Chapter Two: Creating Your Community Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan

Step 6: Develop Implementation Plan

It is one thing to develop a bicycle and pedestrian plan, and another to get it implemented! By following Step 1 through Step 5 of this handbook, planners and citizens should create momentum through the public process and gain official support. Step 6 examines how to further institutionalize a local plan through coordination with other planning efforts and incorporation into the regional transportation planning process. In order to create a bicycle and pedestrian friendly community, it is imperative that projects are programmed and funded and that policies are adopted that assure long-term commitment to plan implementation.

Many local planning factors affect the successful development of bicycle/pedestrian friendly communities. Land use planning and zoning, street design, open space and park planning, as well as investment decisions, all contribute. Coordination of bicycle/pedestrian planning with other local planning efforts is essential for effective results and efficient use of resources. Coordination with regional and state planning is necessary to ensure funding, as well as to use funds efficiently.

Value of Coordination

Coordination empowers implementation. Bicycle and pedestrian improvements should be accomplished in the context of other projects as often as possible. For instance, if a roadway is being widened, then bicycle traffic and pedestrian crossing issues should be considered early in the planning process. In this way, a bicycle lane or median refuge islands might be included in the project, at relatively little cost.

Coordination with other agencies is generally necessary to implement inter-community trail systems. Planning, design, signing and maintenance require coordination. Costs and staff time can be saved by pooling projects of a similar type or applying for federal funding for a program to benefit multiple communities. For instance, a group of Chicago suburban communities have established a joint program to provide bicycle parking at commuter rail stations.

Product/Action

• Adopt the bicycle and pedestrian plan into the community comprehensive plan and look at other local planning efforts for opportunities to implement aspects of the plan.
• Work with other communities, regional and state agencies to develop joint planning and funding initiatives.

When specific projects are identified, planning evolves into programming. Programming begins with prioritizing projects.

Criteria for prioritizing projects include:

• Relative need for the facility as identified in the public process.
• Importance to completion of a system of connected facilities.
• Opportunity to accomplish in the context of another improvement.
• Relative cost – inexpensive projects that can be readily implemented should proceed quickly.
• Schedule – projects that require complex planning and funding applications will necessarily be programmed over a longer time period.

These and other factors can be weighted to decide on corridor and project priorities.

Assigning Costs

Project costs must be assigned as accurately as possible. Reliable cost estimates result from careful consideration of the process and details of the project. Average costs and wage-rate figures are often inadequate to properly assess real costs. Professionals familiar with prevailing labor, service and material costs and with Iowa Department of Transportation procedures should prepare cost proposals.

Annual and Longer Range Programs

Projects should be organized into short-range (usually, annual) and long-range programs. Short-range projects are those with the highest priority. Five- or 10-year programs will include projects that require a longer planning horizon.

Ideally, among the short-term projects, some will be highly visible and popular. This will build momentum for the planning effort. Adding bicycle parking improvements or designating bicycle routes with directional signing to local attractions are inexpensive options. Another way to get quick results is to work with an already programmed improvement to add on a bicycle lane or sidewalk project.

Product/Action

• Prioritize bicycle projects and pedestrian improvements.
• Develop short- and long-range programs through which plan projects will be implemented.
• Carefully define the scope and costs of projects to improve funding prospects.

Bicycle and pedestrian projects can be funded through a wide variety of sources. Trails have been created out of little more than volunteer effort and bake sales. At the same time, many projects require substantial public funding. The major source of public funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects is currently coming through the state from TEA 21 funds. TEA 21 (the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century) is the 1998 re-authorization of ISTEA (the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991). This legislation sets national policy for funding roads, transit and now, occasionally, trails. ISTEA strengthened public involvement in the planning process and made transportation funds more flexible so they could be used for bicycle and pedestrian projects as well as highways. ISTEA/TEA 21 is the source of the Transportation Enhancements Program and other programs that can fund non-motorized transportation projects. (See Chapter 6 of Iowa Trails 2000 for additional sources of funding).

