FHWA Course on Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation

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Lesson 24

Education, Encouragement, and Enforcement

24.1 Purpose

When bicycle and pedestrian programs began in the late 1960's, the emphasis was strictly on providing facilities. As communities gained experience and began to identify other needs, the concept of the comprehensive "4-E" program emerged, combining the elients of engineering, education, enforcement, and encouragement.

The past 30 years have seen a great deal of growth and much creativity in the field. Communities with long-standing bicycle and pedestrian programs have developed a wide variety of programs to educate local citizens, encourage more bicycling and walking, and enforce the rules of the road. This is in contrast to a far greater number of communities that have begun building new facilities-through the funding infusions of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), but have not begun to establish support programs in the areas of education, enforcement, and encouragement.

This lesson explores the fundamental features of education, enforcement, and encouragement programs for bicycling and walking, providing examples of successful programs from around the country.

24.2 Comprehensive Programs — Why They're Important

A mock-up of a miniature downtown area enables these children in Greensboro, NC, to learn pedestrian safety.

Historically, providing for bicyclists meant providing bicycle facilities. This was the focus during the early phase of program development in the United States, but by the late 1970s, it was replaced in some progressive communities such as Boulder, CO, and Madison, WI, with a more comprehensive 4-E approach, which combined engineering and planning with enforcement, education, and encouragement. By then, it had become clear that simply providing a bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly road or trail environment, as important as it is, cannot solve all bicycle and pedestrian problis. Some safety problis, for example, may be more easily solved through programs than through facilities. In order to understand the importance of the other elients of a comprehensive program, consider the following two examples:

Example 1: A person decides to ride her bicycle to work. Between home and the office, there is a road with bicycle-friendly design features (e.g., wide outside lanes, bicycle lanes, etc.). While riding, she barely misses a 10-year-old wrong-way rider coming at her, is almost cut off by a motorist turning left in front of her, and finally finds no place to securely park her bicycle at the office. She locks her bike to the leg of a newspaper rack and goes into the office. When she leaves work, the sun has gone down; she has no bike lights. She calls a taxi to take her and her bicycle home.

Analysis: While she was able to take advantage of one elient of a comprehensive program (the onroad facilities), the lack of other elients caused her serious inconvenience and danger. Youngsters need to learn which side of the road to use and the traffic laws should be enforced; motorists should learn to watch for bicyclists and to yield to them just as they would to other motorists. These common bicyclist and motorist errors lead to many crashes and may be addressed through education, enforcement, and awareness programs. Secure and convenient bicycle parking should be provided at all popular destinations as a routine matter. In some communities, this is dealt with in the parking ordinance.

Example 2: A person gets in his car on a sunny summer afternoon to drive to a nearby store. The store is less than a mile away and he is buying a quart of milk. There are sidewalks, but he doesn't even think of walking. He drives there, buys his milk, and drives home. In so doing, he contributes to air quality and congestion problis. And he wastes gasoline.

Analysis: While the existence of sidewalks or places to walk is important, it does not necessarily convince people to walk if they habitually take a car for every trip. The average American household generates 10 auto trips per day and many of them are shortdistance errands. Breaking the driving habit requires effort and understanding. A good awareness campaign, including media spots and other elients, can help develop that understanding and encourage people to make the effort to walk for short trips. Walking takes little extra time compared to driving for very short distances. When one considers the costs (environmental, economic, personal health) of driving, and the exercise and health benefits of walking, walking is often preferable.

The lack of education and awareness among bicyclists and motorists can be
addressed through new programs aimed at both adults and children.

These two hypothetical examples point out the importance of going beyond the old focus on facilities alone to include other aspects as well. They suggest the potential roles that agencies such as the police department, the school district, and private parties such as the local television station and newspaper can play in improving the bicycling and walking situation in a community. It is important to keep in mind that some elients may not contribute directly to increased numbers of nonmotorized travelers. However, these elients are important for other reasons, primarily safety.

24.3 Successfully Mixing the 4-E's

How, exactly, can a successful mix of engineering, enforcement, education, and encouragement be determined? The answer is that participants from a wide range of agencies and groups must get involved in the process. The Geelong, Australia, model is a good one to illustrate this point. The Geelong Bike Plan Team included members from the enforcement community, roads department, safety agencies, school system, and bicycling community. In assembling their comprehensive program, the project managers enlisted the help of those who would, ultimately, be responsible for implienting it.

