Pedestrian Facility Inventory Prepares 

for Future Planning in Lexington

Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization

KEY ELEMENTS:

Understanding of existing conditions

Supports planning

The Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning 

Organization (MPO) created a pedestrian facility 

database to establish baseline conditions, identify 

deficiencies, and inform long range plans. From 2003 

through 2007, the MPO successfully mapped and 

recorded pedestrian facilities over 85 square miles of 

Fayette County's urbanized areas.1

Lexington Area MPO Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Page 33

Figure 11. Absent Pedestrian Facilities Along Major Roads in Fayette County

Figure 1. Absent pedestrian facilities along major roads in Fayette 

County during 2007 Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan process.2

DATA COLLECTION PROCESS

To create its pedestrian facilities inventory, 

the MPO first defined the data collection 

process and necessary roadway 

characteristics. These features included 

the presence of sidewalks and buffers and 

widths, walkable width, presence of bike 

lanes and shoulders, and condition of the 

sidewalk. The MPO structured the data 

collection after successfully examples in 

Duluth, Minnesota, and Seattle, Washington. 

During the site visits, the field observers 

collected information on intersection 

characteristics such as signal types and the 

presence of crosswalks and curb ramps. 

The sidewalk information was coded, 

georeferenced, and stored in the MPO’s 

geographic information system (GIS) 

database, and the intersection data was 

stored in an Access database. 

APPLICATION OF THE PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES 

INVENTORY FOR CROSSING LOCATIONS

An updated pedestrian facilities and 

intersection inventory can reveal gaps in an 

area’s network. Lexington MPO's inventory 

was used during the 2007 and 2017 Bicycle 

and Pedestrian Master Planning processes 

to locate pedestrian facility gaps and 

prioritize roadway improvements and 

retrofits to provide access to transit, schools, 

parks, and other destinations.3

For more information, please contact:

Lexington Area MPO, 859.258.3160, https://lexareampo.org

 SAFE TRANSPORTATION FOR EVERY PEDESTRIAN CASE STUDY
Case Study: Pedestrian Facility Inventory Prepares for Future Planning in Lexington

EDC-4 STEP: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/everydaycounts/edc_4/step.cfm

The Lexington Area MPO primarily uses the 

inventory for the prioritization of roadway 

projects during long-range transportation 

planning. In the prioritization process, 

proposed projects that include new 

sidewalk facilities may be awarded bonus 

points. The pedestrian facilities inventory 

initially allowed the MPO’s planners and 

local governments to easily determine the 

condition of existing pedestrian facilities, if 

any exist.4

LESSONS LEARNED AND FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS

Looking ahead, there are several ways 

a local government could improve its 

pedestrian inventory data collection 

process and management. The Lexington 

Area MPO experience suggests the 

following considerations:

• Thoughtfully structure the inventory’s 

methodology and data fields to capture 

a realistic set of factors that may be 

needed to recommend facility and 

crossing improvements.

• Ensure that other agencies or divisions 

that affect pedestrian facility and 

crossing decisions, like Traffic and Public 

Works, adopt and use the inventory. 

• Develop and institutionalize a process 

for updating and maintaining the 

inventory’s information.

• Use the inventory to prioritize pedestrian 

crossing improvements based on existing 

sidewalk facilities.

Figure 2. Cover of 2018 Lexington Area Bicycle and Pedestrian 

Master Plan.5

“Having an accurate pedestrian inventory was 

critical for prioritizing and advancing projects to 

improve pedestrian safety and to make sure that 

pedestrian improvements were incorporated into 

other ongoing maintenance activities.” 

–Kenzie Gleason, Administrative Officer, Planning 

Department, City of Lexington, KY

References

1. Federal Highway Administration, “Pedestrian and Bicycle Data Collection in United States Communities,” (2005) http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/pdf/casestudies/PBIC_Data_

Collection_Case_Studies.pdf

2. Lexington Area MPO, “Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan," (2007). http://lexareampo.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/BIke-Ped_masterplanwithappendpart1.pdf

3. Lexington Area MPO, “2017 Bike and Pedestrian Plan: Connecting our Region,” https://lexareampo.org/studiesplans/connectlex/ 

4. Gleason, Kenzie. Administrative Officer, Planning Department, City of Lexington, KY. 26 Sept. 2017.

5. Lexington Area MPO and Alta Planning and Design. Lexington Area Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, (2018). http://lexareampo.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/BPMPMaster-Plan-Reduced.pdf