PennDOT recently won an award for its Pennsylvania Active Transportation Plan from the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association.
The plan was created with the assistance of Johnson, Mirmiran and Thompson, Inc.; Alta Planning + Design, Inc.; Kittelson and Associates, Inc. & Stokes Creative Group, Inc.
Jennie Louwerse, deputy secretary for multimodal transportation, and Angela Watson, bureau director for the Bureau of Rail, Freight, Ports & Waterways, accepted the award during the association's annual awards luncheon, held oct. 19, 2021, in Pittsburgh.
The Pennsylvania Active Transportation plan is the comprehensive resource for planning, design, implementation and evaluation of bicycle and pedestrian programs and policies.
The current plan builds upon a history of active transportation planning in Pennsylvania beginning in 1976. The plan brought together three additional state agencies — the Department of Community and Economic Development, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Department of Health — to function as an advisory group.
Public outreach included an interactive live webcast throughout the Commonwealth and a statewide survey completed by more than 13,000 individuals. Included is a how-to guide for developing active transportation plans to serve as a resource for Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), Rural Planning Organization (RPOs), counties and local municipalities.
The Active Transportation Plan provides a framework for collaboration among state, federal and local agencies to identify key issues and strategize how to advance improvements at all levels, with an emphasis on underrepresented Pennsylvania communities that walk and bicycle out of necessity.
Success of the plan is placed upon the Steering Committee, which to date has implemented eight specific strategies. This well-developed process and statewide outreach culminated in a plan transferrable to every user.
Learn more on the department's Active Transportation Plan page or the Ride a Bike page.