UC Berkeley Pedestrian & Bicycle Transportation Class

Robert Schneider & Rebecca Sanders CarltonProWalk/ProBike Panel Session

September 16, 2010

How did the course get started?

• Pedestrian & bicycle course offered by DCRP faculty every 2-3 years in the 1990s

• Course not taught for at least 5 years• Prior assumption of department: Not enough

interest from students• ~15 masters students organized in Fall 2007 to

push for course• No dept. faculty available to teach course

How did the course get started?• Student-taught course in

City Planning Department• Department concerns:

– Will course meet university standards?

– Student leader must have faculty sponsor

– Course should not burden the faculty sponsor

– Faculty should be invited to speak/monitor course

– No $$$, but credits for student leader– Does student leader have enough

expertise & time?

Course Purpose

• Educate current/future professionals• Learn about the state of the practice• Think critically about current methods &

research needs• Improve the credibility of the pedestrian &

bicycle field• Not an “advocacy” course

Course Structure

• 2- or 3-hour class, once per week• Readings that should be on the shelf of a

ped/bike professional• Course wiki space– http://cp298pedbiketranspo.wikispaces.com/

• Class project & assignments

Typical Class Structure

• Presentation on weekly topic• Discussion of readings & issues• Guest lecturer/discussant– Government agencies– Consultants– Researchers– Advocacy organizations

Student interests (2008-2010)

• Cultural change needed to get more people bicycling (and walking); public health connection

• Innovative pedestrian & bicycle facility designs• Numbers to show benefits of ped/bike transpo.• Pedestrian, bicycle, driver behaviors• Perceptions of safety and risk, “Safety in numbers”

Example student projects• Safety evaluation of Masonic Ave. (SF)• Safety of I-880 interchange crossings (Fremont, CA)• Hudson River Greenway & 9th Avenue Cycle Track (NYC)• Efforts to increase walking & bicycling (NYC)• Bus stop area bicycle lane design• How-To Guide to Bicycle Parking• Complete streets & physical activity• Idaho “Stop as Yield” Law• Bicycle Sharing Programs• SRTS Local School Project

Taylor Reiss, 2010

Alia Anderson, 2008

Intersection Redesign• Final assignment• Field experience

• Work in groups• Professional-style

presentation

Meredith Glaser, Troy Reinhalter, & Nicole Schneider, 2010

Monica Altmaier, Andy Kosinski, & Taylor Reiss, 2010

Meredith Glaser, Troy Reinhalter, & Nicole Schneider, 2010

Monica Altmaier, Andy Kosinski, & Taylor Reiss, 2010

Course Changes (2008-2010)• 2 credits to 3 credits• Fewer required readings• More detailed assignment instructions• Evening to mid-day, back to evening• Panels of professionals• More legal background &

behavioral issues• More international examples• Paid student instructors

What the Students Say…• “Class was a lot of work for a Pass/Fail course.”• “Wish this had been required for transportation

concentration. I ended up dropping it and just sitting in.”

• “The 3-hour course from 5-8 p.m. was a bit tough.”• “At times…the course moved too slowly.”• Have “less reliance on guest speakers.”• “Would like more time for discussion.”• “In-class time to work on intersection redesign.”

What the Students Say…• Having lecture and guest speaker every week “mixes

it up nicely & offers a variety of perspectives.”• Liked “the real world focused projects and the

walking tour.”• Liked “that we are learning cutting-edge stuff.”• “It covered a topic that the department desperately

needed.”• Liked “the discussions where we actually disagreed.”• “One of the best classes I’ve taken here. And, it got

me a job.”

Course Challenges

• Balancing core competencies and instructor strengths

• Scheduling guest lecturers• Balancing lecture, discussion, and assignment

time• Encouraging students to prioritize the class• Long-term vision for course– Taught by full-time professor– Instituted into planning & engineering curriculum

Thanks!