reposted from the League of American Bicyclists

In January, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Safety placed Road Diets on the official list of Proven Safety Countermeasures. States are actively encouraged to use the listed safety countermeasures and FHWA provides guidance on their application. Road Diets slow traffic by reducing car travel lanes and replacing them with things like bike lanes and center turn lanes.

Before and after photo of Philo Road in Urbana, IL, from www.vtpi.org, provided by the City of Urbana.

To learn more about how Road Diets came to be added to the list and the practical implications of this move, we had some questions for FHWA Associate Administrator for Safety Tony Furst. Mr Furst was kind enough to take some time to talk about the safety benefits of Road Diets for all road users.

League: What is the process by which a safety measure is added to the list?

Administrator Furst: FHWA assembled experts from across the agency to research

effective countermeasures in three primary areas – intersections, roadway departure, and pedestrian safety. In its evaluation, the team assessed the implementation of countermeasures

Tony Furst, FHWA Associate Administrator for Safety

across the country, what we know about the countermeasures from the Crash Modifications Factors Clearinghouse – a comprehensive repository of research and evaluations

for safety countermeasures, and peer reviews by researchers and professional engineers from across the road safety field. Ultimately, the nine were chosen based on the quality of the research that shows that they are proven safety countermeasures and are ready to be widely implemented.

A Road Diet is an increasingly popular countermeasure that is very compatible with a Complete Streets application and one that FHWA promotes in the “Designing for Pedestrian Safety” courses – it is an excellent safety countermeasure and works well on many levels.

League: What are the safety benefits for drivers? What are the safety benefits for bicyclists and people on foot?

Administrator Furst: Road Diets reduce vehicle speed which makes the roadway environment safer for all road users. For bicyclists in particular, road diets often include bike lanes, a plus for the cycling community. For pedestrians, this countermeasure slows vehicles in the midblock area. Since 70 percent of pedestrian fatalities occur at midblock crossings, road diets can definitely help save pedestrian lives.

League: What can advocates do to encourage their state DOTs to undertake Road Diets?

Administrator Furst: When a State or municipality identifies a safety issue that can be improved by the application of a road diet, safety advocates can support its implementation. When safety advocates bring their issues to a State DOT or municipality, it helps if they can bring potential solutions, and if road diets improve the issue being brought forward, it could be that solution.

Darren Flusche
League Policy Analyst

Flusche joined the League in April 2009 and has a B.A. in history from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in public policy analysis from New York University.

From Americabikes.org:

On Thursday, February 2, the House Transportation Committee will vote on the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, a bill that eliminates crucial funds for biking and walking.

This long-awaited multi year transportation bill eliminates the two largest programs that fund biking and walking infrastructureundefinedTransportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School. Without these programs, communities all over the country will lose resources to build the sidewalks, crosswalks, and bikeways that make biking and walking safe and accessible in communities across the country.

Top Ten Problems with the bill in priority order:

1. Transportation Enhancements is gone.
2. Safe Routes to School is gone.
3. The Congestion Mitigation Air Quality program (CMAQ) is less likely to support pedestrian, bicycle, and transit improvements because air quality is no longer the operative measure.
4. States are no longer required to maintain safe bridge access for bicycles.
5. Placeholder for what’s wrong with the planning language.
6. Rails to Trails are no longer eligible for funding under the Surface Transportation program.
7. Pedestrian and bicycle coordinators in state DOTs are eliminated.
8. Pedestrian, bicycle and Enhancements clearinghouses gone.
9. Eliminates the requirement that rumble strips “do not adversely affect the safety or mobility of bicyclists, pedestrians or the disabled.”
10. Eliminates language that specifically includes traffic calming and improvements for ped-bike safety as eligible HSIP projects.

We can’t let this bill pass.

On Thursday, the Committee will vote on an amendment to preserve dedicated funding for biking and walking.

People from all over the country are working together to ask members of the House Transportation Committee to preserve dedicated funding for biking and walking. Here’s what you can do now:

• If your Representative is on the Transportation Committee, call or email their office and ask them to preserve dedicated funding for biking and walking.
• Have you met with your Representative or Staff before? If so, take this opportunity to call their district office and make the same ask. Remind them of the positive things they said about biking and walking when you met with them before.
• If your Representative is not on the Transportation Committee, you can still help. Learn more about the issue. Once it passes the Committee, the transportation bill will be on the House floor in a few weeks, where all the members will vote. We will need your help there!

