The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) recently released “Making Way: A Guide for Communities to Promote Pedestrian Mobility and Increase Access to Existing Transit.”  The guide was developed to encourage municipalities in the region to implement small-scale capital access improvements such as the installation of sidewalks and crosswalks near existing transit facilities.  Such improvements promote pedestrian mobility and provide added access to transit.  The guide outlines specific steps that communities can take to improve their local built environment while providing viable connections to existing bus and train facilities that will help increase transit ridership.

The Walk Friendly Communities program has created a new guide to help communities become more pedestrian friendly.  “Giving Cities Legs: Ideas and Inspirations from Walk Friendly Communities” highlights efforts from communities that sought Walk Friendly Community status during the program’s first three rounds.

The Ohio Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) Office of Research and Development, in partnership with Ohio Safe Routes to School and the Federal Highway Administration, has published “Developing a Methodology for School Travel Plan Development for Large School Districts.”  The report outlines a process to allow large school districts (defined by ODOT as those with more than 15 kindergarten through 8th grade schools) to develop comprehensive, district-wide School Travel Plans (STP).

In order to develop this process, a pilot district (Cincinnati Public Schools) was chosen in order to test and refine methodologies. Methodologies were developed around three key areas identified by ODOT: mapping, infrastructure project identification and prioritization, and non-infrastructure project identification and prioritization.

The report includes “Lessons Learned” and “Recommendations” that may be generalized to assist other large school districts to develop STPs that incorporate both infrastructure and non-infrastructure items.

Active Living Research has released three research briefs summarizing recent studies of policies, programs, and practices that support walking and bicycling to school.  The first brief covers the impact of state laws on walking and bicycling to school.  The second brief examines the connection between state spending of Safe Routes to School funds and the implementation of projects at the local level that support safe, physically active trips to school.  The third brief looks at the impact of Walking School Bus programs on children’s pedestrian safety behaviors.  Full-text copies of the studies, all published in Health & Place (Vol. 18, Issue 1, January 2012, pp. 8-30), are available through ScienceDirect.

Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto have published a study in the journal Diabetes Care, examining the connection between neighborhood walkability and diabetes.

The study looked at data from more than one million residents to assess the impact of neighborhood walkability on diabetes incidence for long-term residents relative to recent immigrants, and found that neighborhood walkability was “a strong predictor of diabetes incidence independent of age and area income, particularly among recent immigrants.”

The American Public Health Association (APHA) and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership have collaborated to produce “Promoting Active Transportation: An Opportunity for Public Health.”  The guide is intended to give an overview of why and how health should be considered in transportation planning and decision-making and the role that active transportation can play in helping reduce rates of obesity and physical inactivity.

On November 10, 2012 from 8:45 a.m. to 12:00 noon, the Chicago Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities partnership is hosting a Regional Park Zones Summit on November 10, 2012 at the Nature Room of the Humboldt Park Boat House (1400 North Sacramento Avenue, Chicago).  Anyone in the region who’s interested in learning more about Park Zones and their implementation is welcome to attend.

This summit will highlight efforts in Chicago and suburban municipalities to make parks and trails more safe and accessible, especially through traffic-calming infrastructure improvements.  Public administrators, planners, and professionals in the Chicago metropolitan area will have an opportunity to share and learn from others’ experiences implementing park zones.

The event is free but attendees should RSVP to Andres Alvear (andres@activetrans.org or 312-427-3325 x 296).

America Walks, in collaboration with Sam Schwartz Engineering, has released a guide to creating walkable communities, “Steps to a Walkable Community: A Guide for Citizens, Planners, and Engineers.”  The guide is a compendium of innovative and multidisciplinary tools, ideas, and tactics that have been used to improve conditions for and to encourage more walking in communities around the country.  The guide is available as a PDF download for free, although providing contact information is required.

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has released a comprehensive report entitled “Sharing the Road: Optimizing Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety and Vehicle Mobility,” which reviews roadway improvements designed to enhance bicyclist, pedestrian, and motorist safety and mobility.  The report includes an analysis of bicycle and pedestrian crashes in the state of Michigan; a review of national design guidelines on methods to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety; a case study analysis of recently completed improvements in the state of Michigan; an analysis of existing guides and manuals that influence the design of roadways in the Michigan and other states; and finally, a set of recommended best design practices for walking and bicycling  The report was prepared by T.Y. Lin International and Western Michigan University (WMU).

