Atlanta Bicycle Campaign to Measure Bicycling Population in Atlanta

For immediate release:

Let Me Count the Ways – The Atlanta Bicycle Campaign to Measure Bicycling Population in Atlanta

Atlanta Bicycle Campaign to Establish Consistent Regional Bicycle Count and Document Trends in First of Biannual Effort

ATLANTA – June 24, 2008 – The Atlanta Bicycle Campaign today announced that it is conducting the first ever bicycle count to establish a baseline against which to measure future bicycling populations in the city of Atlanta. This count will kick off a recurring project to show whether cycling is rising or falling in the city. The bicycle counts will begin today and run through July 1, 2008 and will represent the first in a biannual data-gathering effort.

“With gas prices rising and environmental awareness growing, it's no surprise we're seeing more people riding bicycles across Atlanta,” said Rebecca Serna, executive director of the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign. “We are often asked exactly how many people are biking in Atlanta and wanted to provide a solid reflection for local police departments for safety and enforcement as well as city, county, and state engineering and planning staff. We hope to establish bicycle counts as a standard practice throughout metro Atlanta – data is essential in planning for future improvements.”

There are four primary reasons why bicycle counts should be an essential and regular activity:

1. Network Planning: On streets slated for future bike lanes, having "before" numbers will help to assess whether these facilities encourage more people to ride bikes. Bicycle counts will also help locate those areas that need attention.

2. Conditions and Trends Analysis: Changes in bicycling over time can be plotted alongside things like gas prices, population demographics, and even ABC membership, to increase understanding of the trends.

3. Crash Analysis: Little data exists on “exposure” – the where, when and how much people bike. Exposure is a commonly used measure in transportation planning and used to determine the relative safety of various modes of travel, including bicycling, walking, driving, and taking transit.

4. Demand Forecasting: Knowing how many people are already cycling on a particular street, combined with demographics and crash data, helps determine whether demand for bicycle facilities is being met.

The counting strategy used by the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign is designed to provide an easy and inexpensive method of conducting bicycle counts on a regular basis. The level of detail to be extracted will include time intervals, direction of travel, gender, age category, helmet usage, and the occurrence of riding on sidewalks. Atlanta Bicycle Campaign volunteers will assist with the counts and the results will be released on July 8, 2008.

About the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign
The Atlanta Bicycle Campaign is Atlanta’s largest and most effective bicycle advocacy nonprofit. ABC's mission is to make it safer and easier to ride a bicycle in and around metro Atlanta. ABC is a membership-based organization with a focus on advocacy, education and outreach. For more information on ABC, please visit www.atlantabike2.org.

For additional information contact:
Carmen Harris
carmen@atlantabike.org
(678) 462-5280