In March 2004, the State of Virginia Transportation Commission adopted a policy to routinely accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists in all road construction or reconstruction projects. This is a major turnaround because under the former policy, the Virginia DOT would include accommodation only if it was identified in an adopted local plan, requested by the local governing body, and substantially funded with local tax dollars. Now VDOT is committed to building complete streets as a matter of routine, which provide safe and convenient travel for people on foot and bicycle. The policy also allows standalone retrofit, ends the practice of requiring 50% local match for bicycle and pedestrian projects, and considers non-motorized travel in a variety of Department activities.
All highway construction projects in all phases of planning and development will be based on the assumption that provisions for bicycles and pedestrians will be accommodated. Accommodations such as bike lanes, sidewalks and installation of curb extensions for traffic calming will be encouraged. The policy further states that access-controlled corridors may accommodate bicycling and walking on parallel roadways or physically separated parallel facilities within the right of way. Additional improvement opportunities include operation and maintenance activities; long distance bicycle routes; and projects along tourism and recreational corridors.
VDOT will provide leadership to implement the new policy by working with community stakeholders, local government agencies, and regional planning agencies to facilitate implementation, provide training or other resource tools. The policy further defines the funding process for both facilities that are being built concurrent with highway construction projects or as independent transportation projects. The Virgina Bicycling Federation worked closely with the Commission on the language of the new internal policy. Contact Allen Muchnick, president, 703-271-0895; vbf@vabike.org.
For more information: http://www.virginiadot.org/infoservice/resources/Policy%20on%20Integrating%20BP%20Accommodations.pdf
Goal
Improve Bike and Pedestrian Access