Session #71 - UC Berkeley Ped & Bike Class - Schneider & Carlton
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Transcript of Session #71 - UC Berkeley Ped & Bike Class - Schneider & Carlton
UC Berkeley Pedestrian & Bicycle Transportation Class
Robert Schneider & Rebecca Sanders CarltonProWalk/ProBike Panel Session
September 16, 2010
How did the course get started?
• Pedestrian & bicycle course offered by DCRP faculty every 2-3 years in the 1990s
• Course not taught for at least 5 years• Prior assumption of department: Not enough
interest from students• ~15 masters students organized in Fall 2007 to
push for course• No dept. faculty available to teach course
How did the course get started?• Student-taught course in
City Planning Department• Department concerns:
– Will course meet university standards?
– Student leader must have faculty sponsor
– Course should not burden the faculty sponsor
– Faculty should be invited to speak/monitor course
– No $$$, but credits for student leader– Does student leader have enough
expertise & time?
Course Purpose
• Educate current/future professionals• Learn about the state of the practice• Think critically about current methods &
research needs• Improve the credibility of the pedestrian &
bicycle field• Not an “advocacy” course
Course Structure
• 2- or 3-hour class, once per week• Readings that should be on the shelf of a
ped/bike professional• Course wiki space– http://cp298pedbiketranspo.wikispaces.com/
• Class project & assignments
Typical Class Structure
• Presentation on weekly topic• Discussion of readings & issues• Guest lecturer/discussant– Government agencies– Consultants– Researchers– Advocacy organizations
Student interests (2008-2010)
• Cultural change needed to get more people bicycling (and walking); public health connection
• Innovative pedestrian & bicycle facility designs• Numbers to show benefits of ped/bike transpo.• Pedestrian, bicycle, driver behaviors• Perceptions of safety and risk, “Safety in numbers”
Example student projects• Safety evaluation of Masonic Ave. (SF)• Safety of I-880 interchange crossings (Fremont, CA)• Hudson River Greenway & 9th Avenue Cycle Track (NYC)• Efforts to increase walking & bicycling (NYC)• Bus stop area bicycle lane design• How-To Guide to Bicycle Parking• Complete streets & physical activity• Idaho “Stop as Yield” Law• Bicycle Sharing Programs• SRTS Local School Project
Taylor Reiss, 2010
Alia Anderson, 2008
Intersection Redesign• Final assignment• Field experience
• Work in groups• Professional-style
presentation
Meredith Glaser, Troy Reinhalter, & Nicole Schneider, 2010
Monica Altmaier, Andy Kosinski, & Taylor Reiss, 2010
Meredith Glaser, Troy Reinhalter, & Nicole Schneider, 2010
Monica Altmaier, Andy Kosinski, & Taylor Reiss, 2010
Course Changes (2008-2010)• 2 credits to 3 credits• Fewer required readings• More detailed assignment instructions• Evening to mid-day, back to evening• Panels of professionals• More legal background &
behavioral issues• More international examples• Paid student instructors
What the Students Say…• “Class was a lot of work for a Pass/Fail course.”• “Wish this had been required for transportation
concentration. I ended up dropping it and just sitting in.”
• “The 3-hour course from 5-8 p.m. was a bit tough.”• “At times…the course moved too slowly.”• Have “less reliance on guest speakers.”• “Would like more time for discussion.”• “In-class time to work on intersection redesign.”
What the Students Say…• Having lecture and guest speaker every week “mixes
it up nicely & offers a variety of perspectives.”• Liked “the real world focused projects and the
walking tour.”• Liked “that we are learning cutting-edge stuff.”• “It covered a topic that the department desperately
needed.”• Liked “the discussions where we actually disagreed.”• “One of the best classes I’ve taken here. And, it got
me a job.”
Course Challenges
• Balancing core competencies and instructor strengths
• Scheduling guest lecturers• Balancing lecture, discussion, and assignment
time• Encouraging students to prioritize the class• Long-term vision for course– Taught by full-time professor– Instituted into planning & engineering curriculum
Thanks!