October 13, 2016, 12:00PM (ET)
Extent of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Attitudes and Behaviors Directly After a Complete Streets Project in Florida
The Tampa Bay area is ranked nationally as one of the least walkable metro areas in the United States, and the Fletcher Avenue corridor was identified as having one of the highest pedestrian and bicyclist crash rates in this area. This research focuses on improving the understanding of attitudes and behaviors of pedestrians and bicyclists using Fletcher Avenue before and after the completion of a Complete Streets project along this corridor. Observations and on-the-spot surveys were conducted in August 2014 and February 2015. The behaviors of more than 2,000 individuals were observed, and 348 of these individuals completed surveys. Additionally, intercept interviews were conducted with 98 individuals who regularly travel this corridor by walking, bicycling, or wheelchair. This study found that dangerous behaviors continued to exist directly after the completion of a Complete Streets project. On-the-spot surveys showed a small decrease in the percentage of individuals who felt safe traveling on Fletcher Avenue after the completion of the Complete Streets project, and in-depth intercept interviews highlighted that nearly half of participants still did not feel safe walking and biking on Fletcher Avenue. Built environment improvements by themselves do not necessarily change pedestrian and bicyclist behaviors. The data collected from this research allows transportation professionals and others to gain a better understanding of the factors that influence pedestrian and bicyclist attitudes and behaviors after the completion of a Complete Streets project. Tailored educational strategies and messages can then be used to complement built environment investments to influence behavior change. Download Handout | View Report
Presenters: Julie Bond, Senior Research Associate and Amy Lester Ph.D., Research Associate, Center for Urban Transportation Research
Julie Bond is a Senior Researcher and Project Manager at the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida. She moved from Salt Lake City to Tampa eleven years ago to join CUTR and continue her contributions to Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs and research. Bond’s research areas include pedestrian and bicyclist safety, transportation demand management, and community-based social marketing. She is the Project Director for Bike/Walk Tampa Bay, WalkWise Tampa Bay and Best Workplaces for Commuters. She holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of South Florida and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Southern Utah University. She is an avid cyclist and enjoys walking her two dogs in her neighborhood.
Amy Lester is a Research Associate at the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida. Dr. Lester earned her PhD in Public Health concentrating on Social Marketing in 2014 from the University of South Florida College of Public Health, and holds additional undergraduate and graduate degrees in Public Health, Anthropology, and Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Lester’s research interests focus on qualitative formative research, community-based social marketing, and social determinants of health. Her current work focuses on applying community-based social marketing strategies to influence travel behavior change among priority populations in the Tampa Bay area.
Recording
https://cutr.adobeconnect.com/p5q04obba81/
Please take a few minutes to complete the evaluation.
AICP Certification Maintenance Credits Status
Status: Pending
To be eligible for CM credit, you must view the recording and complete the evaluation.
