See my post on C-MUS and the Mobilities Design Group for more details...
The working paper deals with a "bicycle super highway" that is new to the City of Aalborg. Supervised by Ole B. Jensen and a current PhD candidate at C-MUS, we collaboratively will analyze the facility's infrastructure, consider the impact it has on mobilities, and our rants and raves of it's implementation and use.
"Get Your Kick on Route 100"
A main point of interest in this research is to discuss and explore how accessible, legible, and impactful Route 100 is for riders. By starting this project with absolutely no foreknowledge, the two of us stand to add value to the discussion. Naturally, we bring with us our own preconceived notions of what a "bicycle superhighway" will or should be like, but we are looking at the route as outsiders with fresh eyes. During our initial discussion with our supervising professor and PhD student, we were still provided no concrete information on the route itself. Rather, we began by talking about our eventual working paper's outline, what questions and/or themes we wanted to address, and how we should approach our research.Our initial Research Questions for this project are...
- What is Route 100--what is this thing?
- What does this facility afford? What does this facility prevent?
- What are the challenges with the definition of a "bicycle super highway"?
Franziska and I agreed that our first experiences using the facility would be the most insightful if we bicycled alone in both directions. To make this more interesting, we established a different set of limitations to our individual rides--play the parts of two riders with varying levels of information on Route 100.
This is the set up...
This is the set up...
- Rider A (Franziska): Has some knowledge of the route, based on the semi-detailed maps of the route published in the city's Cykelhandlingsplan. To prepare herself for the ride, this rider has drawn the route on a road map of Aalborg, which she will bring with her during the ride. Should she loose her way, she will refer to her city map to reorient herself and make it to the final destination on both ends of the route.
- Rider B (Cat): Has very limited knowledge of the route, only understanding that it connects the City Center to the University Campus. The primary obstruction of this ride is at I may not look at a map of the facility or otherwise familiarize myself with the route prior to the initial ride. I may only use the installed wayfinding signage and follow design queues built into the infrastructure--as an exercise looking at how legible the facility is on-the-fly. Rider A will point me in the right direction upon departure and my ride is to end based on her description of where she stopped. Should I get lost, I must get back to Route 100 using existing infrastructure and my own intuition--or may ask someone for help if I am hopelessly off track.
(10/08/2013 | Architecture & Design Building Bicycle Parking | Photo Credit: Cat Silva)
My Initial Experience Riding Route 100
Right at 12-Noon on October 8th, just church bells were ringing from Budolfi Kirke, I departed for my initial bicycle ride of Route 100. As I rode from the City Center to the University Campus along the "bicycle superhighway", I had two main pieces of advice from my research partner in mind: 1) wayfinding to the route is sparse in the city center; and 2) look for other riders wearing backpacks who may be commuting along Route 100 to or from the university. With these two thoughts in mind, I headed out on her bicycle in my blind attempt find my way to the Aalborg University's Main Campus.
Departing eastbound from Nytorv, I kept my eyes
peeled for wayfinding to guide me to and along Route 100. The first sign I
found was a directional blade for "Universitetet" (The University),
with distance given, on the left side of the grade-separated eastbound cycle
track. Installed within the protective planter strip, this sign is hardly a
meter off the ground and is somewhat hidden by plant life. I may well have
missed it, had I my eyes not been scanning for wayfinding. It also helped that
I was already behind a few cyclists sporting backpacks, who also took this
right hand turn.
Shortly after this first turn, I saw the bicycle
wayfinding signs confirming that I was indeed on Route 100. Installed on posts
standing at least two meters tall--making them more visible, and therefore more
noticeable, to cyclists and other road users--these sign blades displayed a
large bicycle icon and the number "100" above text that I believe
said "Universitetsruten" (The University Route).
One thing that I found surprising was that the
initial portion of the route did not feel like the "bicycle
superhighway" I had anticipated--as I had envisioned it as a grade-separated
cycle track or off-street path for the entire distance. Additionally, I assumed
there would be more paint on the ground and pavement markings clearly
indicating the facility. But it was much more subtle than this--with minor
wayfinding signage being the primary delivery of route information, as opposed
to the more major infrastructural design elements that I had expected.
