Resources
» General
» Status of Walking
» Planning
» Education and Encouragement
» Engineering
» Enforcement
» Evaluation
General
Status of Walking
- Census and American Community Survey data
- Specific journey to work data
- National Household Travel Survey
- National Survey of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Attitudes and Behaviors
- Finding pedestrian data and statistics
- Fatality Analysis Reporting System
Planning
Pedestrian Plans
Example mode share targets
ADA
- Access Board: Public Rights-of-Way Guide
- U.S. Access Board's Draft Guidelines for Accessible Public Rights-of-way
- Accessible Public Rights of Way: Planning and Designing for Alterations
- A Checklist for Accessible Sidewalks and Street Crossings
- Frequently asked questions about ADA requirements
- Department of Justice: ADA Best Practices Tool Kit for State and Local Governments
- U.S. Access Board's guide for trails
Complete Streets
Public Involvement
- Facilitating public participation
- The importance of pedestrian advisory councils
- Pedestrian Safety Planning Group Case Study
Sidewalk Construction
Connectivity
- Measuring network connectivity for bicycling and walking
- Information supporting the connection between walkability and connectivity
- Primer on roadway connectivity by the Victoria Transport Policy Institute
Trails
- Information on the benefits of trails, trail design, and types of trails
- Rails-to-Trails Conservancy report Active Transportation for America: A Case for Increased Federal Investment in Bicycling and Walking
- Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
- American Trails
Case studies on how communities are building trails
- Irondequoit Lakeside Multi-Use Trail, Rochester, New York
- Ke Ala Hele Makalae Trail,Kauai, Hawaii
- Tempe Crosscut Canal Multi-Use Path, Tempe, Arizona
- Saranac Lake River Walk, Saranac Lake, New York
- Philip A. Rayhill Memorial Trail, New Hartford, New York
- Linear Shared Use Path, Piqua, Ohio
Transit
- Federal Highway Administration: Pedestrian Safety Guide for Transit Agencies
- Information on walking and transit
- Factors affecting pedestrian route choices to transit
Example plans for improving walking and transit
Parking
- Environmental Protection Agency: Parking Spaces/Community Places: Finding the Balance through Smart Growth Solutions
- Parking Management: Strategies, Evaluation, and Planning — Victoria Transport Policy Institute
- A guideline for parking best practices — San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Commission
- Parking fact sheet — Alexandria, VA
- Discussion of a policy in Pasadena, California, that used parking meter revenue for pedestrian improvements
Mixed-Use Development
- Document from the Environmental Protection Agency describing the benefits of density
- Document from the Environmental Protection Agency describing the effects of school siting policies
- Vancourver, BC's EcoDensity Charter explains how density can support sustainable, livable communities
- The relationship between urban development and climate change
Urban Design Features
- Framework for measuring the effect of urban design features on walkability
- American Institute of Architects: Livability 101
- Example of a pedestrian-oriented overlay district — Greensboro, NC
- Municipal code specifying design standards along streets with high pedestrian traffic — Seattle, WA
Education and Encouragement
Safe Routes to School (SRTS)
- National Center for Safe Routes to School — Information Clearinghouse
- Walk to School Day
- Walking School Bus
- Walkability Checklist
- SRTS maps
- Student travel tally sheets
- SRTS encouragement case studies
- SRTS education case studies
- SRTS National Partnership
Professional Training
Education and Encouragement Campaigns
- Education programs information
- Social marketing strategies
- NHTSA guide on education children on safe street-crossing behaviors
- Social marketing case study — Portland, OR
- CDC social marketing campaign for preadolescents
- American Heart Association's public health campaign
- Driver education program for pedestrian safety — Montgomery County, MD
Walking Maps and Guides
Examples of guided walking tours
Self guided audio tours in New York, NY
Events and Activities
Examples of Sunday Parkways programs
Engineering
Sidewalk Design
- American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials: Guide for the Planning, Design, and Operation of Pedestrian Facilities
