Action Planning for Active Transportation:

Making Cycling Irresistible From Plan to Program

(in the suburbs)

Richard Laymansustainable transportation planner

Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space

Our charge:

Significantly increase the percentage of people regularly bicycling to work, school, & errands

Positive cycling trends & PR focus on cities

America’s Top 50 Bicycling Cities

Source: Bicycling Magazine, April 2010

How do we take cycling from here . . .?

To here

. . . To here?

. . . But in the suburbs?

Is it a matter of willingness to cycle?

• 67% are willing to bicycle transportationally• 7% actually do so• Why? Perceived and real lack of safety on the

street

A need for better facilities?

Culture?

Regardless of place -- city or suburbs -- Changing paradigms is hard

But city-town spatial conditions make achieving active transportation easier

Form, function and cycling: cities vs. suburbs

Center Cities• Designed (1800-1890) to

optimize walking (+ biking and transit) trips

• Concentrated and mixed uses• Short distances between

destinations• Robust grid-based street

network with plenty of parallel road options

• Complete sidewalk network• Density of population• Oddity/Perception of

pedestrians, bicyclists & transit users as weird or poor

Suburbs• Designed (> 1920) to optimize

automobile trips• De-concentrated and separated

uses• Long distances between

destinations• Road network based on limited

number of arterials and curvilinear street patterns

• Incomplete sidewalk network• Limited right of way• Population is de-concentrated• Oddity2 – Bicyclist as “The Other”

Infrastructure is more than the physical

• Technologies/Facilities• Systems• Processes• Programs

Timelines of change

Copenhagen: 1962 ― ― ― ― ― ― ― → 2010Davis: 1965 ― ― ― ― ― ― ― ― ― ― → 2010Portland: 1970 ― ― ― ― ― ― ― ― → 2010Arlington County: 1970 ― ― ― ― ― → 2010

DC: 2001*― ― → 2010 Baltimore County: 2006 ― → 2010

* DC created a bicycle program in the mid-1990s, and shut it down later in the decade during a period of financial crisis

Culture is constructed!(Behavior is modeled/Behavior is learned)• Starts with Vision, Visionaries, and Breakthrough

Decisions• Incremental improvements annually (continuous

process improvement)- Portland: tore down Waterfront freeway,

prioritized transit over cars downtown, built transit system, extended focus to walkability and biking

- Copenhagen: first prioritized the pedestrian and later prioritized bicycling

- Arlington: Decided to integrate the subway along Wilson Boulevard, within the community, not out in the median of I-66

Remember what we’re dealing with:60% of the population is willing to bicycle . . . but they aren’t riding!

Bicycling as transportationTrails are a foundation . . .

But we shouldn’t be satisfied with high weekend recreational trail use

Diffusion of innovations(U.S. percentage of bicycle trips to work: 2.1%)

• Innovators (2.5%)• Early Adopters (13.5%)• Early Majority (34%)• Late Majority (34%)• Laggards (16%)-- Source: Rogers, Diffusion of

Innovations

Copenhagen is at about 40% mode split for bicycling (40 year process)

Our charge:Significantly increase the percentage of people regularly bicycling to work, school, & errands

• Systematically introduce children and youth to bicycling, at all age levels (elementary, middle, and high school)

• (Re)Introduce bicycling to adults, so that bicycling may be (re)adopted as a practical form of transportation

Rational planning isn’t about transformation:. . . It’s about system maintenance

• Focused on system maintenance not on change-transformation

• Project scopes for planning can be narrow

• Process is more static, not dynamic

• Implementation is handed off to other agencies (or no one)

Plans are the batons that too often get dropped by the other (“implementing”) agencies

To make Active Transportation happenPlanners must keep the baton . . . and run with it

Action planning as systems integration

1. Design Method over Rational Planning2. Social Marketing3. Integrated Program Delivery System4. Packaged through Branding & Identity

