FHWA REQUEST TO EXPERIMENT

Green-Colored Bike Boxes and Bike Lanes, with Advanced

Lane Use Signage

Submitted by Parking and Transportation Services (PTS)

University of Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota

June 30, 2011

Submitted:

April 8, 2011

June 18, 2011

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Background

The city of Minneapolis prides itself as the #1 ranked U.S. bike city by Bicycling Magazine. 1 The

city boasts a bicycle network system of 130 combined miles of bicycle lanes and off-street

paths. The number one bike destination in the city and the whole state is the University of

Minnesota Twin Cities campus. The University is among the largest student bodies in the

nation. On any given school day, there are an estimated 6,000 bicycles on campus. The busiest

intersection on campus as well as in the state is at University Avenue SE and 15th Avenue

SE/Pleasant Street SE. This intersection sees over 3,000 bicycles daily. 2 This number is about

to be impacted as the final approval has

been given for construction on a new

LRT line connecting the downtowns of

Minneapolis and St. Paul. This new line,

the Central Corridor, will be routed

through the Minneapolis campus

causing multiple road closures during

the two-year construction time frame.

The most notable closure is the

permanent closure of a segment of

Washington Avenue SE, a primary

arterial which runs through the heart of

the Minneapolis campus and connects

with downtown Minneapolis, just across

the Mississippi River. The detours for

Washington Avenue include a segment

of Pleasant Street SE (see Figure 1). As

a result, Pleasant Street SE will see

increases in vehicle, bicycle, bus and

pedestrian traffic. The segment

includes bus stops which currently

services up to 24 bus stops in the peak

hour and will escalate to a maximum of

90 bus stops in the peak hour after the

Washington Avenue closure. As

mentioned above, this segment

already sees over 3,000 bicycles per day as well as over 7,800 pedestrians2, both of which are

expected to increase.

Figure 1. Overview of detours. Google, 2011.

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The University of Minnesota Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) is a self-supporting

department of the University and its responsibilities include overseeing University roads

including the above mentioned segment of Pleasant Street. To better accommodate the

increased traffic, PTS is planning to make changes on Pleasant Street SE to improve both safety

and flow.

Summary of Proposed Changes

PTS is seeking Permission to Experiment with one traffic control device not covered in the

current version of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD): green-colored bike

boxes. The University is also requesting Interim Approval to install green-colored bicycle lanes

per the Interim Approval for Optional Use of Green Colored Pavement for Bike Lanes (IA-14)

2011 MUTCD. The proposed measures are a part of the upcoming conversion of Pleasant

Street SE between University Ave and Pillsbury Drive, which is owned by the University. This 1-

block segment will be converted from one-lane each direction with parking, into one-lane each

direction plus a bus lane and a 6-foot-wide bicycle lane (See Appendixes A and B). A traffic

signal will be added at the Pillsbury Dr SE/Pleasant St SE intersection. Green coloring will be

applied to the two bike boxes and three portions of the bicycle lanes extending out

approximately 100 feet from the intersection approaches. The purpose is to increase

awareness of bicycle presence during the “weaving” area where merging buses and right-

turning vehicles will frequently cross over the bicycle lane. PTS feels these conversion plans will

allow Pleasant Street SE to efficiently accommodate more traffic of all types while minimizing

safety risks.

Request Interim Approval: Green Bike Lane

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities would like to implement the recently added Interim

Approval for Optional Use of Green Colored Pavement for Bike Lanes (IA-14)6. PTS believes that

the use of green colored pavement used as a traffic control device in this newly renovated area

will have many positive benefits including:

Communicating to roadway users that a portion of road has specifically been set aside

for bicyclists

Mitigate risk in area where bicycles and other vehicles have conflicting weaving areas

Allow for bicycles to properly position themselves to travel through intersections

Increase driver awareness of bicycle presence and to distinctly establish where these

bicycles will likely be positioned

Pending approval, the University of Minnesota agrees to all of the technical and general

conditions of the Interim Approval.

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Request to Experiment: Green Bike Boxes

The bike box, also known as the advance stop line, has been in use in the U.S. since 2000 and in

Europe and Asia since the late 1980’s. 5 Cities using the bike boxes include Portland, San

Francisco, New York City, Minneapolis and other cities around the world. Some cities have

green-colored boxes like Portland and San Francisco while others only consist of only the white-

painted outline. PTS seeks to implement green-colored bike boxes for the following reasons:

A more visible stopping position for cyclists waiting to enter the intersection

Reminder for motorists of cyclist’s right to wait in travel lane to take a left turn, (for

southbound Pleasant at Pillsbury only)

More comfortable environment for cyclists to encourage more biking

More apparent to motorists where to stop

Give advantage to the large number of cyclists on campus to get ahead of vehicle traffic

Safety, especially in these conflict areas

The green bike box would connect seamlessly with the same green treatment

of the bicycle lane to allow a smooth transition for cyclists to position

themselves into the travel lane for a pending left turn. To better educate all

road users about the bike box, a bicycle symbol will be painted in the bike box.

In addition, a sign will be posted prior to the approach notifying motorists

where to stop (see Figure 2).

