This research review highlights findings from studies conducted in several states and cities that have examined walking or biking rates, safety, and economic issues associated with Safe Routes to School.
Health
Revising the Vermont State Standards; M2D2: Multimodal Development and Delivery (Vermont Agency of Transportation and Smart Growth America, 2015)
This new report identifies specific modifications to the Vermont State Standards, recommends changes to other related VTrans guidelines and policies, and presents an implementation plan and schedule for conducting the revisions. The Vermont State Standards provide VTrans staff and other partners with direction in designing roadway transportation projects.
Safer Streets, Stronger Economies (SGA, 2015)
Smart Growth America’s recently released report provides a strong evidence-based arguement for complete streets projects, supported by the analyses of transportation and economic data from before and after the implementation of 37 complete streets projects across the nation.
Analysis of Public Policies that Unintentionally Encourage and Subsidize Sprawl (Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, 2015)
Urban sprawl costs the American economy more than $1 trillion annually. These costs include greater spending on infrastructure, public service delivery and transportation. This report details planning and market distortions that foster sprawl, and smart growth policies that can help correct these distortions.
Close to Home: A Handbook for Transportation-Efficient Growth in Small Communities and Rural Areas (TRB, 2015)
While hundreds of studies have investigated how land use affects daily driving in urban and suburban areas, very few of those studies have looked at small communities and rural areas. This handbook is intended to help …
A Resident’s Guide for Creating Safer Communities for Walking and Biking (FHWA, 2015)
This new guide from FHWA will assist residents, parents, community association members, and other concerned citizens who want to make their communities safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The Innovative DOT: A Handbook of Policy and Practice (SSTI & SGA, 2015)
SSTI and Smart Growth America continue working with state departments of transportation and tracking innovative strategies for meeting 21st century transportation needs. The 2015 edition of The Innovative DOT builds upon its predecessor with updated content and fresh new ideas from a growing number of states.
Accessibility in Cities: Transport and Urban Form (Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, 2014)
This paper focuses on one central aspect of urban development: transport and urban form and how the two shape the provision of access to people, goods and services, and information in cities. The more efficient this access, the greater the economic benefits through economies of scale, agglomeration effects and networking advantages.
Public Bikesharing in North America During a Period of Rapid Expansion: Understanding Business Models, Industry Trends, and User Impacts (Mineta Transportation Institute, 2014)
This study evaluates public bikesharing in North America, reviewing the change in travel behavior exhibited by members of different programs in the context of their business models and operational environment. This research, featuers interviews with IT-based bikesharing organizations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as both annual members and casual users of the bikesharing systems.
Access Across America: Transit 2014
Researchers at the University of Minnesota released a new report ranking major metropolitan areas in terms of their accessibility to jobs by transit. The report complements the group’s 2013 release, which measured job accessibility by automobile, and builds upon their ongoing efforts to develop tools for assessing transportation performance in terms other than mobility and congestion. Rankings were determined by a weighted average of accessibility, giving a higher weight to closer jobs. The calculations include all components of a transit journey, including “last mile” access and egress walking segments and transfers.