Systems5. Civic Engagement & Democracy at the

foundation = citizen at the center

Active transportation as a social movement

• Focused on behavior change (social marketing)• Starts with a vision and plan• In a difficult economic and political environment

(Executive, Council, neighborhood groups, citizenry, business groups)

• Requires a marketing (advocacy) and sales (program delivery) approach

• Focused on improving places (placemaking)• Positioned around improving quality of life

• Citizens: residents, neighborhood organizations, county-wide groups, other advocacy groups (Washington Area Bicycle Association)

• Business interests: Property owners/developers, business-urban improvement districts, business organizations

• Local government: Planning, DPW-Traffic Engineering, DPW-Highway Design, DPW- Transportation

Demand Management, Municipal Transit System, Permits and Zoning, Community Development, Economic Development, Tourism/CVB, Parks, Recreation, Police Department-Precincts, Police Department-Traffic, Schools, Aging, Neighborhood Services, Executive (County Executive or Mayor), Budget Office, Facilities Construction + separate municipalities

• Local elected officials: Executive (Mayor, Executive), Council, School Board • Other organizations: private schools, private recreational facilities -- nonprofit (e.g., YMCA) and for

profit (fitness centers), public and private colleges and universities, hospitals, federal facilities and corporate campuses

• Regional considerations: regional planning (MPO); abutting jurisdictions; Regional Transit System

• State: SHA-roads, SHA-funding, State Dept. of Planning, Governor’s Office, Dept. of Housing and Community Development, State Legislators, State Parks, State University system and planning mandates, State Board of Education (K-12 schools), Heritage Areas Authority

• Federal: Federal Highway Administration, US Department of Transportation, Members of Congress, Senators (earmarks)

Many interests & stakeholders

Our charge:Significantly increase the percentage of people regularly bicyclingHow to make it happen

1. Local (and state) Government policy, regulatory and organizational framework changes

2. Complete route network and facilities

3. Programming and support to help people take up bicycling (and walking and transit)

4. Implementation strategy and structure.

Changing Government Practice to enable success• Institute METRICS• Complete Streets policies• Transportation demand management paradigm• Bicycle program focused on programming as well as

facilities• Create plans at the district/sector/neighborhood scale• Coordinated effort across agencies• Make necessary zoning changes• Be strong -- Don’t wimp out (ICC & biking, failure to include

a bicycle station in the Sarbanes Transit Center, etc.)• Internal support programs for government agencies

Focus on opportunities for transformation

• Type of trip: Work, School, Errand• Demographic segment: Age, gender, race,

income, household type• Planning area: Sector, neighborhood, urban

district, council district• Residential population density• Areas of opportunity: Campuses (school, college,

hospital, employment); Multiunit residential buildings

• Transit stations and stops/catchment area

People want to be able to get to places that matter:Schools, parks, recreation facilities, libraries, stores etc.

Suburban bicycle facilities: Plan and implement at five scales

• 1 mile radius from school and transit• 3 mile radius from town/urban centers (“retail

trade areas”)• Between town centers• Across corridors/”cross county”• Regional linkages

Safer cycling in the suburbs:Near term options

Bicycle Boulevards

Off-road Trails

Wide shouldersCycle tracks are hard

Prioritize/phase facilities:Develop critical mass• Build for and from success: start with places that have the

most supportive conditions • County-wide network of multi-user trails serving

transportation and recreation is the foundation• Develop critical mass of bicycling infrastructure at the

sector/district level (including supporting facilities such as parking, bikestations, lockers & showers, etc.)

• On-street and off-street• Grow facilities outward, focused on connections between

districts and sub-districts and an integrated network• Prioritize walking-placemaking-transit improvements also

(e.g. White Flint “idea[l]”)

Develop facilities management and operations policies

• Multiple agencies must coordinate

• Address after-hours demand for bicycle commuting in parks which normally close at night

• Lighting for night riding• Maintenance of way for

pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users, e.g., snow, vegetation, etc.