Request to Experiment: Advanced Lane Use Signs

Lane assignment signs are used in complex intersections where road users may have difficulty determining the appropriate lane from which to perform a certain maneuver7. Providing lane assignment signs can reduce the incidence of crashes, sideswipes, and driver indecision. The University of Minnesota is requesting permission to experiment, using lane assignment signs similar to the signage that the city of Minneapolis is currently using on 1st Ave N. The University of Minnesota considers the proposed signage to be an effective way to direct the mixed traffic in this area to their proper lane assignments.

Figure 2. R10-6 sign will be used in conjunction with an ‘except bikes’ sign

Figure 3: Proposed design for lane assignment signage on Pleasant St SE approaching University Ave SE

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Variables to be Studied and Observed: Bicyclist and motorist behavior and interaction will be observed by University Staff before and after the installation of signage in conjunction with the bike boxes aforementioned. To determine the effectiveness of the green-colored bike

box, and signage PTS will measure the following activities

in a four stage process. Two weeks of data for signage and pavement markings, two weeks of

data with the signage removed with pavement markings in place, two weeks of data with

signage and no pavement markings, and two weeks with no signs and no pavement markings :

1. Vehicle volume

2. Bicycle volume

3. Percent of stopping vehicles encroaching into bike box

4. Percent of stopping vehicles encroaching into bike lane

5. Percent of cyclists who move to assigned lane

6. Percent of cyclists who move to travel-lane portion of box when appropriate

7. Before and after-treatment reported vehicle-bicycle collisions (number and type)

8. Brief verbal survey of cyclists regarding comfort, yielding behaviors, acceptance, symbol

recognition, comprehension, etc.

In addition, a visual assessment will be taken of the durability of the green treatment, and the

size of the bike box.

Timeline

1. Spring 2011: Submit Request to Experiment to FHWA

2. June 2011: Resubmit Request to experiment to FHWA

3. Spring/Summer 2011: Record data for the “before period” user behaviors

4. Summer 2011: Conversion of Pleasant, install proposed road markings and signage

5. Autumn 2011: Record data for the “after period” user behaviors

6. Semiannual evaluations: Submit progress reports to the Office of Transportation

Operations (OTO)

7. Autumn 2013: Compile and evaluate data, record conclusions

8. Autumn/Winter 2013: Submit final report to OTO

Figure 4: Proposed design for lane assignment signage on Pleasant St SE approaching Pillsbury Drive

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Patent and Copyright Information

The green-colored bike box is not protected by any patent or copyright.

Removal of Experiment

PTS agrees to remove the experimental treatments if within three months of the completion of

the study if the FHWA reaches a decision that the green-colored treatments are not warranted

to be covered in the MUTCD. PTS acknowledges the right of the FHWA to terminate the

approval of the experiment at any time should a safety reason problem arise. PTS also agrees

to remove the treatments should PTS find the experiment directly or indirectly causes a

substantial safety risk.

References

1 Minneapolis, Department of Public Works. “Bicycling in Minneapolis.” City of Minneapolis.

n.d. 10 March 10, 2011. http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/bicycles/.

2 Minneapolis, Department of Public Works. “Report on Bicycle and Pedestrian Counts.” City

of Minneapolis. 22 October 2007. 10 October 2011.

http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/bicycles/Count_Report.pdf

3 Hunter, William W., and Raghavan Srinivasan and Carol A, Martell. “Evaluation of a Green

Bike Weaving Area in St. Petersburg, Florida.” University of North Carolina Highway Safety

Research Center. September 2008. 10 March 2011.

http://katana.hsrc.unc.edu/cms/downloads/FDOT_BA784_EvaluationGreenBikeLaneWeavin

gAreaStPetersburgFlorida.pdf

4 City of Oakland, Bicycle & Pedestrian Facilities Program. “Colored Bike Lanes Survey and

Recommendations.” City of Oakland. August 2010. 10 March 2011.

http://www.greenedgeconsulting.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/City-of-

Oakland_Colored-Bike-Lanes_August-2010.pdf

5 Streetwiki. “Bike Boxes.” Tangient LLC. n.d. 10 March 2011.

http://streetswiki.wikispaces.com/Bike+Boxes

6 "Interim Approval for Optional Use of Green Colored Pavement for Bike Lanes (IA-14) -

Interim Approvals Issued by FHWA - FHWA MUTCD." Manual on Uniform Traffic Control

Devices (MUTCD) - FHWA. U.S. Dept. of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, 15

Apr. 2011. Web. 14 June 2011.

http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/interim_approval/ia14/index.htm

7 http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/resources/intsafestratbro/ui3_lane_assignment.pdf

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Appendix A: Current view of Pleasant Street

Figure A1. Southbound direction of Pleasant Street SE from vantage point of University Avenue. Google, 2010.

Figure A2. Northbound Pleasant Street with University Avenue in the background. Google, 2010.

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Appendix A: Current view of Pleasant Street (continued)

Figure A3. Northbound Pleasant Street at Pillsbury Drive. Google, 2010.

Figure A4. Southbound Pleasant Street at Pillsbury Drive. Google, 2010.

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