The National Bicycling and Walking Study was mandated by the 1991 U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Appropriations Act. The Study was initiated in early 1991. A working group within the U.S. DOT - including representatives from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and the Office of the Secretary of Transportation - was established to provide direction to the Study. The purpose of this report is to recommend a plan of action for achieving the Study goals of doubling the percentage of bicycling and walking trips, while decreasing by 10 percent the number of crash-related injuries and deaths. Chapter 1 summarizes the Study goals, discusses the Study background, and outlines the content of this report. Chapter 2 looks at current levels of bicycling and walking, the potential for increased use, and the benefits of these changes. Chapter 3 presents an action plan for programs and activities at the national level, and Chapters 4 and 5 do the same for the State and local levels. Chapter 6, the final chapter, presents a challenge for the future. The action plans presented are comprehensive in scope, covering activities directed at increasing public awareness of the benefits of nonmotorized transportation, improved facilities to make bicycling and walking more viable and attractive transportation options, providing needed educational and law enforcement support, and "institutionalizing" bicycling and walking into the nation's transportation system. (A)
Abstract