Including Experts and Training Professionals
Consultants
Experts in pedestrian and bicycle transportation planning should be included on all consulting teams for major public works projects that affect the transportation system. This can be accomplished by making sure the requests for proposals (RFPs) that are issued by state and local units of government include this requirement. Check the track records of prospective consultants. See if key staff are members of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP). See if they have worked on other pedestrian projects in your state. Make sure that the people with the experience will be involved in the work and include time in the project budget for them.
Internal and external training
Many of the small day-to-day decisions that affect bicyclists and pedestrians are made by designers, planners, and engineers who would be sympathetic to the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians, but have not received training on how to facilitate safe bicycling and walking. This is true for employees of public agencies and consulting firms. Consequently, the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians are too often overlooked. To correct this, agencies need to facilitate ongoing training. This can take the form of presentations, conferences, seminars and written materials. Presentations at staff meetings can be an effective way of alerting people to particular needs. When a special training is organized, invite key members of the public who need to be informed and can advocate for good pedestrian policies. For more information on pedestrian and bicycle training, see the Training section.
