Role of GVTA in Bicycle Programs for the Vancouver Region
The Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (GVTA) came into being in 1999, and since then has been partnering with regional municipalities to provide planning and funding toward improving the regional bike network. This presentation will discuss the relationship formed between the municipalities and the GVTA vis a vis developing a new program. The GVTA has also been active with integrating bikes and transit, and a new policy for allowing bikes on the SkyTrain. (39)

Big City Bicycle Plans: Two Examples
This presentation will look at bicycle planning in two large cities: Chicago and Toronto. Chicago is preparing the visionary Bike 2010 Plan, aiming to integrate bicycling into all aspects of city life by developing new policies for government agencies, and prioritizing specific programs and projects. The Toronto Bike Plan proposes a 1000-km bikeway network that will ultimately link cyclists with neighborhoods and destinations across the city. The implementation of signage and maps for this network will be used as an example of working within a large-city structure. (40)


Network Connectivity for Walking and Bicycling: What's the Best Measure?
Advocates of New Urbanist and neo-traditional planning concepts include street connectivity as a key component for good neighborhood design. Street networks that are more grid-like are preferred because they encourage more walking and bicycling and, thus, physical activity. However, there is debate over how to measure connectivity and what levels of connectivity are appropriate. This presentation will define and describe a wide range of measures of connectivity, and recommend which measure(s) are best for their potential to promote bicycling and walking. (42)


What's It Worth? Evaluating the Full Economic Benefits of Active Transportation (Walking and Cycling)
Current transport planning practices tend to undercount and undervalue active transportation, ignoring short trips, travel by children, recreational travel, and nonmotorized links of motorized trips. As a result, active transportation actually represents three to six times as many trips as most travel data indicate. This presentation will discuss how conventional planning practices tend to undervalue active transportation, and how to incorporate more of these benefits in transportation decision-making. (56)


Bike Lane and Shared Lane Markings: New Research from Cambridge and San Francisco
Because shared-use roadways constitute the majority of bikeway miles in many cities it is important to develop cost-efficient yet effective strategies for improving bicycle safety for this facility type. Lane design, buffer zones, and striping will be discussed. The panel will present an evaluation of on-street pavement markings from a study completed in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (58)