The Federal Highway Administration released The National Bicycling and Walking Study: 15-year Status Report.  The report, by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC), discusses trends and outcomes in bicycling and walking since 1994.

More specifically, the report measures the progress made toward goals of lowering the number of fatalities while increasing the percentage of trips made by bicycling and walking.  Injury and fatality statistics are presented to measure this progress, as well as results from surveys related to travel habits.  This 15-year report, unlike two earlier reports, examines a range of efforts to increase bicycling and walking in the U.S.  Programs at the federal, state, and local levels are included, as well as case studies on best practices.  In addition, the report makes recommendations for research, policy, and other measures that can help achieve goals proposed in the original study.

For the second year in a row, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) is making funds available through competitive grant program designed to assist local and tribal governments in establishing and implementing climate change initiatives.  The overall goal of the Climate Showcase Communities grant program is to create replicable models of sustainable community action that generate cost-effective and persistent greenhouse gas reductions while improving the environmental, economic, public health, or social conditions in a community.  The U.S. EPA expects to award approximately 25 cooperative agreements ranging from approximately $100,000 to $500,000. Approximately 5 percent of the total available funds ($500,000) are set aside for tribal governments.

Proposals are due by July 26, 2010, 4:00 p.m. EDT.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has announced the 2010 Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP).  The 2010 ITEP program makes approximately $80 million in federal funds available to eligible applicants and is expected to create or sustain approximately 870 future jobs in Illinois.  The ITEP program is designed to expand travel choices, enhance the experience of travel, and improve quality of life in Illinois by funding projects that promote bicycle and pedestrian travel, improve roadway and streetscape design, and preserve and improve the cultural, historic, aesthetic, and environmental aspects of our Transportation infrastructure.

ITEP funds are awarded competitively, and any local or state government with taxing authority is eligible to apply for and sponsor an enhancement project.  Local matching funds are required and work must begin on the projects within three years.  For more information about ITEP or to access the on-line application, please visit the IDOT website.

Upcoming webinar: Pedestrian safety from around the world

In this presentation -- one in the series of webinars offered by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) -- Charlie Zegeer will discuss pedestrian safety from an international perspective.  From China to Dubai to New York City to India, Mr. Zegeer will lead us on a quick tour of pedestrian safety design and treatments from around the globe.

Beginning with pedestrian safety statistics at the global and regional level, the presentation will uncover relationships between design, engineering treatments, and pedestrian safety and establish the basic principles that guide and inform these relationships.  Charlie will also present a selection of results from the International Scan on Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety and Mobility, which examined pedestrian safety treatments at a number of locations throughout the world.  He will also describe a case study from Miami-Dade County, Florida, regarding safety benefits that can potentially result from a comprehensive pedestrian safety program.

The webinar is free and takes place Wednesday, June 30, 2010 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. CDT.  Registration is available online.

The privatization of the Chicago’s parking meters and the subsequent switch to pay-and-display consoles has resulted in thousands of bike parking spaces – in the form of the meter posts – being removed.  This fact could turn out to be a boon for local artists.  Earlier this month, the City of Chicago’s Transportation Committee authorized an innovative public art program, which some believe may rival the popular “Cows on Parade” program.  The City of Chicago will ask local artists to design decorative bike racks that double as pieces of public art.  The idea of bike racks as sculpture is already being tried in a few cities around the country -- Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Louisville, and San Antonio.  Within our region, the Village of Algonquin in McHenry County also initiated a similar program.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) issued a Bureau of Design and Environment (BDE) Procedure Memorandum (Number 68-10) on “Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodation (Complete Streets).”  The memorandum modifies Chapters 5 and 17 (‘Local Agency Agreements’ and ‘Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodations,’ respectively) of the Bureau of Design and Environment Manual.  The changes represent IDOT’s implementation of the Illinois Complete Streets Law.  The revisions will be incorporated into the next update of the BDE Manual.

Minneapolis launches America's largest bike-sharing system

Minneapolis launched “Nice Ride,” the nation's largest bike-sharing system to date.  The system includes 700 bicycles and 65 stations or kiosks where riders can swipe a keycard, pick up a bike, and go -- or afterward, drop one off.  Minneapolis is joining Denver, Washington D.C., and a few other American cities trying to cut down on obesity, traffic congestion, and air pollution with bike-sharing programs.

