On Thursday, September 22, 2011 the Public Health Law & Policy (PHLP) will present the webinar, “Creating Pedestrian-Friendly Streets: A Short Walk Through Legal and Practical Issues,” from 12:00 to 1:15 p.m.  The webinar will cover key practical and legal considerations involved in creating pedestrian-friendly streets. Presenters will also describe policy tools that can help make walkable streets the ‘default’ in communities, including PHLP’s  new directory of municipal codes from communities across the country that make streets safer and more comfortable for pedestrians.

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is hosting a free webinar on ways in which schools can fund, organize, and maintain fleets of bicycles for use in classes focused on traffic and bicycling safety.  The webinar will include presentations from a state bicycling advocacy group, a school official, and a bicycle manufacturer’s grant program manager, each of whom have each built individual SRTS programs through strategically funding, thoughtfully organizing, and systematically maintaining fleets of bicycles for use in the classroom.

The webinar will take place on Wednesday, September 14 from noon to 1:00 p.m. CT.  Registrationis required.

An updated and enhanced “Official Rulings” page on the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) website is now available.  The webpage -- which is a work in progress -- is a searchable database where you can obtain information about requests to FHWA for changes, experiments, and interpretations related to the MUTCD.  Users can search the database through a variety of fields, including keywords, with predefined selections that include “Pedestrians,” “Pedestrian Signals,” and “Bikes”.

Living Streets, a national organization working to promote walkability and to create safe, attractive, and enjoyable streets across the United Kingdom, published the report, “Making the Case for Investment in the Walking Environment.”  The report explores the potential benefits of investing in the walking environment.

Researched by a multi-disciplinary team of experts from the University of the West of England and Cavill Associates, the report brings together and evaluates the multiple health, economic, social, and environmental benefits of investment in walking friendly public spaces.  The report draws on case studies of plans which have resulted in safer and more attractive public places in neighborhoods and city centers in the UK and elsewhere.

The Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2198 is dedicated to studies on non-motorized transportation.  The volume contains 17 papers on incorporating bicycle and pedestrian topics in university transportation courses, high-visibility school crosswalks, safety effectiveness of leading pedestrian intervals, driver and pedestrian behavior at uncontrolled crosswalks, pedestrian traffic flow in confined passageways, roadway intersection characteristics and pedestrian crash risk, and pedestrian-vehicle conflicts.

The issue also examines pedestrian safety prediction for urban signalized intersections, a real-time system for tracking and classification of pedestrians and bicycles, use of pedestrian crash data to identify unsafe transit service segments, the effect of street network design on walking and biking, multimodal driveway design, shared-use paths adjacent to the roadway, signal timing optimization models for a midblock pedestrian crossing, pedestrian safety retraining for elementary and middle school students, and modeling the evacuation of crowded pedestrian facilities.

A recent Daily Herald article covers the Village of Palatine’s approval of  its draft Bicycle Transportation Plan at the July 18, 2011 Village Council meeting.  The comprehensive bike plan was developed by consulting firm, SPACECO, Inc. in collaboration with staff from the League of Illinois Bicyclists.

According to the article, local cyclists and cycling advocates first approached village officials in early 2009 about the development of a bicycle plan.  The development of the plan included outreach to obtain extensive public input on facility locations and types.  The Palatine Patch quotes Palatine Director of Community Services, Harry Spila, stating in support of the plan, “We want to make [non-motorized] connections for people to shopping, stores and destinations such as the train station, but also to provide connectivity with our adjacent neighbors such as Arlington Heights and Rolling Meadows.”

The New Zealand Transport Agency released a report exploring case studies at eight New Zealand sites where the implementation of new pedestrian facilities or the improvement of existing facilities led to increased pedestrian usage and improved perception of the sites.

The report examines pedestrian rates both before and after facility implementation and analyzes accompanying factors such as safety, delay, and directness. It also highlights an expected pedestrian-usage model, based on before and after data analysis, for planners and funding agents to use when planning new or improved facilities, as well as for use in project evaluation.