- Federal Highway Administration: Designing Sidewalks and Trails for Access, Part II of II: Best Practices Design Guide
Network Length
Sidewalk and Curb Ramp Inventory
Sidewalk inventory case studies
- Creating a Pedestrian Facility Inventory, New Castle County, Delaware
- Sidewalk Construction Program, Alameda, California
- Sidewalk Planning: A GIS-Based Approach, Austin, Texas
- Tucson Regional Sidewalk Inventory, Tucson, Arizona
- Article on how Seattle, Washington inventoried and assessed the quality of approximately 850 crosswalks in the city
Funding
SAFETEA-LU funding programs
- Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ)
- Safe Routes to School (SRTS)
- Transportation Enhancements (TE)
- American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
- State and local funding sources
- Private funding sources
- Point of sale requirements
Reporting of Hazards
Signal Design
- Federal Highway Administration: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
- Accessible pedestrian signals (APS) guidance
- Accessible pedestrian signals
- Signals information
- PedSafe website
- PedSafe manual
Crosswalks
- Safety Effect of Marked Versus Unmarked Crosswalks at Uncontrolled Locations: Final Report and Recommended Guidelines
- Crosswalk installation
- Crosswalk enhancements
- Helpful policy and standards for pedestrian crossings — Columbia, MO
Geometric Features
- Intersection Safety Indices (ISI)
- American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials: A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets
- Federal Highway Administration: Guidance Memorandum on Consideration and Implementation of Proven Safety Countermeasures
Innovative Treatments
- Rapid Flash LED Beacon analysis
- Urban crosswalk treatments
- Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (HAWK) case study — Phoenix, AZ
- Innovative crosswalk treatment case study — Arlington, VA
Traffic Calming
- Traffic calming
- Road diets
- Summary Report: Evaluation of Lane Reduction "Road Diet" Measures and Their Effects on Crashes and Injuries
- Example of a Neighborhood Traffic Management Program — Pima, AZ
Enforcement
Police Officers
Target Enforcement Programs
- Information on improving yield-to-pedestrian compliance
- General information on law enforcement approaches
- Information on the impact of crosswalk signs
- Educational messages
- Federal Highway Administration education materials for Spanish speaking pedestrians
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Guidelines for Developing Traffic Safety Materials for Spanish-Speaking Audiences
- Case studies about a successful education and enforcement programs — Amherst, Massachusetts
- Missoula, Montana
- Case studies on law enforcement officers helping implement targeted education campaigns — Orange County, Florida
- Burlington, Vermont
Traffic Citations
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Resource Guide on Laws Related to Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety
- See Chapter 8 in Countermeasures That Work
- Red light camera information
- Photo speed enforcement information
On-Street Safety and Security Measures
Crossing Guards
Strategic Enforcement Process
- This report uses the Swedish Traffic Accident Data Acquisition (STRADA) Database to analyze nonmotorized crashes
- Case study describing how the DOT and Police Department worked together and used crash and citation data to guide a comprehensive education and enforcement campaign — San Jose, CA
Collaboration
PBIC — Resources about developing diverse partnerships to address pedestrian safety issues
Evaluation
Pedestrian Counts
- Federal Highway Administration: Pedestrian and Bicycle Data Collection Systems in United States Communities
- National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project
Evaluation Tools
- Walkability checklists
- Pedestrian and Bicyclist Intersection Safety Indices
- Pedestrian Road Safety Audit Guidelines and Prompt Lists
- Health Impact Assessments
News and Updates
- June. 15, 2013: Applications close
- May 21, 2013: Three new communities earn Walk Friendly designations
- May 1, 2013: Applications open
- Nov. 28, 2012: "Giving Cities Legs: Ideas and Inspirations From Walk Friendly Communities" is now available online.
- Nov. 1, 2012: Applications open
- Sept. 6, 2012: Nine communities earn Walk Friendly designations.
- April 11, 2012: Three new communities earn Walk Friendly designations.
- September 22, 2011: 10 New Walk Friendly Communities Announced
