Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Bicycling For Transportation at Georgia State University
EPA Grant Number: SU834436Title: Bicycling For Transportation at Georgia State University
Investigators: Steward, John A. , Schaefer, Alex , Normoyle, Catherine , Stauber, Christine , McLaughlin, Devin , Adair, Emily , Martin, Lindsey , Pope, Nancy , Taquechel, Palmer , Kraft, Shannon , Lynch, Victoria
Institution: Georgia State University
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: August 15, 2009 through August 14, 2010
Project Amount: $9,999
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2009) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
Georgia State University (GSU), located in downtown Atlanta, has nearly 30,000 students; most of whom attend the downtown campus. In university towns nationally, moret than 10% of students bicycle for transportation for their commute, compared to 1% in big cities. The presence of GSU in downtown Atlanta provides a unique opportunity to influence the community-at-large toward more bicycling. The challenge is to increase the likelihood that people bicycle for transportation and replace trips by motor vehicle at a downtown university campus. This challenge is specifically related to people’s attitudes toward bicycling, regulation and policy, and environmental support. We examined the use of bicycling for transportation and factors including aesthetics, distance, comfort, availability of public transit, and the perception of safety. During the project, we proposed the following hypothesis: Providing information and services surrounding bicycling and improving the built environment support for bicycles on campus will result in a significant change in attitudes and behavior regarding bicycle use for transportation among people on a downtown college campus.
The project, called GSU Bikes, addresses the barriers to bicycle use and seeks to develop a program of encouraging bicycles at GSU. The goal of the Phase I was to increase utilitarian bicycle use on the downtown college campus and improve infrastructure to support bicycling. The project has determined perceptions and attitudes among the GSU community members regarding bicycle use. We also have explored the perceptions of the downtown business community regarding bicycling and bicycle racks. GSU Bikes continues to investigate policies and environmental changes necessary to overcome negative perceptions by providing information to both current and potential riders.
The project targeted GSU students and our objectives were in five main areas, as follows:
- Launching an awareness campaign to highlight our main efforts including a website dedicated to the project.
- Mapping and analyzing the locations of current bicycle racks and bicycle use patterns around GSU’s campus.
- Conducting a competition for student-designed, artful bike racks.
- Establishing a minor repair shop for bicycles in conjunction with the Student Recreation Center.
- Surveying perceptions and attitudes regarding utilitarian bicycle use.
GSU Bikes worked with the Welch School of Art and Design to conduct a student contest to design aesthetically pleasing, highly functional, and secure bicycle racks. Observations of bicycling, including counts and questionnaires, were used to measure bicycle use on campus and to compare attitudes and perceptions before and after the project. A campus facility was developed to allow bicycle users to obtain minor repairs. To further assess the needs and views of the downtown business community with regards to bicycling for transportation, a business outreach meeting was held with members of the GSU community, Downtown Transportation Management Association (DTMA), and local business leaders attending. Geographic information system (GIS) was used to analyze the patterns of bicycle use and to identify locations for providing improved bicycle rack locations in the downtown area.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
Measurable results included
- Completion of an electronic bicycle rack map, which is available on the gsubikes.com website.
- Completion of blue-prints from the bicycle rack design chosen in the student competition, and the installation (on April 8, 2010) of the bicycle rack at a prominent campus location.
- Development of mechanisms to increase awareness about bicycling including a news article about the art competition and overall project published on the GSU website and in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, as well as a website dedicated to the project.
- Establishment of a minor repair shop for bicycles in the Student Recreation Center.
- Completion of a survey tool to assess knowledge attitudes and practices surrounding bicycling on GSU campus.
- Completion of a baseline survey of students prior to bicycle rack design and bicycle awareness campaign. The survey found that the bicycle riding population was mostly male, slightly older than non-bicyclists, and reported very good or excellent health.
- Collection of bicycle count data on the GSU campus in fall 2010.
- Information was obtained regarding attitudes, opportunities, and threats regarding bicycling from the downtown business community.
