Bicycle Use and Cyclist Safety Following Boston’s Bicycle Infrastructure Expansion, 2009–2012

Pedroso, Felipe E.; Angriman, Federico; Bellows, Alexandra L.; Taylor, Kathryn M.

doi:10.2105/ajph.2016.303454

Cited by 52 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Indeed, nearly all bicyclists in our study used a helmet, wore reflective gear, had front and rear lights on their bicycles, and had their bicycles serviced within three months prior to the accident, suggesting the next steps in improving bicycle safety may need to center around city infrastructure and factors beyond the individual cyclist. For example, creating dedicated bicycle lanes has led to increasing bicycle use and decreased likelihood of being struck by a motorist [18]. Supporting this is the observation that over half of all survey respondents in our study predominantly rode their bicycles on roads without bike lanes and trended strongly towards sustaining significantly more severe injuries.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 60%

“…Currently, cycling represents 2% of all transportation modes; the City of Boston has set a goal to increase this number to 10% by 2020 through investments and initiatives to increase bicycle-friendly infrastructure [16,17]. Indeed, Boston bicycle commuting has increased by 82% between 2008 and 2011, accompanied by an increase in cyclist-friendly infrastructure [18,19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Identifying safety factors and patterns of bicycle trauma in a tertiary level 1 trauma center in Boston, Massachusetts

Yeung

Walley

Fischer

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Background: Increasing bicycle ridership is accompanied by ongoing bicycle-related accidents in many urban cities, including Boston, Massachusetts. There is a need for improved understanding of patterns and risks of urban bicycle usage. We describe the injuries and outcomes of bicycle-related trauma in Boston, Massachusetts, and determine accident-related factors and behaviors associated with injury severity. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of bicycle-related injuries presenting to a Level 1 trauma center in Boston, Massachusetts between 2001 and 2015; of this initial group, 313 patients returned a post-injury survey regarding accident-related factors, personal safety practices, and road and environmental conditions at the time of the accident. Injury characteristics and outcomes were obtained from chart review. Results: Over half of all cyclists biked for commuting and recreational purposes (54%), used a road without a bike lane (58%), and a majority wore a helmet (91%). The most common injury pattern involved the extremities (42%) followed by head injuries (13%). Bicycling for commuting rather than recreation was significantly associated with decreased injury severity, and cycling on a road with a dedicated bicycle lane, the absence of gravel or sand, and use of bicycle lights trended strongly towards significantly decreased injury severity. After any bicycle injury, the number of miles cycled decreased significantly regardless of cycling purpose. Conclusions: Our results suggest that physical separation of cyclists from motor vehicles via bicycle lanes, regular cleaning of these lanes, and usage of bicycle lights are modifiable factors protective against injury severity. Safe bicycling practices and understanding of factors involved in bicycle-related trauma can reduce injury severity and guide public health initiatives and urban planning.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 60%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying safety factors and patterns of bicycle trauma in a tertiary level 1 trauma center in Boston, Massachusetts

Yeung

Walley

Fischer

et al. 2019

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…They found that the odds of sustaining and injury decreased by 14% over the 4 years (2009 to 2012) in which bicycle lane mileage was increased 5. In terms of surveillance, BPD planned to implement software that would capture more details about crashes.…”

Section: The City’s Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Boston Transportation Department (BTD) is the transportation planning and road engineering agency for the city. Launched in 2007, the city’s Boston Bikes programme expanded bicycle infrastructure, increasing the lane mileage from 0.34 to 92.2 by 2014 as well as designating bicycle parking spaces and partnering with Hubway, a bicycle share programme 5. At the city level, injury reports come from BPD.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Generating a city’s first report on bicyclist safety: lessons from the field

Lopez

Hemenway

2017

Inj Prev

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Providing an initial report on bicycle crashes in Boston served to identify specific problems, showed the value of a data system, and provided a blueprint for an improved data system. Building a useful surveillance system depends in no small part on the wise use of advocacy, group dynamics, and politics. Our hope is that the lessons learnt from our experience in Boston can help others do even better.

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“…Several cities around the world have been promoting and encouraging the use of the bicycle for transportation purposes (Hirsch et al 2017, Johansson et al 2017. They have done so by investing in public infrastructure and implementing traffic laws and regulations that protect cyclists (Garrard et al 2008, Gorobets 2016, Pedroso et al 2016, Digioia et al 2017, Winters et al 2018. Some cities such as Copenhagen and Amsterdam are world leaders in the promotion and use of the bicycle, with as much as 40% of their population using the bicycle for commuting purposes on a daily basis.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Equity in cycle lane networks: examination of the distribution of the cycle lane network by socioeconomic index in Bogotá, Colombia

et al. 2018

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The public network of bicycle lanes in Bogota Colombia, known as 'Cicloruta', is the largest in Latin America. Despite its success, disparities in regards to the distribution of routes by socioeconomic status (SES) of neighborhoods have not been examined. This exploratory analysis sought to assess the distribution and distance to the city network of bicycle lanes by neighborhood SES in urban blocks located in flat terrains. We conducted a spatial ecological analysis using secondary data obtained through geographic information systems from official databases. We calculated the shortest route from the centroid of each urban neighborhood block to the closest access point of the bicycle lane network. The median distance to the bicycle lane network from urban block centroids was 444m. This median distance ranged from 1,062m for the most disadvantaged areas to 315m for the wealthiest, showing a clear difference in the spatial distribution. Results show wide variation in the distribution of bicycle lanes by SES, but particularly for the most disadvantaged areas. Improving the conditions for cycling in a more equitable manner may involve expanding the network of bicycle lanes for populations living in less advantaged areas.

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Bicycle Use and Cyclist Safety Following Boston’s Bicycle Infrastructure Expansion, 2009–2012

Abstract: The expansion of Boston's bicycle infrastructure was associated with increases in both bicycle use and cyclist safety.

Cited by 52 publications

References 12 publications

Identifying safety factors and patterns of bicycle trauma in a tertiary level 1 trauma center in Boston, Massachusetts

Identifying safety factors and patterns of bicycle trauma in a tertiary level 1 trauma center in Boston, Massachusetts

Generating a city’s first report on bicyclist safety: lessons from the field

Equity in cycle lane networks: examination of the distribution of the cycle lane network by socioeconomic index in Bogotá, Colombia

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