Dr. Katherine Meierdiercks
Siena College
Loudonville, NY 12211
February 20th, 2015
Introduction
According to the most recent IPCC assessment1,
transportation accounts for approximately 14 percent of all anthropocentric
greenhouse gas emissions in the world today. Air travel and commercial trucking
make up a significant portion of these emissions. However, when looking for
ways to decrease the transportation industry’s environmental impact, it is also
important to consider smaller sources of greenhouse gases. Personal vehicles
are one example.
With nearly 253 million2 cars navigating U.S
roads and just over 86%3 of the country’s citizens making a solo
drive to work everyday, it is clear that utilizing alternative modes of
transportation can help decrease America’s carbon footprint. Moreover, in large
cities and areas where the average commute is less than 10 miles long, biking
to work is a very feasible green alternative. Many Americans are beginning to
recognize this. In fact, a short segment broad casted by PBS last May pointed
out that the number of U.S. citizens who bike to work has increased by nearly
60%4 within the last 10 years! While this is a positive step in the
right direction for both bike enthusiasts and environmentalists alike, one must
ensure that participating citizens are safe. After all, different areas across
the country vary significantly in terms of their bike-friendliness.
Objectives
The main goal of this project is to assess the overall
safety of pre-existing bicycling routes in Albany County, NY. To make this
assessment, several other key objectives will have to be met:
1) Locate where cyclist accidents occurred in Albany
County from 2010-2014
2) Identify where current bicycling routes exist
3) Gather information on the roads where accidents
occurred
4) Examine the current traffic patterns of different areas in Albany County
4) Examine the current traffic patterns of different areas in Albany County
5) Determine whether accidents that occurred happened on
the current bike paths
Methodology
Step 1: Gather all
necessary datasets from the NYS Department of Transportation
Step 2: Convert
accident locations into GPS coordinates
Step 3: Create
necessary layers:
a) Locations where the accidents occurred (points)
- Each point will be colored based on the year of occurrence
- Each point will reflect the severity of the accident that
occurred there
b) Current roads, bike paths and bike routes in Albany
Country (lines)
- Different road types will be designated by their own
symbology
c) Traffic densities of the different townships throughout
Albany County (polygons)
Step 4: Create an
attribute table that contains relevant statistics on each accident.
Step 5: Use ESRI
ArcGIS software to create a comprehensive map of Albany County’s bike routes
and the locations of bicycling accidents that occurred in the area between 2010
and 2014.
Data Sources
·
Accident Data (To be obtained from NY State DOT data)
·
Traffic Data (To be obtained from NY State DOT and/or
NY State DMV)
·
ESRI Data and Maps (2010) [Download]. ESRI, Inc.,
Redlands, CA.
Tentative Work Plan
Week of
|
Tasks Completed
|
2/23 - 3/1
|
Obtain accident data from NYS DOT
|
3/2 - 3/8
|
Convert accident locations to GPS Coordinates
|
3/9 - 3/15
|
Begin creating map in ArcMap
|
3/16 - 3/22
|
Continue to work on map layers (points, lines, polygons);
Start making the attribute table
|
3/23 - 3/29
|
Edit map symbology; Continue working on attribute table
|
3/30 - 4/5
|
Clean up map layout; Write introduction for poster
|
4/6 - 4/12
|
Digital map finished in ArcMap; Write methods and objectives section for
poster
|
4/13 - 4/19
|
Write analysis section and begin formatting poster
|
4/20 - 4/27
|
Make finishing touches on poster; Print poster
|
Deliverables
1) A digital map stored
as an ArcMap shapefile
2) A large, colored poster containing a printed version of my
map as well as an assessment of the safety of Albany County’s bike
routes
References
1. IPCC, 2014: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Edenhofer, O., R. Pichs-Madruga, Y. Sokona, E. Farahani, S. Kadner, K. Seyboth, A. Adler, I. Baum, S. Brunner, P. Eickemeier, B. Kriemann, J. Savolainen, S. Schlömer, C. von Stechow, T. Zwickel and J.C. Minx (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.
2. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-ihs-automotive-average-age-car-20140609-story.html
3. http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/acs-15.pdf
4. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/statistics-reveal-america-bikes-work/