Provide integrated support facilities

• Parking (long term and short term)• Showers & lockers for commuting• Flexible bicycle sharing systems

Bicycle Sharing

Showers & Lockers

Parking

Enable (and leverage) citizen engagement & empowerment• Involve and engage citizens in service delivery• Neighborhood, youth, park/trail ambassador programs

(biking, walking, transit) [Anchorage, Minneapolis, Chicago]

• Main Street Approach as a model (“Action” committees of volunteers, supported by staff)

• BUGs: Bicycle User Groups (Toronto)• Develop Ward/Borough/Council district level organizing

and support--standing committees/action groups (e.g., London Cyclists Campaign, Toronto Cyclists Union, Transportation Alternatives—NYC)

Programming at the sector/district level:Neighborhoods, Commercial districts, Parks, etc.

• Create plans for facilities and programs at the district/sector/neighborhood scale

• Develop intra-district trails that link civic assets and commercial districts to neighborhoods

• Work with community groups, recreation centers, other stakeholders to deliver programs

• Organize walks and rides – Tour dem Parks, BikeArlington, WalkArlington, history walks

• Extend concepts from walk & bike to school programs into neighborhoods

Programming for children & youth• Develop and deliver programs through the School

System, Recreation Department, Parks Department

• Public Schools - Mandate district-wide walk and bike to school program

(State policy change needed)- Set goal of 100% participation by elementary schools in

pedestrian and bicycling education programs- Add programs for middle school and high school students• Integrate private schools, day care, and other

youth-serving groups

Programming for adults• Use the curriculum by the League of American

Bicyclists as a model:- Traffic Skills 101 - ages 14+ (9 hours)- Traffic Skills 201 (14 hours)- Motorist Education (3 hours)- Bicycle Commuting (3 hours)- Kids I - oriented to parents- Kids II - 5th & 6th grade (7 hours)• Certified Instructor program• Other best practices curricula can be harvested too

Programming for adults

• Ensure that programming is available to all targeted demographic segments (e.g., women, seniors, families, people of color, language groups, etc.)

• Work to replicate quality programs and model curricula in other settings

Such as Senior Centers, Community College System, Recreation Centers

Programming at worksites and campuses

• Transportation demand management programs shouldn’t be an option, should be mandatory

• Worksite support for bicycle commuting • Special gym memberships for bicycle commuters• Bike to Work Day and other promotions• College programs to support walking and biking

to school for students, faculty and staff

Communications & Media

• Provide pedestrian and bicycle education materials – not just online. Print too!

• Active outreach at community events

• Maps (web, print)• Utilize transit stations and

stops to display information• Kiosk information systems at

major public facilities and destinations (and bicycle stores)

Wayfinding systems are a key element in branding a bicycle & pedestrian program

Enhanced wayfinding systems asmarketing and communications systems

Bicycling as Economic Development

• Bicyclists buy local• Technical assistance to bicycle

shops• Retailer roundtable• Business development

opportunities to serve visitors—Pennsylvania’s Trail Towns initiative

• State of Maryland Strategic Implementation Plan for Trails

• Carroll, Caroline, Talbot Counties bike tourism initiatives

Enforcement• Police officers (generally) aren’t planners and they

need our help • Engage police departments in active transportation

planning• Create coordinated process to analyze pedestrian and

bicycle accidents; create system for responding to findings (design flaws?) (Bikesafe, Pedsafe programs from FHWA)

• Expand police training on pedestrian and bicycling issues

• Enforcement/presence on trails, crime concerns• More high-profile enforcement efforts – not just

motorists – pedestrians and cyclists too

What’s the endgame?Transformation and creating a reinforcing cycle

MORE BICYCLISTSMORE

WALKERS

More awareness of pedestrians and cyclists

More safety

More demand forFacility improvements

More accommodation

Thank you!

Richard Layman

Rebuilding Place in the Urban Spacehttp://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.comRlaymandc@yahoo.com