Choose a Case Study

The 50 engineering, education, enforcement and promotional countermeasures are described in the Countermeasures section. Included in this section are case studies that illustrate these treatments or programs as implemented in a state or municipality. Examples are included from many States.

Each case study includes a description of the problem that was addressed, relevant background information, a description of the implemented solution, and any quantitative results from evaluation studies or qualitative assessments.

Many communities find it difficult to conduct formal evaluations of projects due to staff and budget limitations, but assessing whether a treatment has helped toward the intended objectives and not caused unexpected adverse impacts is critical to long-term improvement. We tend to think that some evaluation is better than none but occasionally may be misled by short-term or single-event types of assessments. In these cases, the judgment of experienced practitioners may help to fill in the gaps in knowledge or interpret results that seem “too good to be true.” By far, longer-term evaluations (bicyclist/traffic counts, speed studies, etc.) are preferable to short-term project assessments. Multiple short-term studies of the same types of facilities do, however, build on each other and help to provide a more complete picture of the effectiveness of bicycling countermeasures. These cautions should be borne in mind when reviewing the case studies that follow.

Included for each study is a point of contact in the event that further information is desired. Please note that in some cases the specific individual listed may have left the position or agency. There should still be someone at the municipal or state agency who is familiar with the project and can provide any supplemental information.

Not all traffic control devices (TCDs) in the case studies comply with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) does not endorse the use of non-compliant TCDs except under experimentation, which must be approved by the FHWA Office of Transportation Operations.