How do communities survey citizen needs and attitudes about bicycling and walking?
Several techniques may be used to assess citizen needs and attitudes regarding bicycling and walking. Some highly recommended approaches include:
Image: Dan Burden
Opinion surveys of representative samples
Speaking directly with the target population and analyzing their responses may be the most accurate and informative method of collecting the needs and attitudes of citizens. However, it may be time consuming and costly.
- The Public Attitude Survey of Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning is an example of a well executed and documented telephone survey of 400 Washington State residents, conducted in April, 2007(the survey instrument can be found on page 26 in the Appendix): http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/E09B18F2-8301-4205-A73F-FBD3D27DBB98/0/SurveyReport.pdf
Web forms
These provide easily accessible portals for citizens to provide commentary or to report needs in the community.
- Residents in Boulder, Colorado use the Close Call Form to report near-crashes: http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task;=view&id;=8989&Itemid;=3266
- Residents in Boulder, Colorado use the Public Works Maintenance Report Form to report graffiti, potholes, or maintenance needs for sidewalks: http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task;=view&id;=3620&Itemid;=1324
Image: Dan Burden
Audits
Audits can be valuable tools to help communities assess their bikeability or walkability. They are especially useful in pinpointing potential needs and issues and in identifying potential alternatives or solutions.
- An introduction to audits by Dan Burden: http://www.walkable.org/faqs.html#isaudit
- A list of walking audits: http://www.walkinginfo.org/problems/audits-general.cfm
- A list of bicycling audits: http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/problems/concerns.cfm#audits
Workshops or design charrettes
These work sessions and meetings provide opportunities for the public to actively get involved in defining current needs and in crafting future solutions. They build ownership and increase awareness in the project at hand.
- See the description of the public process involved in developing the Bicycle Master Plan for Seattle, Washington: http://www.seattle.gov/Transportation/bikemaster.htm
Image: Dan Burden
Community mapping
Community maps allow residents to create their own (and share) maps that highlight certain elements of their neighborhood or city. This technology could be used to highlight key amenities, such as bike-friendly travel paths or support stations, or it could be used to pinpoint intersections or sidewalks in need of better infrastructure and attention.
- Green Map System: http://www.greenmap.org/
- Feet First Community Mapping Kit (Seattle, Washington): http://feetfirst.info/services/toolkits
Scientific research
While each community is unique in their needs and their assets, previous research can inform best practices in information collection techniques.
- This FHWA report documents and critiques existing data collection efforts from 29 different communities — Pedestrian and Bicycle Data Collection in United States Communities: Quantifying Use, Surveying Users, and Documenting Facility Extent. http://www.walkinginfo.org/library/details.cfm?id=2065
Open houses allow community members to "drop-in" to have informal one-on-one meetings, but may not be as effective as other methods listed here. They often attract a skewed sample (the more vocal members of a community, for example), and they ask people to translate their street-level experience into words while inside a building. A workshop or "walkshop" is recommended as a substitute for an open house. For more public participation techniques, please see "Facilitating Public Participation": http://www.walkinginfo.org/develop/activities-participation.cfm
More Information
In addition to collecting information about citizen attitudes, it is helpful to supplement this with information about current bicycle and pedestrian facilities and usage. See "Create a Fact-Base: Document Locations of Existing Facilities and Their Use" for more details: http://www.walkinginfo.org/develop/activities-document.cfm.
Finally, consider participating in the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Document Project, which coordinates an annual count. The goal is to develop a national database of bicycle and pedestrian usage and demand. http://bikepeddocumentation.org/
