The national advocacy group Alliance for Biking and Walking has released its 2012 Benchmarking Report “Bicycling and Walking in the United States, 2012.”  The report, as in previous editions, compares states and major cities in terms safety, mode share, funding, and levels of biking and walking.  It is the third such report in the Alliance’s Benchmarking Project, an on-going effort to collect and analyze data on bicycling and walking in all 50 states and the 51 largest U.S. cities.  The report shows that where bicycling and walking levels are higher, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes levels are lower. Higher levels of bicycling and walking also coincide with increased bicycle and pedestrian safety and higher levels of physical activity.  The primary recommendation of the report is the need for greater investment in bicycling and walking.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has announced the solicitation of projects for the state’s 2012 Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP). Approximately $50 million of ITEP funds are available for this round of projects.

The application must be submitted on-line.  Certain supporting materials, however, may be submitted in hard copy.  The schedule and deadlines for the 2012 round are as follows:

• February 1, 2012: On-line application process opened.
• May 29, 2012: Deadline for on-line application submittals.
• June 1, 2012: Deadline for hard copy submittals.
• June to August 2012: Application review.
• September 2012: Selection committee review.
• October 2012: Announcement of approved projects.

Additional information, instructions, the Guidelines Manual, and a Frequently Asked Questions section can be found on the ITEP website at www.dot.il.gov/opp/itep.html. 

IDOT plans to create an online tutorial that will provide an introduction to the ITEP program and walk the applicants thru the application page-by-page.  This tutorial will be posted online as soon as it is available (anticipated in February). 

CMAP encourages applicants with projects in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force recommended package of projects for CMAQ funding that were not fully funded in the FY 2012-2016 CMAQ program to apply for ITEP funds, if appropriate.  While such a recommendation is no guarantee of ITEP funding, CMAP supports these Task Force-recommended projects that have been evaluated using such criteria as connectivity, population and employment served, access to transit, regional appropriateness of the project, and consistency with local and regional plans.  The recommended package of projects represents project submittals that best implemented CMAP’s GO TO 2040 Comprehensive Regional Plan.  The package is posted as a memorandum to the CMAQ Project Selection Committee and as part of analytical matrices (full poster-sized and summary 11x17).

Governor Quinn has announced funding recipients for the 2011 Illinois Safe Routes to Schools program.   The northeastern Illinois region received a total of $8.91 million, out of a state program of $21.17 million.  Approximately $7.9 million is for infrastructure projects, and $1.02 million is designated for non-infrastructure projects. For an analysis of the awards in northeastern Illinois by county and by City of Chicago, visit the CMAP bicycle and pedestrian webpage.

Among the communities successful in obtaining funding are six of the eight communities in which CMAP organized day-long SRTS workshops during the pre-application period (autumn of 2010).  These six communities (Elmhurst, North Aurora, Winfield, Orland Park, Batavia, and Steger) received funding for ten projects – four infrastructure projects and six non-infrastructure projects – totaling $663,170 in federal funds.

The region’s infrastructure project awards also include $75,504 for a sidewalk in the Fairmont community of Will County.  Last year, CMAP’s FLIP program helped to promote this project by working with local students and leaders to explore ways to increase walking to school and pedestrian safety.  CMAP continues its engagement with Fairmont through a Local Technical Assistance (LTA) project to complete the community’s first neighborhood plan.

The Cook County Board of Commissioners approved a Complete Streets Ordinance on December 14, 2011. The ordinance was fully supported by the County Highway Department and replaces an earlier Complete Streets executive order.   It strengthens and formalizes the County's commitment to creating streets that are better for everyone, regardless of their mode of travel.  According to the National Complete Streets Coalition, the Cook County ordinance is one of the strongest county-level policies in the country, as well as one of the growing number that include performance measures. Read more about the policy, its development, and adoption on Active Transportation Alliance website.