Some scheduled activities will be accomplished prior to the end of the grant period including the installation of the artistically designed bicycle rack, a second-round survey to assess impact on attitudes and perceptions regarding bicycling on campus after the bike rack design contest and awareness campaign, and additional public awareness activities, including news stories about the project, articles for university websites and newspapers, and stories on the gsubikes.com website.
Conclusions:
As a result of the multidisciplinary nature of the bicycling for transportation project, we successfully addressed the three elements of people, prosperity and the planet. The collaborative relationships within and external to GSU allowed for broader understanding of the challenges and solutions to encouraging bicycling for transportation in a downtown environment. The project has measured bicycling behavior and perception among GSU students and has established a baseline to assess changes and also address the challenges at GSU and downtown.
Among the strongest outcomes was establishing our interdisciplinary team, composed of the Institute of Public Health, Welch School of Art and Design, Department of Sociology, University public relations, and the Recreation Center, as well as our external partnerships. Team members from the School of Art and Design contributed to the development and implementation of the bike rack contest, building and installation of the rack on campus and development of the website. Public Health developed the survey tool, analyzed data, and partnered with Sociology to map and analyze bike rack locations. The Department of Recreation Services initiated the bike repair shop and provided outlets for publicity and communications as well as providing in-kind support for team t-shirts to advertise the project. Collectively, team members launched the awareness campaign and led the momentum of the project.
Sustainability: Our project has great potential to bring about positive impacts in making progress toward sustainability. As a result of the interdisciplinary team and external partnerships, we will continue to support bicycle riding on the GSU campus and in downtown Atlanta. Bicycling can reduce vehicle miles driven, increase physical activity, and reduce fuel consumption, vehicle emissions, and money spent on fuel and vehicle maintenance. The permanent artistic bicycle rack, collaborations developed during the project and coordination of resources made available will continue to support those who are interested in learning more about bicycling to and around GSU.
Transfer of Project: The project design can be easily transferred to other sectors. For example, during our discussions with the DTMA, we discussed broadening the bicycle design rack to the downtown community. The design is specifically applicable to urban settings and college campuses in urban settings that face challenges different from those at traditional campuses. Furthermore, some of the methods we incorporated were transferred to us by partners such as The Bicycle Counts. Finally, the collaboration building allowed the project to leverage existing resources and have a greater impact. This approach will be enhanced in the next phase by incorporating more partners for greater impact.
External Partners: Four external partners were integral to conducing our project in addition to the partnering departments and services within the university.
Quantitative and Qualitative Impacts: Quantitative measures include: (1) proportion of survey that reported bicycling, (2) counts of bicycle riding on campus (3) increase in number of bicycle racks on campus, and (4) a repair shop for those who need minor bicycle repairs. These results are part of initial documentation of bicycling behavior on GSU’s campus. In April 2010, we will repeat the bicycle counts and the survey and from this we will be able to determine if there were changes in bicycle riding on campus. This will enable a calculation of pollution prevented, costs averted, and amount of physical activity. Qualitative benefits of the project include increased social capital surrounding bicycling, which is an essential element related to bicycling for transportation, an increase in awareness for students involved in the project in regards to research surrounding environmental issues and sustainability, including students in courses in the Institute of Public Health. Finally, the strengthening of traditional and non-traditional collaborations on campus will enable further work among these groups in the future.
We have begun the process to encourage decreased emphasis on a motor-vehicle centered campus to a bicycling and walking-centered campus. The approach of a bike rack art competition merged the art community with sustainability efforts. Encouraging healthy transportation impacts not only the health of individuals through more physical activity, but also a healthy planet through cleaner air and improved land use. Our project adapted existing knowledge resulting in innovative approaches using an interdisciplinary approach.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 1 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
public health, bicycling, public art, healthy transportation, reduced vehicle useRelevant Websites:
GSU Bikes - Helping to Make Georgia State a bicycle friendly campus ExitThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.