October 15, 2001

Shared Use Paths Get a Closer Look

Dr. Joseph Hummer and His Civil Engineering Students Conduct Studies on Shared Use Paths

This view of a shared-use path in Boston, Mass., was taken during data collection for Hummer's national study. Photo by Joseph S. Milazzo II.

Overcrowded trails shared by bicyclists, pedestrians, skaters and joggers can be a source of frustration for those seeking an alternative to traveling by car.  In the future, thanks to research going on at NC State University, shared use path designs could be friendlier and more attractive for all these users.

Dr. Joseph E. Hummer, associate professor of civil engineering, and his graduate students are currently conducting studies on shared use paths.  The project goal is to determine the optimum characteristics of paths and trails to suit all users with maximum comfort and satisfaction.  Their research question concerns finding a way to develop a level-of-service scale, which is an estimation of the efficiency of traffic flow.  Working with funding from the Federal Highway Administration, Hummer’s team also coordinates with the Highway Safety Research Center in Chapel Hill and Sprinkle Consulting Inc. in Baltimore, Maryland.

It is challenging to design an efficient shared use path because of the diverse mix of users traveling at a wide range of speeds, according to Hummer.  Some folks use paths for recreation; some are racers or commuters, and children make up another group.  To address this variety of needs Hummer’s study consists of two components:  data collection and surveys.

Graduate students Julie Slunt and Krista Tanaka plan to collect data by riding a bicycle down shared use paths in each of ten U.S. cities.  So far they have collected data successfully in Boston, Chicago and Seattle as well as on Raleigh area paths.  As Slunt and Tanaka ride, they wear helmets fitted with cameras, creating video footage for analysis.  They also tally how many and what type of users they pass and how many pass them as they ride along at a constant speed.  From these data Hummer and his team hope to derive a theoretical model and a formula to calculate the level-of-service scale.

Hummer also wants to determine the best single measure of perceived happiness for all users.  In the spring and summer of 2002 his team will conduct a survey of cyclists, pedestrians and other users of shared paths.  They will ask the participants to rate, on a six-point scale, video clips of sample paths that range from very crowded to very open.  From this information they will add a perception element to their formula, an important consideration for setting cut-off points for the scale.

Hummer hopes to develop a capacity manual containing the formulas and scales based on this research.  Such a manual, with accompanying computer software, could be used by traffic designers everywhere to improve path designs.  As many people search for alternatives to the automobile, shared use paths could become an important part of our transportation infrastructure.

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Media Contacts:  Dr. Joseph E. Hummer, 919/515-7733, hummer@eos.ncsu.edu, Linda E. Rudd, 919/515-3848, linda_rudd@ncsu.edu