Operational characteristics of conventional and electric-assisted bicycles and their riders

Summary

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) uses the MnDOT Bicycle Facility Design Manual (BFDM) and the AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities as primary references for the design of bicycle facilities. The bicycle characteristic values, particularly those presented in Chapter Four of the MnDOT BFDM are based on measurements that are, in many cases, several decades old. While the basic principles behind cycling have not changed much over the past 30 years or so, the advent of electric-assist bicycles has introduced new bicycles to the roads with different operating characteristics, while an increased focus on fitness and carbon-free transportation has brought new, perhaps less experienced, cyclists to our roads and bikeways. In addition, new types of bicycle facilities and traffic signals such as green lanes and bidirectional separated lanes have changed the riding behaviors of cyclists. The result of these trends is that the population of cyclists and their bicycle characteristics have shifted since the design values used by the MnDOT BFDM and AASHTO were observed and incorporated into manuals. With this background in mind, this project collects data from a wide range of cyclists and bicycle types on different types of bicycle facilities in Minnesota. The principal objectives are to 1) document the mode share of different types of micromobility users on Minnesota facilities, 2) measure bike characteristics incorporated in MnDOT's BFDM and AASHTO design manuals (e.g., turning radius deceleration, braking, etc.), and 3) identify potential updates to the BFDM based on field monitoring.