On the street: Bicycle lane usage in a low income Central Brooklyn neighborhood Philip Noyes 1, MPH, MA; Lawrence Fung 2 ; MPH; Karen K. Lee 3, MD, MHSc, FRCPC; Victoria Grimshaw 3, MPH; and Laura DiGrande 2, DrPH, MPH New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene 1 Brooklyn District Public Health Office 2 Bureau of Epidemiology Services, Injury Epidemiology Unit 3 Built Environment, Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control APHA Annual Conference November 9 th, 2010

Presenter Disclosures (1)The following personal financial relationships with commercial interests relevant to this presentation existed during the past 12 months: Philip Noyes “No relationships to disclose”

Outline  Why cycling is a public health issue  Cycling in NYC  Observational study & intercept survey methods  Findings & next steps

Americans have gained millions of pounds in recent decades Age Group1960 average weight 2002 average weight Average weight gain Children (6-11 years old)65 pounds74 pounds9 pounds Adolescents (12-17 years old) Males125 pounds141 pounds15 pounds Females118 pounds130 pounds12 pounds Adults (20-74 years old) Males166 pounds191 pounds25 pounds Females140 pounds164 pounds24 pounds Source: Ogden CL, Fryar CD, Carroll MD, Flegal KM. Mean body weight, height, and body mass index, United States Advance data from vital and health statistics; no 347. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics

Obesity hits low-income neighborhoods the hardest Source: NYC Community Health Survey, 2008 Percent obese: East & Central Harlem North & Central Brooklyn South Bronx

NYC cycling infrastructure is expanding & commuter cycling is increasing  Currently, over 600 miles of bike lanes and park space with a goal of 1,800 bike- lane miles by  Between , over 200 bicycle lane miles were constructed.  Commuter cyclists counts have more than tripled since (NYC DOT)  Over 20% of all NYC adults reported riding a bike in the city at least once in the last year. (NYC DOHMH)

Study aims  To describe cycling and cyclists in North & Central Brooklyn.  To discuss cyclist safety issues and how bike lanes are being used and misused.  To highlight a rigorous methodology for studying bike lane use.

Methods Observational study  July-August 2009  Four city blocks with buffered or un-buffered bicycle lanes  3 video cameras (at intersection, mid-block and end of block)  Each site was filmed during AM/PM commuting and weekend hours (10 hours each = 40 hours total)  Footage was reviewed for frequency and type of non- motorized users or bicycle lanes, motor vehicle obstructions, and cyclist behaviors Street intercept survey  Cyclist demographics, traffic experiences, and beliefs  Response rate=43% (n=324)

Camera locations

Findings: Cyclists were frequently observed in Central Brooklyn  On average, a cyclist was observed once a minute crossing a study intersection and once every two minutes on a study street.  More cyclists were observed on the study streets during the afternoon (4-6 PM) than the morning (7:30-9:30 AM) or the weekend (10:30-12:30 PM). Site 1Site 2Site 3Site 4Total Crossing intersection Number of cyclists ,461 Cyclists observed per hour On study streets Number of cyclists ,282 Cyclists observed per hour

About 70% of cyclists surveyed live in North and Central Brooklyn

A comparison of neighborhood residents and study participants by gender

A comparison of neighborhood residents and study participants by race and ethnicity

A comparison of neighborhood residents and surveyed cyclists by body mass index Weight categories Obese Overweight Normal or under weight

A comparison of neighborhood residents and surveyed cyclists by self reported health status Self rating of overall health Very good or excellent Good Fair or poor

Cycling characteristics Cycling frequency for 30 minutes or more in the last 7 days Purpose of current bicycle trip: transportation65% exercise 21% leisure 14%

Changes that would encourage more frequent cycling  Fewer vehicles driving and stopping in bike lanes (37%)  More bicycle lanes (34%)

Cyclist safety characteristics  Most cyclists (89%) were observed riding in bicycle lanes.  71% of cyclists observed did not wear helmets.  18% of cyclists were observed cycling against the flow of traffic.

Motorists driving and blocking bike lanes  Both at intersections and on study blocks, 10% of motorists drove in bike lanes.  More than one vehicle every two minutes was observed traveling in the bike lane (35 per hour).  On average, bike lanes were blocked for 6 minutes per hour by idling or parked motor vehicles (10%).

Limitations  Possible selection biases  Sites may not be representative  Time periods or season may not be representative

Conclusions  Bicycling provides an opportunity for physical activity in a low income urban community.  More needs to be done to improve safety practices of both cyclists and motorists.  Filming of street use is an effective tool for analyzing cyclist and motorist activities.

Next steps  Neighborhood report published  North and Central Brooklyn Bicycle Advisory Group  DOHMH Health Bulletin  Interagency and community partnerships

Acknowledgments  Tyler James  Rolinda McIntosh  Rebecca Yau  Ericka Moore  Paulina Ganem  Lorna Thorpe  Bonnie Kerker  Adam Karpati  K. Aletha Maybank  Sean Fischer