On my ride to the campus, I managed to navigate the
route flawlessly. The Route 100 confirmation signs were my main method for
finding my way, in addition to my following riders I suspected to be students.
The route signs were sparingly located prior to major intersections the rider
should pass. If the route continued straight ahead, the sign stands alone on
the post and where turning movements are necessary, an arrow sign of the same
size is placed below the route sign. It was somewhat troubling to me that these
signs were not located after decision points--affirming to riders they were
indeed heading the right direction. This is general practice in the United
States and I have always found confirmation signs to be a great comfort.
A few minutes after my right-hand turn onto Route
100, I encountered something I did not at all expect--a legitimate hill
that I need to climb! Likely because of the topographical challenge that slowed
down the pace, this was the first point in my rider where I was riding along
side around ten other riders. The hill was located on a short stretch of road
that is appeared to only for bicyclists and bus travel. Bicycle traffic going
up and down the hill were forced to the right, with a planted median in the
center of the road. Unlike any median I am used to, cobblestone was spaced
perfectly for bus tires to drive across, with a sunken, planted area in the
center of the median--I am certain that I saw the word “bus” on the pavement.
As I climbed, I contemplated the smart design of the sunken median, as it
clearly indicated that non-motorized traffic was not to use--and could not
easily traverse--the middle portion of the street.
Either before or after overcoming this hill, I
recall crossing two major roads. Both intersections were signalized, but wait
time was minimal and crossing felt incredibly safe--and I do recall there being
blue bike lanes or any other infrastructure protecting cyclists from motorists.
Then the route took me through two roundabouts where bicycles merged with
turning traffic, without the presence of any paint or pavement markings that I
can recall. There was wayfinding at the roundabouts, but the Route 100 signage
was striking to me because there lacked a directional arrow. Although riders
are going 'straight' through the intersection, it was odd to me that they did
not include an arrow to ensure that riders took the correct exit.
At some point between the hill and the roundabouts,
the infrastructure transformed from being shared use roads and bicycle lanes,
to grade-separated cycle tracks. After the roundabouts, the wayfinding signs
directed cyclists to take a hard right-hand turn. Interestingly, the turning
movement for riders was implemented as a free right-hand turn, protected by a
small median between riders and regular roadway traffic. The light was red when
I arrived at this intersection and I needed to yield to riders crossing the
street from the left, but the infrastructure design indicated that I was not required
to come to a complete stop and wait for the light.
After this movement, I recall the rest of the ride
to campus as being very straight forward--literally. For a long stretch of the
road, the riders were accommodated by a grade-separated cycle track. This track
was wide enough to be ridden two abreast. As my legs are used to Settle's hills
tend to race along the flat Danish roads and had to use my bell a few times to
pass others riding a more casual pace. The cycle track was eventually bled into
a wide bicycle lane at the same grade as regular road traffic. Shortly after
becoming a bicycle lane, the route took me along overpass above a freeway
before directing me to an off-street path.
I honestly do not recall if it was a wayfinding
sign or infrastructural element that led me there, but this off-street path
clearly indicated to me that the university was near. After entering the shared
path, I do not recall seeing more than one additional Route 100 sign. Rather, I
followed several directional blade sign assemblies directing riders and
walker to the university, among other destinations--similar to the first sign I
encountered when I embarked from the City Center. The path took slight right
and headed down a slope under a small overpass. After the overpass, a sign
blade directed me to turn left and merge onto the last portion of this
path--which was adjacent to the road, with a buffer strip planted with grass
between non-motorized and motorized traffic. The path ended with a forced
right-hand turn, requiring users to cross the road into a parking lot on
Aalborg University's campus. Oddly, this crossing into the parking lot was
unprotected, unsigned, and only required that non-motorized traffic yield to
oncoming traffic. Not exactly the 'entrance' I expected would take me into the
final destination of Route 100...
My ride back was not at all as flawless... First, I
made one small error, then one large mistake, before making it back to the City
Center. Although I only spent a minute in the parking lot resetting the
app I was using on my iPhone to map the route, my first misstep took place at
the end of the off-street path. After riding back under the overpass, I rode
past a small directional blade that directs non-motorized travelers to
"Aalborg". Worried I had sped past a Route 100 sign telling me
to turn left at this point, I turned around and followed the blade's direction.
