Observational method and coding framework for analyzing the functionality of unprotected bicycle lanes

This research evaluates how well unprotected bicycle lanes function as dedicated travel lanes for bicyclists. Two types of bicycle lanes are included in this study, including on-street bicycle lanes demarcated with painted lines on the vehicular roadway and bicycle lanes at-grade with, and immediately adjacent to, the pedestrian sidewalk. Specifically, the research is focused on how people behave and interact on street segments with these facilities in place. To assess how, and how well, these types of bicycle lanes function for the bicyclists using them, an observational method is deployed to record, document, and analyze people’s behavior and interactions. A three-step Straussian grounded theory coding procedure is used to systematically discover the categories of actions people engage in on street segments with unprotected bicycle lanes to determine what consequences these actions have for the infrastructure’s intended function. Based on a pilot study used to develop this coding procedure, this article presents a coding framework which will be validated and refined through a subsequent observational study.