The report demonstrates study methods that can be replicated locally in the Chicago region.

As part of its Promising Practices and Solutions in Accessible Transportation series, Easter Seals Project ACTION, in partnership with the Transportation Research Board (TRB), is presenting a webinar on a recently released report by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) on the issues and design solutions for navigation of roundabouts and channelized right-turn lanes by pedestrians who have visual impairments.  (See our earlier blog post on this report.)

The webinar will feature panelists’ evaluation of accessibility at these complex intersection types and their understandings of the impacts of site geometry and operational characteristics on accessibility. The webinar will present the findings on infrastructure-based treatments aimed at improving the accessibility of roundabouts and channelized right-turn lanes. The panelists will include a certified orientation and mobility specialist, as well as a registered professional engineer.

The webinar will take place Wednesday, August 17, 2011, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. CT.  The webinar is free but space is limited and advance registration is required.

The Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University released a report exploring the state of the knowledge related to integrating transit and bicycling, and proposes an analysis framework for communities and transit agencies to consider in efforts to maximize the integration of bicycling and transit.

The report also attempts to gauge preferences for bicycle and transit integration strategies among consumers, and suggests a preliminary application to evaluate four bicycle and transit integration strategies.

The U.S. Access Board has released for public comment proposed guidelines for accessible public rights-of-way.  The guidelines provide design criteria for public streets and sidewalks, including pedestrian access routes, street crossings, curb ramps and blended transitions, on-street parking, transit stops/shelters, street furniture, and other elements.  The specifications comprehensively address access that accommodates all types of disabilities, including mobility and vision impairments, while taking into account conditions and constraints that may impact compliance, such as space limitations and terrain, as indicated in an overview of the rule.

The deadline for public comments is November 23, 2011.  The proposed guidelines can be accessed, and comments submitted or viewed, through the Federal government's rulemaking portal.  Instructions for submitting comments are included in the proposal and on the Federal Register webpage.

As mentioned in an earlier blog post, the Access Board will conduct a public webinarto review the proposal on August 9, 2011.

On July 26, the U.S. Access Board will publish proposed guidelines for accessible public rights-of-way.  On that day, the guidelines will be posted on the Board’s website and will be available for public comment for four months.  The Board will conduct several events to present the proposed rule and to solicit comment, including a public briefing and press conference, a webinar, and hearings.

• Public Briefing and Press Conference (July 26, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET)

Members of the public and the media are invited to attend a Board briefing and press conference on the proposal on July 26 from 11:00 – 12:30 at the Board’s meeting space at 1331 F Street, NW, Suite 800, in downtown Washington, D.C.  Board representatives will review requirements of the proposed guidelines, highlight information sought from the public on various topics, and field questions from the press. 

• Webinar (August 9, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CT)

The Board will conduct a public webinar to review the proposed rule and to discuss subjects where input from the public is sought.  To register for this free webinar, visit www.accessibilityonline.org.

• Public Hearings (September 12 in Dallas, and November 9 in Washington, D.C.)

The Board will hold public hearings on the proposed rule in Dallas, Texas on September 12 (9:30 to 11:30 a.m. CT) and Washington, D.C. on November 9 (9:30 to 11:30 a.m. ET).  Members of the public will have the opportunity to provide comments on the rule at these hearings.  Further details will be included in the published rule.

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership (SRTSNP), with funding from the SRAM Cycling Fund, presents the third in their six webinar series: “Bike Parking, Storage and Security at Schools.”  The webinar will address common issues that schools face, present information on common solutions and highlight communities that have creatively faced this issue and as a result have more students bicycling to school daily.

The webinar will take place Thursday, July 14 at 2 p.m. CDT.  The webinar is free, but advance registration is required.

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) will co-sponsor a web briefing on current issues, best practices, and additional training opportunities in connection with crossing signals for blind pedestrians.  The webinar will present information and findings from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) report on accessible pedestrian signals (see previous blog post, “Report on accessible pedestrian signals”).

