Practices for Selecting Pedestrian and Bicycle Projects (2021)

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

1   State departments of transportation (DOTs) conduct planning and administer funding programs for the implementation of pedestrian and bicycle projects. These projects can be advanced as standalone improvements or incorporated into larger initiatives such as corridor/intersection reconstruction and reallocation of space on existing transportation facilities. State DOT practices for selecting pedestrian and bicycle projects are influenced by internal policy goals, the availability and eligible uses of federal and state funding programs, and the level of involvement of non–state DOT stakeholders. These practices continue to evolve on the basis of each state DOT’s unique experiences and those of their peers, as well as through guidance developed by the Federal Highway Administration and others. The objective of this synthesis is to document and summarize state DOT practices for selecting pedestrian and bicycle projects, excluding design elements. The synthesis scope encompasses the identification of the policy goals that state DOTs use to guide evaluation and selection of pedestrian and bicycle projects along with associated criteria, metrics, and targets that are included in the plans and programs they produce. The types of pedestrian and bicycle projects that are funded using federal programs and state revenues are docu- mented along with the level of involvement in the selection process by non–state DOT stakeholders at the state, regional, and local levels. This synthesis used multiple methods to identify how state DOTs select pedestrian and bicycle projects. These included (1) a literature review of multiple sources to gain an under- standing of previous research conducted on state DOT processes for identifying, evaluating, prioritizing, and selecting pedestrian and bicycle projects; (2) an inventory and review of the statewide plans and documents (e.g., reports, guidelines) relevant to the selection of pedes- trian and bicycle projects for all 50 states and the District of Columbia; (3) an online survey distributed to the FHWA-maintained list of state bicycle and pedestrian coordinators of all 50 state DOTs and the District of Columbia about their pedestrian and bicycle policy goals, related means for evaluating projects, types of funding sources used, and engagement with external stakeholders; and (4) case examples of four state DOTs based on interviews that gathered information on those states’ experiences in selecting pedestrian and bicycle projects. The major findings of this synthesis include the following: • Since 1992, the amount of federal funds available for implementing pedestrian and bicycle projects has risen steadily. As of 2014, all 50 states had at least one source of state funding that could be used to advance pedestrian and bicycle projects, and 14 states had a dedicated state pedestrian and bicycle funding program. S U M M A R Y Practices for Selecting Pedestrian and Bicycle Projects

2 Practices for Selecting Pedestrian and Bicycle Projects • State DOTs administer the majority of federal and state pedestrian and bicycle funding programs. In doing so, state DOTs generally use a process that includes 1. Establishing policy goals, objectives, and performance measures; 2. Identifying pedestrian and bicycle projects to be proposed for implementation; 3. Evaluating and prioritizing proposed pedestrian and bicycle projects; and 4. Selecting pedestrian and bicycle projects to be awarded funds. • Several major policy goals guide the vast majority of state DOTs’ evaluation and selec- tion of pedestrian and bicycle projects. These policy goals were found to be consistent across the multiple research methods employed for this synthesis. • State DOTs identify pedestrian and bicycle projects to be evaluated and considered for funding (including projects sponsored by non–state DOT stakeholders) through a combination of internal and external—and sometimes hybrid—processes. • The methods used to evaluate and prioritize candidate pedestrian and bicycle projects can vary from quantitative analyses conducted using custom models and tools to quali- tative assessments. Some state DOTs also consider factors such as a project sponsor’s capacity for timely implementation and for ensuring distribution of funding to all parts of the state. • State DOTs evaluate and select not only standalone pedestrian and bicycle projects but also pedestrian and bicycle improvements that are funded and implemented as part of larger roadway and bridge projects. Certain federal fund sources and many state funding programs are used primarily for including pedestrian and bicycle components in larger projects. • Non–state DOT stakeholders at the local, regional, and state levels are involved in the development of state plans that include pedestrian and bicycle components. The types of involvement can include making these stakeholders aware of the development of state DOT plans, consulting with these stakeholders as part of the development of the plans, and offering stakeholders an active and direct role as part of the plan development process. During the development of this synthesis, knowledge gaps were identified, and sug- gestions for future research were formulated. These include • Identifying the current state of the practice and methodologies available and under development for postimplementation assessments of pedestrian and bicycle projects completed through state DOT–administered programs to estimate the actual benefits accrued from their implementation. • Conducting a comparative evaluation of metropolitan planning organization (MPO) participation and influence in state DOT–administered selection of pedestrian and bicycle projects to gather information on the various coordination, technical, and other capabilities of MPOs that state DOTs may be able to leverage. • Inventorying and examining sources of state funding for pedestrian and bicycle projects to evaluate the current and projected adequacy of different types of revenue sources under various scenarios including, but not limited to, changes in vehicle miles traveled, penetration of electric and alternative vehicles, and increased shared mobility and micromobility options. • Analyzing the similarities and differences in state DOT processes for identifying pedes- trian and bicycle projects to provide for knowledge transfer with regard to opportunities to improve project proposals through revised or enhanced materials developed and dis- tributed by state DOTs to potential project sponsors and provision of feedback by state DOTs to potential project sponsors during proposal development.