NCHRP Report 552: Guidelines for Analysis of Investments in Bicycle Facilities
Source: National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP)
Transportation planning and policy efforts at all levels of government aim to increase levels of walking and bicycling. To make the best use of limited transportation funds there is a critical need for better information about two important considerations relating to bicycle facilities. The first of these is the cost of different bicycle investment options. The second is the value of the effects such investments have on bicycle use and mode share, including the resulting environmental, economic, public health, and social benefits. Decisions on transportation projects are typically based on the potential for the project to contribute to broad public policy goals. As such, information on the benefits and costs of bicycle facility projects will help decisionmakers develop modal options and provide travelers with more transportation choices.
The Research Project included a tool (no longer supported) that estimated the costs, the demand in terms of new cyclists, and measured economic benefits (e.g., time savings, increased livability, decreased health costs, a more enjoyable ride) of new bicycle facilities. Supporting documents to the research report and tool methodology include:
- Translating Demand and Benefits Research into Guidelines that provides calculations for estimating metrics related to costs, demand, and benefits.
- Guidelines White Paper that describes a planning tool (no longer supported) based on several research projects that can be used to estimate the costs and benefits of bicycle facilities.
