Strategies for Increasing Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety and Use

Abstract

Passage of the 1991 Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act has resulted in increased emphasis on alternative modes of transportation. Two old modes of transportation, bicycling and walking, are beginning to receive renewed attention. This attention is centered on those actions that are effective in increasing the safety and usage of bicycling and walking. With these goals in mind, many agencies are developing programs that use the elements of engineering, education, and enforcement directed toward all segments of the community. This paper presents the results of a project sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration that compiled considerations and inducements that could be used by local agencies to increase bicycle and pedestrian activity. Strategies addressed include providing bicycle facilities for employees, linking bicycling and walking with mass transit, eliminating roadway hazards for bicyclists, removing sidewalk obstacles for pedestrians, regulating bicycle couriers, and maintaining pedestrian facilities through construction zones.