🚀 go-pugleaf

Simon Adams (sadams@sfu.ca) writes:
>> 
> Just thought it would be a good idea for you (or anyone else) to suggest 
> some useful reference material for those who want to "learn the basics of 
> road transportation engineering." Some sort of introductory text like 
> "Road Transportation Engineering Made Easy" or whatever you (guys) read 
> which you think would be suitable to give people the background education 
> you would like for them to possess. 

Others have suggested John Forester's two publications and for $20 or so
I would recommend all cyclists own a copy of Effective Cycling. If
you wish to protect your rights as a cyclist, use the weapons of the civil
engineer to fight for them. Be familiar with reference material
which civil engineers use to baffle politicians. They always use
this stuff selectively, so why not counter by doing the same? Here
are some references:

Model Rules of the Road - an amateurishly-written reference
document for Canadian traffic authorities published by the
Transportation Association of Canada. It's intended purpose is to
achieve uniformity of traffic regulations among Canadian
jurisdictions.  

ITE Journal - monthly journal of the Washington-based Institute of
Transportation Engineers. Contains latest transport research
including very occasionally, cycling-based research such as the
Wachtel & Lewiston study on bike/motor vehicle collisions Sept
1994. Also ITE can be accessed free on-line at 1-800-982-4683.

Standards and guidelines which govern the design and construction
of highways. Also standards for markings and legal requirements for
signage. Every provincial transportation authority distributes
these. All regional/municipal public works departments have copies
of them.   

Provincial motor vehicle laws - copies available in reference
libraries together with case law.

Other sources:

The library of any university with a civil engineering department.

The Transportation Association of Canada. A reactionary
organization of mostly civil engineers who might just as well be on
the payroll of General Motors. Important source to find out how
some of them think.

Many, if not all provinces publish annual traffic collision reports
from their safety research branches. These and other stuff are
available from Provincial transportation departments.

Municipalities take regular traffic counts (including cyclists) for
road planning purposes - ask your local municipality.

Roadway modifications - authorities are required to provide advance
notification (usually through newspapers) of plans to modify/widen
roads or build new ones. These designs always affect cyclists.
Taxpayers are entitled to view any design and to discuss it with an
engineer. (Ask them whether they considered needs of cyclists in
their considerations. You may learn how they think. For example,
expressway on/off ramps, and other acceleration/deceleration lanes,
are examples where they rarely consider the increased risk to
cyclists.) 

If you have trouble getting bureaucrats to cooperate in providing
material, ask your political representative to get it for you.

And don't forget Internet. I have obtained much research material by asking
for it on international news groups. And you can use powerful search
engines on the Web. The use of Internet was critical in fighting MHL
here in Ontario. It was also used to collect evidence in successfully
rescinding the prohibition against two abreast cycling in Ottawa.
Good Luck

--
Avery Burdett
Ottawa, Ontario