Bicycle facilities are commonly invested in to reduce vehicle congestion, mitigate vehicle emissions, and promote physical activity by increasing the number of bicycle trips and reducing the number of vehicle trips. Although there has been a large amount of behavioral and observational research on bicyclists’ route and facility preferences and the traveling public’s mode choice decisions, there is surprisingly little evidence on the effectiveness of bicycle facilities in increasing the share of bicycling relative to vehicle use. Using a stated-preference survey, this study finds that more than two-thirds of current bicycle facility users in Albuquerque, New Mexico, would continue to bicycle, and nearly one-third would discontinue bicycling, if the bicycle facilities they regularly use did not exist. The most common alternative would be driving a car. The findings suggest that bicycle facilities can increase bicycle mode share and reduce driving by influencing the mode choice decisions of certain i...

Prior research has focused on estimating the heath, air quality, safety, and congestion relief benefits of bicycling facilities. Bicycling facilities also provide bicyclists with a more enjoyable and safer feeling experience. An estimate of the total welfare change, or net benefits, associated with providing improved bicycle facilities should therefore include the value of these additional benefits. This study estimates welfare change as willingness to pay (WTP) for improvements in bicycling facilities using several different methods to value travel time. Three types of improvements are considered: cycle tracks, bicycle lanes, and street lighting. A stated preference survey asked respondents to choose between different levels of bicycle facility improvements and travel time, and also asked respondents for their average and marginal wage rates. Cycle tracks were valued the most, followed by street lighting and bicycle lanes. Greater cycling experience was associated with lower WPT, although increas...