The webinar will be July 20, 2011, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. central time.  The webinar is free, but requires advance registration by July 15 with Easter Seals Project ACTION.  Space is limited.

The Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) published a new report, “Accessible Pedestrian Signals: A Guide to Best Practices (Workshop Edition 2010).”   The report provides an introduction to accessible pedestrian signals (APS) and highlights issues related to the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of APS.

The report also addresses public education, issues related to travel by pedestrians who are blind or who have low vision, traffic signals, and modern intersection design.

The report is a web-only document.  A companion document, appendix (including a tool for intersection prioritization for installation of APS), and documentation of the research used to develop the training course and tool are available on TRB’s website.

Suburban multifamily housing is the fastest growing housing type in the U.S.  Although areas with this type of housing tend to be near local commercial areas (LCAs), the combination of an absence of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure with a site design practice that lacks access or connectivity makes trips using these modes difficult.

A new study by the Oregon Transportation Research Education Consortium (OTREC)explores pedestrian connectivity in suburban multifamily housing and investigates the link between mode choice and connectivity in these developments.

The study shows that, while suburban multifamily development sites are very often designed and built for access by automobile only,  there is a substantial amount of walking in and around these areas, and that better connected sites/infrastructure result in more walking.  The author concludes that creating better pedestrian connections has the potential to save residents money, provide environmental benefits, and increase residents’ health and sociability.

Transportation for America (T4 America) has published a 2011 update of the report, Dangerous by Design.  The report ranks the country's large metro areas according to a "pedestrian danger index," and offers recommendations on how communities can alleviate what the authors call the “epidemic” of preventable pedestrian deaths across the county.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the City will set up its first protected bikeway or “cycle track” on a short section of Kinzie Street in the 42^nd Ward.  The half-mile stretch between Milwaukee Ave. and Wells St., which crosses the Chicago River and terminates at the Merchandise Mart Brown Line “El” station, is used by cyclists commuting in Chicago’s central area.  According to Alderman Reilly’s 42^nd Ward newsletter, construction is set to begin next week and scheduled to be completed by Friday, June 17, the final day of Bike-to-Work Week.

[Photo courtesy of the CDOT.]

The National Complete Streets Coalition released the report, "Complete Streets Policy Analysis 2010: A story of growing strength," which documents the fact that states and local governments around the nation are adopting Complete Streets policies.  These policies are designed to ensure that future transportation infrastructure investments provide safe options for all roadway users.  The report rates the strength of extant written policies and highlights policies that do a particularly good job covering individual policy elements.

The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) will offer a free webinar on the recently published Urban Bikeway Design Guidefrom the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO).  The webinar will introduce the guide and demonstrate how it may be applied.  The overview will be followed by a series of shorter presentations on how the principles of the guide are being applied in cities nationwide. Presenters will include Mia Birk, Joe Gilpin, Robert Burchfield, Hayes Lord, and representatives from other NACTO cities.

The webinar will take place on Wednesday, May 25, 2011 from 2:00 to 3:30 pm CDT.  The webinar is free but requires advance registration.

Easter Seals Project ACTION, in partnership with the National Complete Streets Coalition, will offer a two-part training webinar as part of Easter Seals’ 2011 Selected Topics on Accessible Transportation series.

The webinars will take place today, May 18, and next Wednesday, May 25 at 1:00 pm CDT.  The webinars are free, but require advance registration.  Space is limited.  More information and a link to registration is on the event page.

During the first webinar on May 18, instructors will introduce the principles of complete streets and help participants understand how those principles translate into design and function on the ground and in the street.  Each participant will be given a homework assignment to help reinforce concepts andto gain further knowledge about initiatives in their local communities.

The second webinar on May 25 will be an open discussion session. This will allow the presenters to answer participant questions and the group to discuss the homework assignment. This session will be discussion about what makes a community livable and accessible for all of its residents.