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Techniques For Mitigating Urban Sprawl |
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| Alternative Mode Support Strategies - Facility and Systems Improvements |
| Non-Motorized Mode Facility Support |
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A Harris poll for Bicycling Magazine in 1991 indicated that 46% of people 18 and older had ridden a bicycle in the previous year. Of these, up to 53% said they would commute to work if better facilities were available. 59% of all respondents reported that they would walk or would walk more if there were safe, designated paths or walkways (FHWA, 1994). Supportive actions include adding and improving paths and bike lanes, providing safe routes to school; providing bicycle carriers on buses; installing bicycle racks, lockers, and changing/shower facilities at Park & Ride lots; and much more. Increasing the walk mode share by 1% would reduce commute trips by 0.5%, and increasing the bike mode share by 1% would reduce commute trips by 0.9% (Comsis Corporation, 1993a, pp.4-31). Source/Reference: WSDOT, 2000, pp. 13-14.
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The Texas Legislature passed the “Matthew Brown Act” into law in 2001. The Act includes the Safe Routes to School Program, which is designed to create safe ways for children to reach school. The program adds new crosswalks, trails, and bike lanes to the existing infrastructure as well as promotes traffic calming measures. The Texas Bicycle Coalition received $3 million in funding for cities and communities to make improvements such as building new sidewalks, wider roadway shoulders, bicycle lanes and crosswalks.
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/Text.aspx?LegSess=77R&Bill=HB2204
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/Safe-Routes-2004/pages/appendix-a.htm
City of Austin.
Bicycle Pedestrian Program – “The purpose of the Bicycle Program is to integrate bicycles into the transportation system of the City of Austin. The program works with all City departments, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (formerly the Austin Transportation Study), Texas Department of Transportation and other governmental agencies to create more bicycle lanes, wide curb lanes, paths and other facilities.”
TxDOT Pedaling Safety – “Bicycling along roadways in Texas may put riders in touch with scenic vistas, but transportation planners and engineers at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) are far more concerned about vehicles along these roadways getting in touch with cyclists. Responding to a need for increased bike safety along roadways, TxDOT included in its Texas Transportation Plan the need to develop bicycle "suitability maps" to assist cyclists in selecting safer, "bike-friendly" highways.”
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http://www.biketexas.org/
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Envision Central Texas  6800 Burleson Road, Building 310, Suite 165 Austin, TX 78744 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 17848 Austin, TX 78760-7848 |
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