The path that took me up to the road was unfamiliar to me, but the off-street
path was still in view so I scanned it for wayfinding. Then I saw it, about
20-feet before the off-street path ended, a Route 100 sign was posted. As it
turned out, I was indeed on the correct road and had most likely followed a
directional blade that had been installed prior to the implementation of the "bicycle
super highway".
Bygones...I was on the right road, heading in the
right direction, and I kept riding. As I had experienced along this stretch
while riding the opposite direction, I found myself riding in an unprotected
bicycle lane over the freeway, then onto and along a cycle track. Heading back
to the City Center, I picked up a lot of speed because there was a slight
downhill slope in that direction. Because it was the middle of the day, there
were very few riders and I relished fast, grade-separated ride. After about 7
or 8 minutes, I realized that something was wrong. I was no longer on a cycle
track, found myself going over raised pedestrian crossings, and riding past
more retail and business activity than I had noticed on the ride to campus.
Realizing I had clearly missed a turn, I continued
riding straight as I tried to orient myself. Not only were my limitations
riding without having a map on my person and restricted from looking up my
location on my iPhone...this was the very first time I have ridden a bicycle in
Aalborg and the first time I had been more than a 15-minute walk from the train
station--making the task of 'orientating myself' somewhat difficult. But lo and
behold, I saw a city map kiosk up ahead. Determining that this kiosk did not
violate the rider limitations I had agreed to--after all, such a kiosk is the
most supreme form of wayfinding signage--I rode up to it and tried to determine
where I made my error was made. After pondering over the map, I confirmed I was
way off Route 100 and headed back the opposite direction.
At a major traffic intersection that I remembered
racing through, I noticed a wayfinding sign with a pictogram indicating
that a right-hand turn would lead me to a church. I decided that this must be
pointing toward Budolfi Kirke--or another church hopefully located within
the City Center--and took the right hand turn. As I turned, I noticed the back
of a signpost that was most certainly a Route 100 sign above an arrow
blade. It then occurred to me that this may likely have the intersection
where campus-bound riders were given a protected, unsignized right-hand turn.
After crossing one or the major intersections that
I quickly encountered on the way to the University, I discovered a new type of
facility that either did not exist for University-bound riders or that I did
not see... There was a bicycle lane located to the right of parked cars, with a
narrow arrow with hatched stripping likely intended to protect cyclists from
individuals exiting the parked vehicles on the passenger side. However,
there was no sign or markings indicating that this movement--which is why I am
not currently sure if it did exist in the other direction, or not. I only
noticed this because I saw a bicycle pavement marking to the right of parked
vehicles and jogged right just in time to safely enter this protected bicycle
lane.
The rest of the ride back went pretty darn
smoothly. I had no trouble getting through the major intersections and sailed
down the hill with the sunken median--I cannot confidently recall in which
order I encountered these features. Then, at the intersection where I was first
directed to turn right, I hit a dead-end and was oriented enough to turn
right--despite encountering no signage indicating this turn. I followed the
cycle track toward Nytorv, went under a passage I had traversed immediately
after my ride began, and quickly found myself back at the start of my ride.
...and My Initial Final Thoughts...
All and all, I consider my ride in both directions to be a success. I did loose my way as I headed back to the City Center, but I was quite pleased that I managed to correct my error using existing wayfinding infrastructure. That said, I am an individual who has considerable experience with wayfinding and managed two bicycle wayfinding projects for the City of Bellevue in Washington State--one of which was implemented and the other which was unfortunately tabled for the time being. This route is certainly not impossible to negotiate, but improvements to the wayfinding would greatly increase its legibility.
Based on this my initial ride of Route 100, I am
concerned with the wayfinding elements of this infrastructure. The route lacks
a consistent and predictable feel from end to end, as there is variation in the
type of facility implemented. This made it difficult for me to know for certain
if I was on the right path and in the right place--lending to my detour as I
rode back to the City Center.
