A Study of the Effect of Bicycle Trails on Bicycling Level in Minneapolis

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  • February 28, 2019
Creator
  • Zhang, Le
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of City and Regional Planning
Abstract
  • Previous literature has studied the correlation between bicycle facilities and bicycling level using different methods. However, few studies have investigated the before-and-after effects of bicycle facilities at disaggregate level. To address this problem, this paper uses 2000 and 2010 Twin Cities travel survey data and examines the effect of proximity to bicycle trails on individual's bicycling level by adopting a difference-in-difference study design. Both the treatment and control groups in 2000 have no proximity to any bike trails; and the treatment group gains proximity to the new-built bike trails in 2010 while the control group remains the same. By comparing the changes in bicycling levels of both groups over time controlling for covariates, this study aims to examine whether the proximity to bike trails can significantly increase the individual’s bicycling level in Minneapolis. This study finds that individual' bicycling level has increased between 2000 and 2010 for both treatment and control groups but there is no statistically significant correlation between the proximity to bike trails and the measures of individual’s bicycling level. The results also reveal that among the covariates controlled for in this analysis, student status, vehicle ownership and bike ownership have a significant impact on cycling at individual level. Those findings demonstrate that the "build it and they will come" theory is not always true. The evidence will aid in the policy decision on bicycle facility investment as a way to encourage bicycling.
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  • In Copyright
Degree
  • Master of City and Regional Planning
Academic concentration
  • Transportation Planning
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Graduation year
  • 2014
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  • a342e20b-6c62-4cde-8873-4f6988b00815

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