The report finds the following countermeasures were associated with the greatest reductions in crashes:

• Sidewalksreduce pedestrian crashes by 88%, while adding shoulders reduce pedestrian crashes by 70%
• Roundaboutsshow an overall decrease in all types of crashes by 35%, injury crashes by 76% and fatal crashes by 89%
• Road dietsreduce all crashes anywhere from 14% to 49%.
• Raised mediansreduce all crashes by 40%, and by as much as 69% at unsignalized intersections
• Pedestrian hybrid beaconswere shown to have a 69% reduction in all crashes and a compliance rate of motorists yielding to pedestrians between 94-99%
• Bike lanescan reduce bicycle crashes by 50%

An article in the Journal of Transport Geography looks at the reasons why high school students in Davis, CA may choose either to bicycle or not to bicycle to high school.  The study uses data from a 2009 survey of students at Davis High School.  The analysis finds that parental encouragement and the student’s individual comfort-level with cycling are key factors.  In addition, the authors find that the perceived distance of a cycling trip is more of an influence on the decision to cycle or not than the actual distance.

The full text of the article is available for download for $39.95.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a report providing implementation guidance on strategies and methods to prevent pedestrian incidents, injuries, and fatalities at or near passenger rail stations.  The report recommends that passenger rail operators use risk-based hazard analysis methods to identify methods and treatments to improve pedestrian safety at rail crossings.  The report provides illustrations of many of these treatments.  See our earlier post on the draft document.

The National Center for Safe Routes to School has released two new bicycling safety resources.

• “Helping Your Child Be a Safe Bicyclist” is a brochure for parents that covers bike safety basics, including proper helmet fit.
• “Ride Your Bike Safely” is a brochure with safety tips for elementary school students.

Both of these brochures, as well as links to additional bike safety resources, are available at www.walkbiketoschool.org/keep-going/bike-safety.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has a new child transportation safety campaign called Think Safe, Ride Safe, Be Safe!   The campaign is a collaboration between NHTSA and Ludorum, the producers of the Chuggington™ television series, which provides tools to help children walk, bicycle, ride school buses, and travel in motor vehicles more safely. The campaign includes child safety tools such as a Traffic Safety Pledge, Activity Book, banner ads and safety tips.

The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) announced three new Walk Friendly Communities (WFC) and the elevation of one (Corvallis, OR) to a higher status level. Among the three new communities is the Village of Forest Park.  Congratulations, Forest Park.  The WFC program recognize cities or towns for their success in working to improve conditions for walking, over a wide range of factors, including safety, mobility, access, and comfort. PBIC recognizes these four communities for their commitment to improving walkability and pedestrian safety:

Gold Level
 Eugene, Oregon
 Corvallis, Oregon

Bronze Level
 New Orleans, Louisiana
 Forest Park, Illinois

The City of Chicago was honored with Gold Level Walk Friendly status in 2011.

The Mineta Transportation Institute has released a report that evaluates literature related to the risks associated with cycling, and explores case studies regarding bicycle safety.

The report gives an overview of the risks associated with cycling to emphasize the need for safety.  The report uses the framework of the 5 Es—engineering, education, enforcement, encouragement, and evaluation—to organize a literature review, with particular attention to engineering and education.

The report includes case studies on bicycle safety programs and projects from San Jose (education), Berkeley (engineering and evaluation), Davis (engineering, education, and enforcement), and Portland (the education and encouragement efforts of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance).

A new study has been released by the National Center for Safe Routes to School (NCSRTS), which explores and attempts to understand how school-level dynamics, which underlie the planning and implementation of SRTS programs, relate to the percentage of students who walk and bicycle between home and school.

The study begins with the question: Do successful Safe Routes to School programs have something in common?  It’s analysis identifies the following four key factors that successful SRTS programs share:

1. Identifying an in-school leader, often the principal, to champion SRTS.
2. Conducting activities that reinforce walking and bicycling, such as frequent walker/biker programs and Walk to School Day events.
3. Generating parent support for SRTS.

Establishing policies that support SRTS, such as early dismissal for students who walk or bicycle home from school.

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.

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 official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Pediatrics, published an article evaluating the impact of a “walking school bus” program on children's rates of active commuting to school and physical activity. The study found that the walking school bus program increased active commuting and daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

The complete study is available for download on Pediatrics webpage for a $12 fee.

America Walks has released a report giving the results of a survey on walking, which we highlighted in a blog post in July.  The national online survey was designed to increase our understanding of attitudes towards and behavior related to walking.  The survey found that, while there are various reasons why people walk, “maintaining good health” was mentioned as the single most important motivator.  In line with this reasoning, the survey results indicate that the more frequently an individual walks, the fewer the number of diseases a respondent reports being afflicted with.

A new report has been issued at the University of Washington titled “So Many Choices, So Many Ways to Choose: How Five State Departments of Transportation Select Safe Routes to School for Funding.” The report compares the methods by which five statedepartments of transportation (DOTs) select the most promisingSafe Routes to Schools (SRTS) proposals for funding.  Their selection processes and criteria used are reviewed to highlight examples of best practices that consider:

• The four common barriers to walking and biking to school (distance, income, parent values and parent concerns).
• The “Five E’s” commonly used to classify SRTS program elements (engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation).
• The five conceptualized stages of an SRTS program (existing conditions, planning, proposal, implementation, and assessment of outcomes).

The study also offers insights into the five state SRTS programs.