In order to obviate the navigation difficulties this inconsistency creates, I tentatively offer the following recommendations to install:
In order to obviate the navigation difficulties this inconsistency creates, I tentatively offer the following recommendations to install:
- confirmation wayfinding signs of after decision points and turning movements--letting riders know they made the correct turn, or that they did not, should they not encounter a sign shortly after the turn;
- confirmation wayfinding signs along long stretches--ensuring riders they are still heading the right direction;
- pavement markings, such as arrows, more bicycle stamps, or even the route number itself- augmenting the existing facilities and wayfinding; and
- establish formalized start and end points of the route with a local bicycle route map kiosk- educating current and potential users alike.
GPS Mapping and Statistics
Using the popular app called "MapMyRide", Franziska and myself mapped our routes as we embarked on our initial solo-rides to and from the University's Main Campus from the City Center. Using the GPS capabilities of this app, we were able to track the route, distance we rode, the speed we traveled, and the elevation gains and losses along the way. Due to the imperfections and limitations of this this technology, the figures are not 100% perfect, but they do provide reliable data with which we can compare to our respective experiences navigating the route.Ride from the City Center to the University Campus
As I describe my narrative above, my ride from the City Center to the University went very smoothly. Traveling at an average speed of 18.6 km/hr, it took me 17:46 minutes to ride 5.51 km to the agreed upon destination point--a site map of the campus, located within a campus parking lot where Route 100 ends.
(10/08/2013 | City to University Map | Credit: MapMyRide/Google Maps)
(10/08/2013 | City to University Statistics | Credit: MayMyRide)
Ride from the University Campus to the City Center
However, my rider back was not so perfect. The left-hand turn that I missed caused my return trip to the City Center to be 8.18 km long, taking me 25:06 minutes to ride at an average speed of 19.5 km/hr.
(10/08/2013 | University to the City Map | Credit: MapMyRide/Google Maps)
(10/08/2013 | University to the City Statistics | Credit: MapMyRide/Google Maps)
Cognitive Mapping and Thoughts
Considering my experiences riding Route 100 n both directions, I applied the cognitive mapping technique Kevin Lynch introduced in his 1960's book Image of the City--a great and easy to digest book for anyone interested in spatial mapping. In this book, he proposes that a place can be mapped using five main elements:
1) paths; 2) edges; 3) nodes; 4) districts; and 5) landmarks.
As this collaborative research project was conceived, it was decided that no information on this route would be given to Franziska or myself on Aalborg's "bicycle superhighway". All we were told before arriving in Denmark is that it is called "Route 100" and provides a connection for riders between the City Center and Main University Campus (Aalborg Oest). We were not provided with an route maps, directed to the city's bicycle plans, or given any details on the material make-up of the facility. At first, this was somewhat frustrating, as I was neither able to prepare maps of the facility nor engage in as much preliminary research as I would have liked. But now, the purpose for this set-up is immensely clear to me.
(10/08/2013 | My Initial Cognitive Map of Route 100 | Map Credit: Cat Silva)
As the rider who did not spend much time looking at a map of the facility before or during my ride, it is true that my map is not at all a perfect representation of the route. For me, one of the biggest insights I had when drawing my cognitive map is that I could not recall any significant landmarks. For example, I knew that the university and city center were on either end, but the other minor landmarks I noted were wayfinding sign-posts. I believe this is because without the luxury of route-planning or having a map to refer to, I was so focuses looking for wayfinding and spent very little time looking at the building I rode past and my surroundings beyond what was present along the sidewalk.
This is an impactful realization for me, as it highlights how much we do not experience in our travels when we are required to focus on finding our way. Because the wayfinding signage was not incredibly prolific, my energy went into seeking it out and I had less time to spend to experience the bicycle ride as anything other than a task. That I do not recall any major institutions, churches, businesses, statues, view-points tells me that: a) the facility may not be easy enough to navigate for a brand-new rider; or possibly b) that I simply spent too much time worrying about getting lost and not enough time acquainting myself with the streets I was riding along.
Of course, I cannot be sure that there were many 'true' landmarks along Route 100, but I most certainly anticipate noticing a whole lot more than I did when embarking on secondary rides of the facility.
No comments:
Post a Comment