Active Transportation

This focus page contains resources for bicycle and pedestrian planning, and other non-motorized transportation modes, including guidelines and design standards, case studies and ideas for integrated planning, funding strategies, and other helpful tools.

• The Transportation Planning Process: Key Issues A Briefing Notebook for Transportation Decision makers, Officials, and Staff   NEW!
  The Briefing Notebook is a primer for transportation decisionmakers and stakeholders. It provides government officials, planning board members, transportation service providers, and the public at large with an overview of transportation planning in metropolitan settings. Along with a basic understanding of the key concepts, the notebook provides references for additional information. Part I discusses transportation planning and its relationship to decisionmaking. Part II presents short descriptions of key products that are prepared as part of the transportation planning process. This book was updated in 2015 to reflect recent changes in Federal legislation.
• Statewide Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning Handbook   NEW!
  This handbook is designed to help State departments of transportation (DOTs) develop or update State pedestrian and bicycle plans. Based on research including interviews with nine State DOTs and critical evaluations of documents from 15 States, this handbook covers statewide planning from plan inception and scoping to engaging stakeholders and the general public; developing goals, objectives and strategies; collecting and analyzing data; linking to the larger statewide transportation planning process; and implementation. For each stage of the planning process, this handbook uses recent experiences and noteworthy practices from DOTs around the country, helping inform a new generation of statewide nonmotorized planning and implementation.
• Statewide Transportation Planning for Healthy Communities   NEW!
  This white paper, the second in a series from FHWA, presents insights and a flexible framework for State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) that choose to integrate public health considerations into their transportation planning and decision-making. It draws from five case studies of DOTs and their partners, and builds on the project team’s previous white paper in this series, which focused on metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and the metropolitan area transportation planning process.
• AASHTO's Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, 4th Edition provides information on how to accommodate bicycle travel and operations in most riding environments. It is intended to present sound guidelines that result in facilities that meet the needs of bicyclists and other highway users.
• Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Planning Guidance This document offers technical guidance on meeting the Federal requirements for consideration and appropriate inclusion of bicycle and pedestrian elements in Statewide and MPO transportation plans and TIPs.
• FHWA Bicycle & Pedestrian Program offers both Publications and Resources web links providing insight into the planning and decision process common to building an intermodal transportation system that focuses on accessibility and safety.
  
• FTA Bicycles and Transit webpage provides general information on planning and eligibility of bicycle facilities to promote access to transit stations by bicycle.
• Funding Information as identified in Federal surface transportation law provides tremendous flexibility to States and MPOs to fund bicycle and pedestrian improvements from a wide variety of programs.
• Model Design Manual for Living Streets is a customizable design guide to help communities improve their transportation facilities for all users.
• The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) Urban Bikeway Design Guide provides cities with state-of-the-practice solutions that can help create complete streets that are safe and enjoyable for bicyclists.
• Report to the U.S. Congress on the Outcomes of the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program SAFETEA-LU Section 1807 (April 2012)
  

Click here to access a full list of Legislation, Regulations, and Guidance related to bicycle and pedestrian planning on the TPCB website.

• To browse all existing events on the TPCB website or to add new ones, please visit the events calendar or the TPCB Resource Index.

The TPCB peer program is a free resource for agencies in need of transportation planning assistance. Visit the peer program page to learn more or apply for a peer event.

• Recent peer events related to bicycle and pedestrian planning:
  • Best Practices in Bicycle Facilities Planning: Learning from the Chicago Experience
  • APTA Bus and Paratransit Conference
  • Completing the Streets for Transit
  Read other peer event reports.

• Active Living Research is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation which supports and shares research on environmental and policy strategies that can promote daily physical activity for children and families across the United States.
• America Walks is a national coalition of local advocacy groups dedicated to promoting walkable communities.
• American Trails is a national advocacy organization working for the common interests of all trail users and offers an extensive resource library.
• Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals promotes excellence in the professional discipline of pedestrian and bicycle transportation, including engineering, planning, landscape architecture, safety, and promotion.
• Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach, An ITE Recommended Practice
• FHWA Bicycle & Pedestrian Program The Bicycle & Pedestrian Program of the Federal Highway Administration's Office of Human Environment promotes bicycle and pedestrian transportation use, safety, and accessibility.
• FHWA's Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety program which develops projects, programs, and materials for use in reducing pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities.
• League of American Bicyclists promotes bicycling for fun, fitness, and transportation and works through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America.
• NACTO's Urban Street Design Guide unveils the toolbox and the tactics cities use to make streets safer, more livable, and more economically vibrant.
• The National Center for Bicycling & Walking (NCBW) is a resident program at Project for Public Spaces, Inc. NCBW was establishing in 1977, as the Bicycle Federation of America, Inc. NCBW's mission is to create bicycle-friendly and walkable communities.
• National Center for Safe Routes to School provides technical support and resources concerning the Federal Safe Routes to School Program.
• Pedestrian and Bicycling Information Center The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) is a national clearinghouse for information about health and safety, engineering, advocacy, education, enforcement, access, and mobility for pedestrians (including transit users), and bicyclists. The PBIC serves anyone interested in pedestrian and bicycle issues, including planners, engineers, private citizens, advocates, educators, police enforcement, and the health community.
• The Transportation Research Board Bicycle Transportation Committee (ANF20) is concerned with all aspects of bicycling and bicyclists, and criteria for bicycle facilities to assure that the bicycle rider has safe, convenient and efficient travel.
• The Transportation Research Board Pedestrian Committee (ANF10) is concerned with research on pedestrians and pedestrian facilities that will provide safe, comfortable, and efficient walking environments along sidewalks, along and across roadways, and connecting to other modes of transportation.
• Walkscore.com is a website that rates the walkability of neighborhoods.