Suggested Citation:
Li, Hui, John T. Harvey, Rongzong Wu, David Jones (2015) Bicycle Ride Quality: The Effect of Pavement Treatment Texture. International Airfield and Highway Pavements Conference 2015

The impact of pavement texture on bicycle ride quality has not been explored and fully understood. This paper summarizes the results of measurements of texture on a set of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and local government pavement surface treatments with different measurement methods. The results with a survey of bicycle ride quality on most of those sections are also presented. Correlations between MPD, IRI, bicycle vibration, and bicyclists’ perception of ride quality and pavement acceptability for use by bicycles are developed. The effect of traffic on the pavement texture and the effect of remedial treatment on rough surface are also evaluated. This study will help Caltrans Districts and other state DOTs to continue using the cost-effective surface treatments to preserve their pavements while maintaining a bicycle-friendly surface.

Key words: Traffic management, bicycles, local government, pavement surface roughness, pavements, vibration, remediation, correlation