May 28th Meeting and Bikeability Assessment Draft

Prior to Memorial Day weekend, I had a very early, yet very productive meeting with my internship director and an expert in city and regional planning. Dr. Alice Ammerman, Director of the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, and Dr. Daniel Rodriguez, Director of the Carolina Transportation Program, both found time in their busy schedules to meet and discuss ideas with one another. After a solid hour of coffee and brainstorming, we mapped out a realistic format in which to conduct a bikeability assessment on the road. Using a very handy tool recommended by Dr. Rodriguez, I came up with the following assessment tool for my 10 week study. PLEASE NOTE: this assessment tool was derived from the Walking and Bicycling Suitability Assessment (WABSA) Project and should be credited to the individuals listed below.

Link to WABSA Project--- WABSA

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General Bikeability Assessment
(Adapted by Charles LePrevost, Health Policy and Management Student, from James Emery, MPH of WABSA from N. Eddy, 1996)

Date
Time
Road
Long/Lat

On a scale of 1-5, please rank the following factors in integer form given the below scale:
(1-very poor, 2-poor, 3-fair, 4-good, 5-very good)

1. The amount of motor vehicle traffic given the amount of through lanes.
2. The physical road conditions taking into account factors including pavement attributes, curb presence, railway crossings, storm drain grates, debris, etc.
3. Your comfort with biking given the speed limit and proximity of motor vehicles.
4. The level of sight and amount of curves of the road.
5. The size of the bike lane or shoulder if present (please circle which one). Bike Lane Shoulder Neither

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This short survey will allow roads to be properly assessed for bicycling suitability. Additionally, I would recommend referencing the WABSA website to conduct suitability assessments for walking and/or biking in your local town.

Below you can find information regarding both Dr. Ammerman and Dr. Rodriguez. They are both interesting people to read about.

Dr. Ammerman

Dr. Rodriguez

Best,
Charles