# Presentation: 537463

## Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning

- Lesson 4

## Lesson Outline

- Federal surface transportation law and pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
- •	Elements of State and local pedestrian and bicycle plans.
- •	Bicycle and pedestrian models: demand and facility quality.
- •	Bicycle and pedestrian maps.

**Notes:**
Key Message: Provide the students with an overview of the lesson.
Est. Presentation Time: 1 minute
Suggested Comments:
This slide is optional.

## Federal Requirements

- ISTEA (1991) and subsequent legislation.
- States and MPOs are required to address bicycle and pedestrian needs during the planning process.

**Notes:**
Key Message: Federal legislation has provided strong support for considering bicyclists and pedestrians in transportation plans. 
Est. Presentation Time: 1 minute
Suggested Comments:
There has been significant growth in the number of communities that have prepared bicycle and pedestrian plans after passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). Other Federal requirements include: incorporating provisions for bicycling and walking into each State transportation improvement program (STIP) and metropolitan planning organization (MPO) transportation improvement program (TIP); and establishing a bicycle and pedestrian coordinator position in each State department of transportation (DOT).

## Federal Planning Guidance

- FHWA and FTA technical guidance for State and MPO pedestrian and bicycle plans:
- Incorporate public involvement.
- Assess current conditions and needs.
- Include vision statement, goals, policy statements, specific programs and projects, and performance criteria.
- Identify financial resources needed for implementation.

**Notes:**
Key Message: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) provide guidance for State and MPO transportation planning.
Est. Presentation Time: 1 minute
Suggested Comments:
See section 4.3 of the Federal Highway Administration University Course on Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Student Workbook (Student Workbook) for additional elements of pedestrian and bicycle plans. It is important to understand all of these bicycle and pedestrian plan elements, but also to realize that all plans must be developed with the unique State or MPO in mind. Not all plans should be the same. Each community has a unique set of political, environmental, historical, and other circumstances that should be considered.

## State Plans

- Outreach to regional and local jurisdictions.
- •	Identification of policies and legal barriers.
- Development of planning and design guidelines for local governments.
- •	Coordination among State agencies.

**Notes:**
Key Message: This slide outlines some of the characteristics that tend to be unique to State bicycle and pedestrian plans.
Est. Presentation Time: 1 minute
Suggested Comments:
State plans have many elements in common with regional and local plans, such as public involvement and assessment of existing conditions. Bicycle and pedestrian plans are often grouped together for planning at the State level, but the needs of both groups are often quite different. For this reason, bicycle and pedestrian plans at the Statewide level should include separate and distinct recommendations for each mode.

## Regional/MPO Plans

- Establish regional priorities for funding.
- Develop planning and design guidelines for local governments.
- •	Develop unified approach to land use and bicycle and pedestrian transportation across region.
- •	Provide continuous connections across jurisdiction boundaries.

**Notes:**
Key Message: This slide outlines some of the characteristics that tend to be unique to regional bicycle and pedestrian plans.
Est. Presentation Time: 1 minute
Suggested Comments:
Like State plans, regional plans also have many elements in common with local plans (public participation, evaluation of existing conditions). At the regional level, bicycle and pedestrian planning is usually carried out by metropolitan planning organizations, county governments, or similar regional agencies. The main objectives of these planning projects are usually to coordinate between jurisdictions, develop planning and design guidance for local governments, establish regional priorities for funding, and develop a unified regional approach to land use and transportation issues.

## Common Elements of Local Pedestrian and Bicycle Plans

- Gaining public involvement.
- •	Using geographic information systems (GIS).
- •	Reviewing transportation and land use policies/regulations.
- •	Establishing facility design procedures.
- •	Identifying and prioritizing where improvements are needed.

**Notes:**
Key Message: There are several characteristics that most local pedestrian and bicycle plans have in common. However, bicyclists and pedestrians have different needs. It can be more useful to do separate plans for bicyclists and pedestrians than try to combine the needs of both into a single document.
Est. Presentation Time: 4 minutes
Suggested Comments:
Ask students to brainstorm reasons why plans should make different recommendations for bicyclists and pedestrians. Have them debate whether a community should prepare separate pedestrian and bicycle plans or do the pedestrian and bicycle plan as a single document (factors that could be discussed are the size of the community, the cost of doing separate planning processes, the different types of projects and programs that serve the needs of bicycles and pedestrians, etc.).

## Forecasting Travel Demand

- Determine the relative demand for pedestrian and bicycle travel on a facility.
- Estimate the number of pedestrians and/or bicyclists to use the facility if built.
- Sketch planning techniques.

