Feds emphasizing pedestrians & bicyclists

Policy reforms underway

Steve Hawley, Mar 17, 10.

UPDATED 03/18/10, 11:28 am

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) is significantly reforming its policies to place more of an emphasis on bicycle networks, according to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s FastLane blog.

LaHood calls the reforms a “sea change,” saying, “This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.”

LaHood continues:

We are integrating the needs of bicyclists in federally-funded road projects. We are discouraging transportation investments that negatively affect cyclists and pedestrians. And we are encouraging investments that go beyond the minimum requirements and provide facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.

To set this approach in motion, we have formulated key recommendations for state DOTs and communities:

* Treat walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes.
* Ensure convenient access for people of all ages and abilities.
* Go beyond minimum design standards.
* Collect data on walking and biking trips.
* Set a mode share target for walking and bicycling.
* Protect sidewalks and shared-use paths the same way roadways are protected (for example, snow removal)
* Improve nonmotorized facilities during maintenance projects.

He notes that walking and bicycling projects are inexpensive, quick to build, and beneficial to the environment and public health, and that they reduce travel costs and help re-connect communities.

A recent report from Transportation for America found that there are almost 5,000 preventable pedestrian deaths every year across the United States. The report concluded that Houston is the 8th most dangerous city in the country for pedestrians. In response to the report, Mark Seegers, a spokesman for County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia, told the Houston Chronicle, “[Sidewalks are] an expense not related to transportation. The county does not do sidewalks; it’s not what gets cars from point A to point B.”

Regarding the DOT policy change, Transportation for America says:

DOT is saying all the right things in this statement, but they need the legislative authority and money from Congress to line up with their excellent intentions.

So we’ve taken a first step. A big, important leap into a safer world for everyone who uses our streets. But there is more left to do.

United States Department of Transportation Policy Statement on Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodation Regulations and Recommendations
Transportation for America report: Dangerous by Design