Transportation Research and Education Center

The founders and board members of IBPI talk about lessons learned from the world's best large cycling cities.

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Summary: Electric bicycles (e-bikes) are well established in China and other Asian and European countries but have yet to realize their potential in the United States, although recently the number of e-bikes has been growing. Research on the economic, operational, and safety issues of e-bikes in the U.S. is limited. This research aims in part to understand if different bicycling technology, in this case electric assist bicycles or e-bikes, can reduce barriers to bicycling and encourage more bike trips and longer bike trips, and increase the diversity of people bicycling, including people with a disability or chronic injury to bicycle. Some of these barriers include trip distance, topography, time, and rider effort. E-bikes typically resemble a standard pedal bicycle with the addition of a rechargeable battery and electric motor to assist the rider with propulsion. To answer these questions, we conducted an online survey of existing e-bike users on their purchase and use decisions. Results from 553 e-bike users across North America are analyzed here. Results suggest that e-bikes are enabling users to bike more often, to more distant locations, and to carry more cargo with them. Additionally, e-bikes allow people who would otherwise not be able...

The video begins at 2:56.

Abstract: Genesis of America's First "Platinum Bike City", Davis CA

Before there was "Portland, Bike City USA" there was "Davis, Bicycle Capital of America."

Davis and Portland are very different places. Portland is big, old, industrial. Davis is small, new, nerdy. Portland has hills and rain. Davis is flat and dry. But they are both places where people bicycle. A lot. Ordinary folks come to these cities and often start riding a bike. Bicycling in Davis began in the 1950s, when it was a tiny city with the UC agricultural campus. As the city grew, citizens demanded bicycle infrastructure. After years of negotiation, city authorities gave in to pressure and instructed their staff to begin providing for bicycles. Everything had to be designed from the ground up. America had very little bike infrastructure, but that didn't stop Davis from trying dozens of different types of lanes, paths, intersection treatments, etc., and devising workable solutions. So workable, in fact, that they became the California standard, and then the American standard. As America was adopting Davis's designs, Davis continued to promote and accomodate bicycling on many levels, and in 1980 28% of the population commuted by bike.

Now, Davis and Portland are both rated "Platinum" cities for bicycling by the League of American Bicyclists. But they're still as different as night and day. Portland...