In 2005, the U.S. Congress established the Non-motorized Transportation Pilot Program (NTPP) as Section 1807 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The goal was to evaluate the effects of increased investment in walking and bicycling infrastructure. Over the next 4 years, the NTPP provided a total of more than $25 million annually in contract authority to four pilot communities (approximately $6.25 million to each community): Columbia, Missouri; Marin County, California; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. Each community implemented locally devised strategies to increase the use of non-motorized transportation and documented any accompanying safety, environmental, and health benefits. The NTPP funding enabled pilot communities to make significant investments in walking and bicycling infrastructure and education. Each community had its own approach to program implementation and project selection, depending on existing facilities, plans, and identified needs. A working group established by NTPP estimates that bicycling as a mode share of transportation increased 36% across all four communities between 2007 and 2010, walking increased 14%, and driving decreased 3%. For most of the communities, the increase in bicycling and walking was attributable primarily to utilitarian trips. The working group estimates that between 2007 and 2010, residents of the pilot communities walked or bicycled between 32.3 and 37.8 million more miles than they would have without the NTPP (controlling for population growth). Assuming a one-to-one tradeoff between vehicle trips and non-motorized trips, the working group estimated that between 2007 and 2010, the program conserved 1.67 million gallons of gasoline and averted more than 30.8 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. In addition to developing infrastructure and programs locally, the pilot communities contributed to the national field of non-motorized transportation through experimenting with innovative designs, outreach, education, and data collection and evaluation methods that can be applied by peer communities nationwide. The experiences of the pilot communities also demonstrate how Federal resources can assist cities and towns with developing walking and bicycling networks and highlight the significance of what can be accomplished with a concentrated focus. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting