Bicycle and pedestrian considerations are institutionalized at state, regional, and local levels through the adoption of plans that provide a roadmap for projects and programs. These plans can support the nuts and bolts of complete streets policy implementation, foster healthy communities, address transportation inequities and access, and provide a framework to operationalize Vision Zero and other goals. Pedestrian and bicycle plans can be stand alone or may be elements of an integrated, multimodal transportation system. Effective plans reflect the values of the community they serve and are constantly being revised and updated.

Regardless of the size of the community, plan development consists of a few key steps: 1) set a vision and outline goals; 2) review and document existing conditions including policies, ordinances, infrastructure, and programs to identify challenges and opportunities; 3) engage stakeholders, decision makers, and the public at large to share and gather feedback for next steps; 4) use data to inform project needs, identify unsafe behaviors to target, and set benchmarks for measuring performance; and 5) prioritize projects and programs to implement and identify funding options.

Resources

Notable Changes in Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines Final Rule
US Access Board
Highlights notable changes in updated Public Right-of-Way (PROWAG) Accessibility Guidelines Final Rule.

Land Use as a Strategy for Transportation, Housing, and the Environment
U.S. Department of Transportation
Lays out the rationale to use land use policies as one strategy for achieving improved outcomes in transportation system performance.

Safer Streets, Stronger Economies
National Complete Streets Coalition
Analyses data and explores the outcomes from investments in Complete Streets.

Achieving Multimodal Networks: Applying Design Flexibility and Reducing Conflicts
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Presents practitioner-oriented guidance for agencies who want to apply context-specific design to reduce conflicts and connect their networks.

Small Town and Rural Multimodal Networks
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Provides examples of applying nonmotorized network principles in small and rural communities.

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Examples

Sharing Spaces with Robots: The Basics of Personal Delivery Devices
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
Clarifies terms and definitions for personal delivery devices (PDDs), describes their physical and operational characteristics, and provides an overview of key policy and research areas affecting their deployment with an emphasis on pedestrians and bicyclists.

Development of Statewide Design Guidelines for Improving Pedestrian Safety on High-Speed Arterials in Louisiana
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
Develops statewide guidelines for pedestrian safety on high-speed arterials.

Case Studies in Delivering Safe, Comfortable, and Connected Pedestrian and Bicycle Networks (Volume I)
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA, UNC Highway Safety Research Center (HSRC)
This report provides an overview of pedestrian and bicycle network principles and highlights examples from communities across the country.

Complete Streets Construction Cost Case Studies
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Provides Complete Streets Construction Cost Case Studies.

Fundamentals of Community Impact Assessment
National Highway Institute
Offers self-paced training on Community Impact Assessment in transportation planning.

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