Nice Ride is funded mainly by $1.75 million from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and $1 million from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. Riders will pay to use the bikes: a 24-hour pass is $5; a yearly subscription is $60. Chips in each bike track the rider, and lost, stolen, or damaged bikes must be paid for by the user.

The bike kiosks are concentrated in downtown, at the University of Minnesota's campus, and near dining hot spots. The program will be seasonal, with bikes available from April to November.

Chicagoland bicyclists now have the most up-to-date riding and route information, thanks to the release of the new, fifth edition of the Chicagoland Bike Map.  The map is the result of many volunteers around the region bicycling, surveying, and documenting new and old trails, existing road conditions, and the surrounding areas.  In addition, a series of public meetings gathered input from cyclists and residents to ensure the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the map.

The new edition, produced by the Active Transportation Alliance, features:

• Expanded coverage -- north to Lake Geneva, south to the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Will County, and southwest to Grundy County
• More connections, trails, and on-street bike facilities and routes
• Icons for all the bicycle and bike repair shops in the region
• Preserved open spaces, rail transit lines and stations, and historic sites

Copies of the map are available online for $10. 

The draft GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan is now available for public comment through August 6, 2010.   Based on nearly three years of research, deliberation, and public input, the plan recommends action in four themes: Livable Communities, Regional Mobility, Human Capital, and Efficient Governance. By implementing GO TO 2040, our region will:

• Emphasize support for existing communities.
• Encourage more compact, sustainable development patterns.
• Increase the efficiency and transparency of government through better decision making.
• Reduce congestion by emphasizing modernization (rather than expansion) of the current Transportation system.
• Give residents more options for getting around, including transit, walking, and bicycling.
• Improve parks and preserve open space.
• Reduce consumption of energy and water.

Have your say by commenting or attending one of 10 open houses across the region this summer.  The final GO TO 2040 plan will be presented to CMAP's Board and MPO Policy Committee for approval in October, when the plan's implementation phase will begin.

A number of state departments of Transportation (DOTs) are very active in promoting, funding, and implementing Transportation demand management (TDM) programs.  TDM promotes alternatives to single occupant vehicle usage in order to reduce congestion and preserve the environment.  To share the successes and lessons learned from the states’ experiences, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program is producing a report that will provide examples of successful implementation and support of TDM programs by state DOTs.

On Thursday, June 17, TRB will host a webinar from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. CDT to explore the findings of the report, which will be released later this summer.  Presenters will discuss case studies that illustrate the different ways that states have implemented TDM.  A survey of TDM programs developed by state DOTs will also be discussed.  This webinar will be useful for practitioners interested in incorporating TDM strategies into state, local, and regional programs.

As part of GO TO 2040, CMAP prepared a Strategy Paper on TDM.

The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) National Partnership will issue a new resource guide in June, "Implementing Safe Routes to School in Low-Income Schools and Communities."  As part of the launch of the resource guide, the Partnership is hosting a webinar to highlight some of the promising practices and creative strategies that have been successfully employed in low-income communities.

The free webinar will  be held on Thursday, June 17 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. CDT, and will feature two SRTS experts:

• Bill Swiatek, Senior Planner, Wilmington Area Planning Council, Wilmington, DE
• Christy Filby, parent champion, Ridgewood Elementary School, East Moline, IL

Online registration is available.

Bike to Work Week is underway!  The annual, region-wide event runs this year from June 12 to June 18, 2010, and is the perfect time to bike and to promote two-wheeled commuting at your organization!  Individuals and groups are encouraged sign up and ride their bikes.  So far, 465 companies, non-profit organizations, and other groups have signed up to compete against each other to see who can get the highest percentage of bike riders.  Bike to Work Week culminates on Friday, June 18 with the Bike to Work Week Rally in Daley Plaza.  Stop by anytime from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday to enjoy snacks, entertainment, giveaways, and a major bike commuting celebration!

AASHTO LRFD Guide Specifications for Design of Pedestrian Bridges

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) released the 2^nd edition of its LRFD Guide Specifications for Design of Pedestrian Bridges.  These design specifications address the load and resistance factor design (LRFD) and construction of typical pedestrian bridges – defined as bridges designed for and intended to carry primarily pedestrians, bicyclists, equestrian riders, and light maintenance vehicles, but not designed and intended to carry typical highway traffic. Pedestrian bridges with cable supports or atypical structural systems are not specifically addressed in these design specifications.

The price for AASHTO members is $35, and for non-members, $42.

