Project Proposal

A Safer Green: Assessing The Safety of Cycling Routes In Albany County, NY

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

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/