In 1990, the Federal Highway (FHWA) Administrator described bicycling
and walking as "the forgotten modes" of transportation. For most
of the preceding decade, these two nonmotorized transportation
options had been largely overlooked by Federal, State, and local
transportation agencies. An average of just $2 million of Federal
transportation funds were spent each year on bicycle and pedestrian
projects, and the percentage of commuting trips made by bicycling
and walking fell from a combined 6.7 percent to 4.4 percent.[2]
In the same year, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)
adopted a new national transportation policy that, for the first
time, specifically sought to "increase use of bicycling, and encourage
planners and engineers to accommodate bicycle and pedestrian needs
in designing transportation facilities for urban and suburban
areas", and "increase pedestrian safety through public information
and improved crosswalk design, signaling, school crossings, and
sidewalks." This policy signaled an increase in attention to bicycling
and walking.
The U.S. Congress wanted to know how the Department proposed
to increase bicycling and walking while improving the safety of
the two modes, and in fiscal year 1991 appropriated $1 million
to complete the National Bicycling and Walking Study (NBWS). The
legislation outlined five specific tasks:
- Determine current levels of bicycling and walking and identify
reasons why they are not better used as a means of transportation.
- Develop a plan for increased use and enhanced safety of these
modes and identify the resources necessary to implement and
achieve this plan.
- Determine the full costs and benefits of promoting bicycling
and walking in urban and suburban areas.
- Review and evaluate the success of promotion programs around
the world to determine their applicability to the role required
of the U.S. Department of Transportation to implement a successful
program.
- Develop an action plan, including timetable and budget, for
implementation of such Federal transportation policy.
Throughout 1991, input for the study was gathered from a wide
variety of sources including staff from the modal administrations
within the Department, agency field staff, State and local bicycle
and pedestrian coordinators, a group of national experts, and
from the general public. A Federal Register notice, published
in February 1991, generated more than 500 comments that were almost
all strongly supportive of efforts to improve conditions for bicycling
and walking.
In 1992, a series of 24 case studies was commissioned to investigate
different aspects of the bicycling and walking issue. These reports
gathered a wealth of information on bicycling and walking from
around the world and provided a snapshot of the state of bicycling
and walking in the United States in the early 1990s. The studies
also highlighted information gaps, identified common obstacles
and challenges to improving conditions for the nonmotorized traveler,
and suggested possible activities and a leadership role for the
Department.
On April 22, 1994, the Federal Highway Administrator and National
Highway Traffic Safety Administrator walked the final report of
the National Bicycling and Walking Study from the Department of
Transportation to the U.S. Congress. The study contained two overall
goals:
- Double the percentage of total trips made by bicycling and
walking in the United States from 7.9 percent to 15.8 percent
of all travel trips; and
- Simultaneously reduce by 10 percent the number of bicyclists
and pedestrians killed or injured in traffic crashes.
In addition to these goals, the Study identified a nine-point
Federal Action Plan with 60 specific activities for the Office
of the Secretary (OST), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA),
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Federal
Transit Administration (FTA), and Federal Railroad Administration
(FRA); and a five-point State and Local Action Plan with a range
of suggested activities for State and local agencies.
In 1999, the U.S. Department of Transportation released a five-year
report[3] documenting its response to the National Bicycling and
Walking Study and the goals and action plans identified in the
NBWS.
This report builds on the previous work to assess the Department
of Transportation's activities and progress in respect to the
National Bicycling and Walking Study goals and action plans in
the ten years since the Study was released. Chapter 2 provides
an overview of progress towards the two national goals and the
Federal, State and local action plans. Chapter 3 discusses the
status of bicycling and walking within the Department of Transportation
ten years after the release of this landmark study. Chapter 4
identifies conclusions and recommendations for action that can
reinvigorate the Department's commitment to achieving the overall
goals of the study. A detailed assessment of how the Department
has responded in the last five years to each of the 60 activities
in the nine-point Federal Action Plan is provided in Appendix
1. Appendix 2 presents the detailed assessment of the Department's
response that was prepared for the first five-year report. Appendix
3 presents funding information for bicycle and pedestrian projects
using Federal-aid funds.
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