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Developing & ImplementingMaster Bike & Pedestrian Plans
Heleen DeweySpokane Regional Health District
March 2010
Objective
• Involve transportation, planning and public health in the development of master bike and pedestrian plans
Public Health & Planning
• A story
About Spokane
About Spokane
• 2008 Spokane County population 459,000 (estimate)
• City of Spokane largest jurisdiction at 204,400
Our health and activity level?• 60% of County residents overweight or obese• Fewer than half of all adults and children get
recommended levels of physical activity
2006 Non-Motorized Transportation Study
• Average commute is a half-mile for walkers and 1½ for bikers
• 1% of trips by bike (2% nationally)• 9% of trips by walking (same as nation)• 42% of children are driven
[1] Nonmortorized Transportation Pilot Program Evaluation Study. University of Minnesota. 2007. Communities surveyed: Marin County, CA; Minneapolis, MN, Sheboygan, WI, Columbia, MO, and Spokane, WA
How Spokane got started…
• 2004 -$3500 annual grant for 5-years from WSDOT/WSDOH in cooperation with CDC
• Co-facilitated by Spokane Regional Health District and City of Spokane
• Task Force made up of professionals, advocates, and agency representatives
• Facilitated a series of events/workshops
• Educated elected officials
Active Living Symposium
• Education on connecting public health and planning specific to our community
Outcomes:• City of Spokane Plan Commission reviews
Comprehensive Plan for healthy community policies• Illustrated then Councilwoman Verner’s 2007 Quality
of Life resolution
Connecting the City
• Generate ideas and support to develop a stronger non-motorized plan within the City of Spokane
• Identify priority projects and effective policy/regulatory intervention
• Existing plan not implemented and needed updating
• Lack of clarity in non-motorized transportation planning (funding, RTPO involvement, priorities)
• More communication/collaboration among different user groups
Outcome of Workshop
• Enforce development standards• Bike/Pedestrian coordinator• Impact fees• Bike boulevards• Stripe streets• Route across river• Sidewalks• Fill gaps• Need pedestrian plans
Spokane Regional Pedestrian Plan
• 3-year DOH Preventative Health Block Grant• Focus to incorporate physical activity policies
into community pedestrian planning documents– First year Regional; Guidance document
provided by Spokane Regional Transportation Council.
– City of Spokane planning– Smaller jurisdictions in the county– Complete Streets education
Pedestrian Plan - Process
• Included a community process with multiple agencies
• Analyzed current data• Surveyed residents• Surveyed planners/engineers in jurisdictions• Draft plan in a team approach
Residents Survey
Barriers to pedestrian travel: • Lack of crosswalks• No sidewalks, sidewalks in disrepair, gaps and
snow removal needed• Lack of lighting• Poor driver behaviors• School issues, too much traffic near schools
and moving too fast thru neighborhoods
Planner Engineer Survey
Barriers to implementing pedestrian facilities: • Inadequate funding• Lack of staffing and training• Lack of pedestrian inventory/network• Lack of understanding of health & economic
benefits of walking• Consideration for disabled users
GOALS
GOAL 1: Support all levels of pedestrian travel by developing plans, projects, and programs
GOAL 2: Design & implement changes in the infrastructure to increase pedestrian safety and connectivity
GOAL 3: Support the planning, funding, & public knowledge of integrated networks of paved pedestrian paths that serve as an alternative to roadways & facilitate non-motorized travel to and through neighborhoods, shopping, parks, schools, & transit accessible areas.
GOAL 4: Improve actual & perceived pedestrian safety & security
GOAL 5: Support all pedestrian travel to improve physical health & slow obesity & chronic disease
GOAL 6: Pursue funding to maintain, enhance & expand pedestrian facilities.
GOAL 7: Increase the number of school children who walk to school by 2% from 26% to 28%
Other key public health recommendations
• Regionally significant project list• Complete street policies• Functional trail connections• Support transit use & linkages to transit
Insights• Understanding each other’s goals, needs, strengths• Clearinghouse• Quiet catalyst – could seed the project, didn’t have to
own it• Capacity – education, outreach, new Ideas• Unintentional succession plan• Timing – health, smart growth, gas prices,
sustainability, economics/market demands, political climate, grassroots
• Another face for funding requests• Rediscover the connections between planning and
public health
Next steps…• Quiet Catalyst - partnerships– YMCA Pioneering Healthier Communities– SmartRoutes 2010– Lands Council
• Complete streets resolution – Board of Health• Active Technical Transportation Committee• Health impact assessment training• Active Living Leadership• Elected officials
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