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SECTION II--INTRODUCTION
Progress has been made on the two NBWS goals. The goal of reducing injuries and fatalities
by 10 percent has been surpassed. The number of bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities decreased
by 18 percent from 1993 to 2003; bicyclist fatalities dropped by 23.3 percent. The number of
bicyclists injured in collisions with motor vehicles decreased by 35.3 percent over the same
time period (Raborn, 2004), but these decreases may reflect a downward trend in overall
bicycling as much as they indicate safety improvements. Since 2003, however, these trends
have reversed: as of 2005, the decrease in bicyclist fatalities from 1993 had declined to less
than 4 percent. So, progress has been made on reducing bicyclist injuries and fatalities, but
that progress appears now to be eroding.
The NBWS goal of doubling the percentage of walking and bicycling trips has not been
accomplished, although the number of trips has increased and perhaps doubled. In 1990,
there were an estimated 1.7 billion bicycling trips; in 2001, that number had almost doubled
to 3.3 billion. Combined walking and bicycling trip numbers increased from 19.7 billion to
38.6 billion. The percentage of bicycle trips, however, increased a mere one-tenth of a per-
cent (from 0.7 percent to 0.8 percent), while combined trips increased from 7.9 percent to
9.5 percent. The disparity between the large increase in trip numbers and the small increase
in trip percentages can be explained by the explosive growth in total reported trips of all
modes; from 249 billion in 1990 to 407 billion in 2001 (Raborn, 2004).
With current Federal policies and guidance and the resources now available to improve
conditions for bicycling, any agency charged with construction, operation, and maintenance
of transportation infrastructure must devote attention to accommodating safe bicycling
activity. The trends show that progress is indeed being made to meet the national walking
and bicycling goals, but opportunities remain to improve facilities and programs for
bicyclists.
Other Guidelines
In addition to this bicycling guide, many state and local agencies have developed their own
design or planning guidelines that address bicycling safety. Some of these exemplary guides
can be found at http:/ /www.bicyclinginfo.org/pp/exemplary.htm.
Another recent collection of countermeasures that are intended to improve safety conditions
for bicyclists can be found in BikeSafe, the Bicycle Countermeasure Selection System,
available online at http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/bikesafe/.
The recent expansion of Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs will continue to increase
demand for effective and appropriate countermeasures specifically intended for children
and school-related travel. The Safe Routes to School Online Guide, available at
http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/guide/, includes many Safe Routes-related
countermeasures and examples of implementations.
II-3