Last month, city engineers from Madison, Wisconsin began installing a red “bike box” at a busy intersection in the city’s downtown.  Madison plans to install between 10 and 20 similar boxes at other intersections throughout the year.  The bike boxes are intended to minimize conflicts between motorists and bicyclists by giving the bicyclists a marked, visible, and safe place to wait for the traffic signal green phase.  The design, formed with a thermoplastic material affixed to the pavement with a blowtorch, includes glass beads reflective to headlights, according to Madison city traffic engineer Dave Dryer.  The bike boxes are the first project from a fact-finding tour of bicycle-friendly cities in Germany and the Netherlands made in April by the Mayor of Madison, city and county Transportation planning staff, and civic and business leaders.

Earlier this month, the Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) passed a regional Complete Streets policy.  The policy was adopted by the NIRPC Board unanimously.  The Active Transportation Alliance features links both to NIRPC’s Complete Streets guidelines and to the NIRPC Complete Streets resolution.

To coincide with Bike to Work Week, the League of American Bicyclists announced their third annual Bicycle Friendly State (BFS) rankings. You can view the state rankings as well as a breakdown of how the states fared in each evaluation category.  Illinois ranked 21^st in 2010, down from 12^th in 2009 and 8^th in 2008.  What is a bicycle friendly state?  A state that promotes cycling through legislation, policies, and programs, and that creates new places to ride, educates motorists and cyclists, and encourages people to bike for Transportation and recreation. 

Earlier this month, the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity published its report, Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity within a Generation.  The report, part of Michelle Obama’s Let's Move! campaign, details a coordinated strategy, identifies key benchmarks, and outlines an action plan to end the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. The action plan defines the goal of ending childhood obesity in a generation as returning to a childhood obesity rate of just 5 percent by 2030 -- the rate before childhood obesity first began to rise in the late 1970s. The report presents 70 specific recommendations, many of which can be implemented immediately.  Chapter 5, Increasing Physical Activity, calls for a federal surface Transportation act that enhances livability and physical activity.  It identifies the need for “a complete network of safe bicycle and pedestrian facilities,” federal aid for Complete Streets projects, “routine accommodation of walkers and bicyclists,” and “support for public Transportation.” 

The Chicago Department of Transportation and the Chicago Police Department announced that, for the third year in a row, they are carrying out a crosswalk enforcement initiative aimed at protecting pedestrians' safety.  The initiative consists of “sting operations” in which off-duty, undercover police officers pose as pedestrians crossing the street within a marked crosswalk.  If oncoming drivers fail to stop -- as required by law -- the vehicle will be pulled over by a police officer waiting further down the street.  Motorists can incur fines from $50 to $500.

In addition to daytime enforcement operations, this year’s initiative will focus on nighttime pedestrian safety in three neighborhoods -- areas with high numbers of nighttime pedestrian crashes, according to CDOT. Nighttime enforcements began in April in the Lake View neighborhood.

Wheaton residents encouraged to share ideas for city's bike plan

Wheaton officials hope to make their city more accommodating for those traveling on two wheels instead of four.  To help accomplish this goal, the City is inviting residents to give their input on Wheaton’s draft bike plan at a public meeting June 9 at 7 p.m.  The meeting will take place in the Gamon Room of City Hall, 303 W. Wesley St.

The city hired the Active Transportation Alliance to draft the bike plan and they expect to finish it sometime this fall.  A task force for the bike plan is comprised of representatives from various city departments, the Wheaton Environmental Improvement Commission, the DuPage County Forest Preserve District and Community Unit School District 200.  The plan is being funded with $15,000 of a $514,400 federal grant received through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009.

The United States Access Board is developing new guidelines for public rights-of-way (PROWAG) that will address various issues, including access for blind pedestrians at street crossings, wheelchair access to on-street parking, and various constraints posed by space limitations, roadway design practices, slope, and terrain.

As part of the Access Board’s monthly series AccessibilityOnline, the webinar “Accessible Sidewalks and Street Crossings” will be held on Thursday, June 3 from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. CDT.

This webinar will present and describe the most recent draft of PROWAG and provide an update on the status of this rulemaking. Presenters include Lois Thibault and Scott J. Windley.  The following professional development certificates will be available:

• Certificate of Attendance (Free)
• American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System  ($25.00) : 1.5 Credits
• Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System  ($25.00) : 1.5 Credits

To register for this free webinar, visit www.accessibilityonline.org.