCE METRICS | PROJECT TASKS | APPROPRIATE CONTEXTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bicycle Facility Availability & Connectivity | Percent of missing bicycle facilities within xx miles on each side of corridor segment | Refine Solutions Assign Resources Develop Funded Solutions | Urban Core Town/Urban Suburban Rural* |
| *sometimes applicable, refer to metric description for more information | |||
- What? A measure of bicycle facility availability and connectivity. This metric considers both the primary roadway being analyzed as well as other roadways that run parallel or perpendicular to the road. This is important since bicyclists need a network of facilities to have safe access to and from their destinations.
- Why? Filling in missing bicycle facilities improves connectivity for bicyclists, improves safety and route directness, and encourages bicycling as a travel mode.
- Where? This metric is most applicable for project and corridor analysis where there is an existing or planned local bicycle network, a concentration of bikeable destinations, and/or the presence of households without vehicles. Typically, the analyst should include connecting bicycle facilities within one mile on either side of the roadway.
- How? This metric is best applied in the context of an adopted bicycle plan that identifies a network of bicycle facilities.
- First, identify the roadway segments that have existing or planned bicycle facilities, including shared-used facilities such as .
- For these roadways being studied, measure the length of existing bicycle facilities on each side of the roadway.
- Divide this length by the total roadway length, which provides the percentage of existing bicycle facilities.
- Subtract this total from 100 percent to provide the percentage of missing bicycle facilities.
- Considerations: Bicycle facilities should only be counted toward this metric if they are consistent with WSDOT or local agency design standards. If facilities do not meet design standards, opportunities to bring them up to standards should be incorporated in evaluation of solutions. Please refer to the Bicyclist Quality of Service measure for a related metric.
| METRIC | SOURCES | DATA | ANALYSIS SOFTWARE | CALCULATION | RESOURCES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent of missing bicycle facilities within xx miles on each side of corridor segment | WSDOT All Public Roads dataset | Bicycle network shapefile Roadway network shapefile | GIS program | Street network length without planned bicycle facilities/Total street network length | Local bicycle plans WSDOT All Public Roads dataset |
Case Study: SR 305 Corridor Needs and Opportunities Study (2016)
The percent of missing bicycle facilities within a designated study area measures bicyclist connectivity and access and helps planners identify where potential investments could be made.
The SR 305 Corridor Needs and Opportunities Study considered the percent of missing bicycle facilities along various sections of the corridor.
Visit the project website for the SR 305 Corridor Needs and Opportunities Study.