Working with Transportation Projects

Most non-motorized transportation improvements should not need to be funded as independent projects. As supported by federal and state of Iowa policies, bicycling and walking accommodations should be routinely considered in transportation projects. Most federal and state transportation funds, such as the Surface Transportation Program (STP) of TEA 21 may be used for these modes. Many improvements specified in local plans can be implemented in the context of other transportation projects. Furthermore, the entire transportation system will become more conducive to walking and bicycling as routine accommodations are undertaken.

Federal and State Transportation Funding

The primary sources of federal and state funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects include various programs authorized by TEA 21. The most significant of these programs are as follows:

Transportation Enhancement Program: funds bicycle and pedestrian projects (among several other project categories) that serve the transportation system; new area of eligibility is safety and educational activities for pedestrians and bicyclists. Provisions include:

• $3.3 billion nationwide over six years
• Available for bicycle or pedestrian projects that relate to "surface transportation"
• 80/20 match applies to state program, not necessarily to individual projects
• Match may be other federal funds, in-kind services or contributions

Hazard Elimination Program: directed toward elimination of hazardous roadway conditions. Provisions include:

• $3.3 billion nationwide over six years
• Bicyclists added to the list of road users for whom hazardous locations can be treated
• Trails and traffic calming measures explicitly made eligible activities
• 90 percent federal share

CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality) Program:funds projects that improve air quality in non-attainment areas. Provisions include:

• $270 million nationwide over six years
• Bicycle and pedestrian projects remain eligible

Transit Enhancements Program:funds to improve access to transit. Provisions include:

• $25-$35 million nationwide over six years
• Bicycle and pedestrian projects are eligible for this new funding category
• 95 percent federal funds

Recreational Trails Program: Special category of TEA 21 specifically for trail development. Provisions include:

• $270 million nationwide over six years
• 50 percent federal share

Additionally, bicycle and pedestrian projects remain eligible for Scenic Byways Program; Bridge Programs; Federal Lands Highways; and, Section 402 safety programs that are administered through the Governors Highway Safety Program.

Whichever funding source is being sought, it will likely fund only a portion of the overall costs of the project. Requirements for local matches generally range from 50:50 to 80:20. For this reason, a community should set aside an annual budget of funds that can be used toward bringing significant outside dollars into the community through such programs. (Chapter 6 of the Iowa Trails Plan 2000 includes guidelines for the various TEA 21 funding areas including the Iowa DOT's Transportation Enhancement Program).

Inclusion of Projects in the TIP

Key to implementing bicycle and pedestrian projects through transportation funding sources is to get them included in the MPO and RPA Transportation Improvement Program (the TIP) and the State Transportation Improvement Program (the STIP). Local bicycle and pedestrian planning should coordinate with regional planning agencies to expedite the inclusion of their projects into the TIP. (Contacts for District Transportation Planners and for the MPOs and RPAs throughout the state are listed in Appendix Three).

The projects must be shown to have a reasonable chance of being funded to be included in the TIP. As discussed above, careful planning and cost estimating is important. Competition is fierce for funding, and it is helpful if the regional agency has evaluation criteria that allow good non-motorized projects to score well. Rural areas that are not within MPOs will work through the RPA to have a project included in the regional TIP. A community may also apply directly to the state for inclusion in the STIP if the project has statewide or regional significance. The District Transportation Planners should be contacted for more information.

Product/Action

• Seek inclusion of projects on the regional TIP or Iowa's STIP.
• Work with the District Transportation Planner for your area.
• Encourage your regional planning agency to establish a non-motorized technical and/or advisory group to help local governments with coordination, planning and project programming.

Developing a plan is the first step toward creating a bicycle and pedestrian-friendly community. No one agency or department can accomplish this goal alone. Coordination with other planning efforts is necessary and many actors are involved in plan implementation. The Checklist for Local Communities summarizes the actions that must be taken (strategies and policies), the actors who must be involved (implementers), and the planning efforts through which a bicycle and pedestrian friendly community can be achieved.

Product/Action

Every community will have its own priorities, opportunities and constraints. The emphasis of the implementation plan is facility development. There are additional ways to improve conditions for bicycling and walking. Safety education and law enforcement can play important roles. Other seemingly unrelated activities like housing density and site design have important implications, as previously discussed. The Checklist for Local Communities offers a smorgasbord of strategies and policies to be selected and developed as appropriate for each community.