As part of the “Safe Routes to School Coaching Action Network Webinar Series,” developed by America Walks and the National Center for Safe Routes to School (NCSRTS), a webinar entitled “Pump Down the Volume: SRTS and Traffic Reduction” will be presented on January 31, 2012, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. CT.  The webinar will look at the problem of traffic congestion as it relates to SRTS.  It will also focus on two SRTS programs that have had success in reducing congestion and measuring traffic reductions.  The first program, developed by an elementary school in Longmont, CO, surveyed families in order to understand travel patterns to school.  After learning that 75 percent of students arrived by car, the program focused on increasing walking and bicycling rates through education and encouragement. After just one year, the school saw a 40 percent reduction in motor vehicle traffic.  The second program, from Pinehurst, NC, focused on encouraging the school's 650 students to become engaged as leaders in the effort to get more students walking to school. The Student Council presented neighborhood walkability recommendations to the Mayor and Village Council, resulting in a $150,000 allocation for a greenway to connect the elementary school to other areas of the Village.  Their efforts resulted in a 22 percent reduction in traffic volume on walking school bus days.

The webinar is free but requires advance registration.  For more information please contact Michelle Gulley at mgulley@americawalks.org.

The U.K.’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) released a report highlighting existing research on the role of infrastructure in relation to the safety of cyclists and their interaction with other road users.  The report consists of an international literature review of this subject and was undertaken as part of the wider research program, Road User Safety and Cycling, being led by TRL.  The paper identifies the influence of infrastructure on intermediate, behavioral outcomes which, in turn, may influence accident risk, such as the speed of motorized traffic and cyclist route choice and maneuvers, etc.

The study finds that, of all interventions to increase bicyclist safety, the greatest benefits result from reduction in the general speed of motorized traffic. According to the report, speed reduction may be achieved through a variety of methods including physical traffic calming; urban design that changes the appearance and the (pedestrian) use of a street; and, possibly, the wider use of 20 mph speed limits, which are common in some cities.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released an update of a study on the incidence rates of pedestrian and bicyclist crashes by hybrid electric (HE) vehicles.  The study compares the rate of bicycle and pedestrian crashes involving HE vehicles is compared to the rate involving internal combustion engine vehicles (ICE).  Overall, the odds ratios indicate that there is a greater likelihood of an HE vehicle being in either a pedestrian or bicycle crash -- 35 percent and 57 percent respectively -- than an ICE vehicle being in a similar crash.  For pedestrian crashes, the study found that the largest difference occurs on roadways where the speed limit is 35 mph and lower and during low-speed maneuvers.

A Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) report presents the results of a one-day workshop to explore technological innovations in accessible transportation and to better understand the requirements of pedestrians and travelers with visual impairment or other mobility disabilities.  The workshop brought together a panel of speakers made up of disability experts, academic professionals, transportation industry experts, and other professionals to discuss applications of technology for accessible transportation, identify knowledge gaps and opportunities, and highlight barriers to implementation.

In the third round of TIGER funding, the awardees for which were announced last month, the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) continued a commitment to bicyclist and pedestrian projects.  Of 46 projects chosen for funding, 22 incorporate some aspect of bicycle and pedestrian accessibility, and nine make cyclists or pedestrians the primary beneficiary, according to staff at the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.  Of the $511 million available, more than $64 million went to “Complete Streets” projects.

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) received $20 million to repair and improve parts of the Blue Line between downtown and O’Hare Airport and to include Blue Line station areas in the City’s bikeshare program.  The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) received $10,438 to reconstruct two miles of Illinois Route 83 (147th Street) between Kedzie Avenue and Western Avenue/Dixie Highway with a center median, accessible intersections, on-street bicycle facilities, new sidewalks, and bus shelters. The project is designed to improve safety and convenience for automobiles, transit users, pedestrians, and cyclists.

A number of educational videos addressing bicycling and bicycling safety in Chicago have recently been added to the City of Chicago Bicycle Program Videos webpage, including one on how to safely navigate intersections and one on how to avoid the “door zone.”  Readers may also want to watch a video produced by Streetfilms, which describes the new protected bike lane on Kinzie Street, the first such lane in the City of Chicago.