Not sure whether your Representative is on the Transportation Committee? Find your Representative here.

The 2012 legislative session is now underway in Richmond.

The Virginia Bicycling Federation (VBF) is there on behalf of cyclists statewide. VBF is currently tracking 14 bills affecting cycling.

Follow all of the action including daily reports from the committee hearings at www.vabike.org . Learn what your area delegates and senators are really saying about bicycling!!!

City of Virginia Beach is holding a Citizen Information Meeting for the Shore Drive Phase III project (Lesner Bridge to just of east of N. Great Neck Rd) on November 30th from 5-7 pm at John B. Dey Elementary School.

The school is located at 1900 N. Great Neck Rd in Virginia Beach.

According to the public notice, the project will improve vehicular and pedestrian traffic flow and safety in the roadway and intersections; improve storm drainage; include a multi-use trail and on-street BIKE LANES; and enhance the corridor with aesthetic elements such as landscaping and lighting. 

Cyclists with an interest in Shore Drive are urged to attend the meeting in support of the proposed bike lanes.

Please sign the League of American Bicyclists petition to prevent passage of a law mandating sidepath use on certain Federal lands such as in our national parks: 

Click here to sign the LAB's petition

How about a world class mountain bike trail right here in Virginia?

It can happen with everyone's support. Check out this video which shows the great work that the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition and Chris Scott with Shenandoah Mountain Touring are doing:

Virginia Mountain Bike Trail

65,000 ft of climbing? For real?

The Virginian-Pilot is carrying a report about a cyclist hit on Hampton Blvd in Norfolk. Early details indicate that the cyclist was proceeding against a red light at Hanover Ave:

Man recovering after bicycle collides with car

Another attack on the Transportation Enhancement grant program, which funds such worthwhile projects as the Elizabeth River Trail, Dismal Swamp Canal Trail, South Hampton Rds Trail and many other needed bike and pedestrian improvements.

Please watch the following 2 min video message from League of American Bicyclists president Andy Clarke and then contact your senator: "I bike, I vote"

Deadline for comments is Monday, Oct. 31, with an expected vote in committee the next day.

TBA was the only bicycle group present and was the sole source of testimony requesting continued state support for better bicycling at the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) hearing held in the City of Chesapeake this past Monday.

In his remarks to the committee, TBA Advocacy Chair Bruce Drees also requested that the CTB support grant applications for the South Hampton Rds Trail as well as the Dismal Swamp Connector Trail projects.

The CTB is the state's highest transportation policy making body. It is chaired by Virginia's Secretary of Transportation and consists of high level state officials and citizen representatives. This includes the VDOT and Dept of Rail and Publc Transit (DRPT) heads. The group is responsible for overseeing nearly all transportation policy in the state and sets the funding formulas which determine how available transportation funds will be distributed throughout Virginia. 

Deciding which transportation enhancement (T/E) grant applications will be funded is another CTB responsibility. In recent decades this program has helped build the Elizabeth River Trail in Norfolk, improvements to the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail in Chesapeake, and the Virginia Capital Trail between Richmond and Williamsburg as well many bike and pedestrian related safety improvements.

Once a year the CTB goes on the road to hold hearings throughout the state. It is vital for cycling to be represented as there have been a number of recent attacks on current policy in an effort to revert our road designs back to standards from 50 years ago and curtail dedicated bridge access fo cyclists and pedestrians.

Joining North Carolina and Virginia's sections of the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail took another step forward today. In a meeting hosted by the Albemarle Commission, Camden County, City of Chesapeake, and other state and federal officials gathered to consider a consultant's report on how a 3.3 mile long 10 ft wide trail might be constructed within land along US Highway 17 and the historic canal on the North Carolina side.

Similarly, City of Chesapeake is considering the feasibility of extending their part of the DSCT southward 1.8 miles to the state line as part of a separate initiative.

This is an important but very early stage in the process and much work remains before this 5 mile gap will be bridged. When this and other planned improvements are complete it will be possible to bike from South Mills, NC all the way to Deep Creek in Chesapeake, a distance of about 20 miles on a dedicated trail.

The two existing trails on each side of the state line are already very popular and well used. Bridging the gap will create a very substantial regional recreation and interstate transportation facility which will benefit residents of both states. It will also form part of the East Coast Greenway's Historic Coastal Route, providing a link between Key West, FL and Calais, ME.

posted by:

Bruce Drees

advocacy@tbarides.org