**Notes:**
Key Message: There are several simplified methods available to estimate bicycle and pedestrian demand; however, more research is needed in this area.
Est. Presentation Time: 5 minutes
Suggested Comments: 
While the science of predicting bicycle and pedestrian travel demand has not yet developed to the same level as motor vehicle planning, there are a number of methods that planners have developed over the years to help quantify which locations have higher levels of demand. When planning bicycle and/or pedestrian facilities, it is important to remember that current volumes usually do not reflect demand for two reasons: existing conditions and gaps in the network result in fewer users—potential users are deterred by dangerous conditions; and dispersed land uses create trip distances that are perceived as being too far to make on foot or by bicycle. 
Methods of demand forecasting range from using intuition and sketch planning to estimate where people tend to bicycle and walk, to considering trip attractors and population density, to doing a modeling process similar to motor vehicle travel demand models. More detailed models require more time, and may be difficult to apply over a wide area. National Household Transportation Survey (NHTS) data also shows that land-use patterns and population density have a big impact on trip distance. Higher density communities with mixed land-use patterns will have higher levels of walking because destinations are more likely to be located within walking distance of homes and businesses. Additional Information: Optional: Have students discuss the factors that make it more difficult to evaluate pedestrian and bicycle demand than motor vehicle demand (possible answers include accounting for weather and other environmental factors that don’t influence driving as much, lack of good-quality pedestrian and bicycle network throughout a community to see the impacts of a single facility, it is more difficult and time consuming to take pedestrian and bicycle counts, etc.).

## Assessing Pedestrian and Bicycle Suitability

- Models are based on real-time human perception.
- Models evaluate the comfort of bicyclists and pedestrians in a roadside environment.
- Conditions are rated on an A–F grade scale based on factors such as speed limit, traffic volume, lane and shoulder width, pavement condition, etc.

**Notes:**
Key Message: Level of service (LOS) is a framework that transportation professionals use to describe existing conditions (or suitability) for a mode of travel in a transportation system. 
Est. Presentation Time: 2 minutes
Suggested Comments:
Bicycle level of service is an evaluation of bicyclists’ perceived safety and comfort with respect to motor vehicle traffic while traveling in a roadway corridor. It identifies the quality of service for bicyclists or pedestrians that currently exists within the roadway environment.
In order to evaluate bicycle LOS, a statistically calibrated mathematical equation is used to estimate bicycling conditions in a shared roadway environment. It uses the same measurable traffic and roadway factors that transportation planners and engineers use for other travel modes. With statistical precision, this modeling procedure clearly reflects the effect on bicycling suitability or compatibility because of factors such as roadway width, bike lane widths and striping combinations, traffic volume, pavement surface condition, motor vehicle speed and type, and on-street parking. 

## Bicycle Level of Service A

- 2.7-m (9-ft) shoulder.
- 4-m (12.5-ft) lane.
- 88 km/h (55-mi/h) speed limit.
- 4 lanes, undivided.
- 8,000 average daily traffic (ADT).
- 3% trucks.

**Notes:**
Key Message: The next two slides show examples of bicycling conditions. In this slide, a wide paved shoulder and low traffic volumes combine for relatively good cycling conditions.
Est. Presentation Time: 3 minutes
Suggested Comments:

## Bicycle Level of Service E

- 0.3-m (1-ft) shoulder.
- 4-m (12.5-ft) lane.
- 80 km/h (50 mi/h) speed limit.
- 2 lanes, undivided.
- 8,000 ADT.
- 7% trucks.

**Notes:**
Key Message: This example shows how a road with similar traffic volumes can provide a very different experience for a bicyclist.
Est. Presentation Time: 3 minutes
Suggested Comments:
The lack of a shoulder in this example creates very difficult bicycling conditions. In addition, the road has heavy truck traffic, which further reduces the bicyclist’s feeling of comfort in the roadway.

## Types of Maps

- Urban bicycle map.
- Bicycling guide.
- Bicycling touring guide.
- City and county bicycle and pedestrian plan maps.

**Notes:**
Key Message: There are four basic types of bicycle maps: urban bicycle facility maps; county, State, or regional bicycling guides; bicycling tour guides; and city or county planning maps. The first three types are used mainly by bicycle riders; the fourth is used by a wide variety of interested parties.
Est. Presentation Time: 3 minutes
Suggested Comments:
Urban bicycle maps are used primarily by local utilitarian bicyclists, newcomers, and visitors. This type of map is intended to help cyclists choose routes they feel comfortable bicycling on, and to encourage first-time riders to make certain trips by bicycle. All streets should be shown. A simple color code indicates the presence and type of bicycle facilities. Other useful information includes enlargements of difficult intersections, steep hills, weather data, parking facilities, bike shops, important destinations, and landmarks, etc. However, too much detail creates a cluttered effect; simplicity makes it easier to find needed information. OPTIONAL: Have students discuss difficulties they have had trying to use any type of map on a bicycle ride or walk.
Bicycling guides and bicycling touring guides describe longer-distance loop routes.
Bicycle and pedestrian plan maps (as the one shown in the slide) are often presented in public meetings and used in working groups, but they are not used for navigation. These planning maps are often produced using GIS, while urban bicycle maps are often produced with map publishing software.

## Lesson Summary

- Current Federal transportation laws support pedestrian and bicycle planning.
- There are similarities and differences between State, regional, and local plans.
- Methods have been developed to assess pedestrian and bicycle demand and facility quality.
- There are several types of maps that aid in pedestrian and bicycle planning processes.

**Notes:**
Key Message: Summarize the lesson and discuss any questions or issues with students.
Est. Presentation Time: 3–5 minutes 
Suggested Comments:
Summarize the lesson and discuss any questions or issues with students.