This is the process suggested here. A "bikepedestrian plan task force" should be assembled to mold and steer the program. The following structure is suggested for the task force. While the same department may be represented on several subcommittees, this would not necessarily require different individuals. Individual members should deal with those aspects within their areas of expertise.

Task Force Structure

Subcommittees:

Steering Committee

Physical environment
Education and awareness
Encouragement
Data collection

Physical Environment

Public works (traffic engineering, streets)
Planning (transportation, land use)
Parks and recreation (parks planning)
Cyclists and pedestrians
College campus planning

Education and Awareness

Parks and recreation (programming)
School district (elientary and junior high)
High school and college
Health Cyclists and pedestrians

Enforcement

Police (traffic)
Cyclists and pedestrians

Determining the Scope of a Comprehensive Program

Because so little is known about the bicycling and walking situations in most communities, it is difficult to predict in advance what level of expenditure and program activity will be needed to implient a comprehensive program. Until the needs have been identified and the problis assessed, the necessary scope of the program will probably remain unknown. However, the basic approach suggested here is to make bicycle and pedestrian considerations part of the normal process of governing. In many cases, this may require little extra expense.

The most successful bicycle and pedestrian education programs for children are impliented through local school systems.

For example, if a police officer stops a bicyclist for running a red light, this should not be seen as a new or extra duty. It is simply part of traffic enforcement and it will pay the community back in terms of decreased crash rates. Similarly, adding pedestrianor bicycle-related questions to a transportation needs survey will not necessarily require large amounts of money. It allows transportation planners to do a better job of planning for the community's travel needs and can pay off in reduced motorized travel demand. Finally, changing from a dangerous drainage grate standard to a bicycle-safe design costs no more, but can reduce an agency's potential liability.

There will be some projects (e.g., a new bicycle bridge) that require a significant expenditure of funds. However, if the need for a project is clearly documented through surveys and studies, it can take its place in the Transportation Improvement Program. In such an arena, its strengths and weaknesses can be weighed against those of other potential projects.

Steps in the Process

There are four primary steps in the process of mixing the elients of engineering, education, enforcement, and encouragement to create a comprehensive bicycle-pedestrian program.

First, it is important to develop an understanding of the local bicycling and walking situations. This means looking closely at non-motorized travel in the community, determining its limitations and potential, as well as current levels of use and safety problis. This understanding forms the basis for the work that follows.

The second step is to set realistic goals and objectives. These should be based on data from the information- gathering step and they should be measurable and achievable.

Third, participants should address those goals and objectives through the development of an action plan. The plan should be a blueprint for the community's work in all the elients of the comprehensive program. It should include phasing and funding considerations.

Fourth, as work on the action plan progresses, it should be evaluated based on its effects on the goals and objectives. Without an evaluation process, it is impossible to determine the effects of one's work. With evaluation, one can judge and document success, correct errors, and fine-tune the program.

24.4 Elients of a Good Education Program

• Provide instruction in lawful, responsible behavior among bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorists.
  
  
  1. Teach important bicycling and walking skills to youngsters.
     
     Approach: Using information gathered from the user studies as well as the crash studies, work with school administrators and teachers to identify target ages for key educational messages. Review course options and identify opportunities for implienting bicycling and walking curricula for the target ages.
     
     Result: A program of instruction that effectively reaches the target audience.
     
     Examples: Missoula, MT's school district has included bicyclist education in its core curriculum since 1980; the program is taught by physical education instructors. Boulder's bicycle-pedestrian program staff includes a fulltime education person in charge of implienting curricula in cooperation with the local school system. Madison's program works with the local schools to do the same.
     
     
  2. Teach important bicycling and walking skills to adults.
     
     Approach: Using information gathered from the user studies as well as the crash studies, work with college and high school administrators and teachers to identify key educational messages. Review course options and identify opportunities for implienting bicycling and walking curricula for the target ages.
     
     Result: A program of instruction that effectively reaches the target audience.
     
     Examples: Effective cycling instructors in Seattle, WA and Tucson, AZ, among other communities, have offered adult courses through the local junior colleges. Missoula and several other communities have offered cycling classes to traffic law violators through the local municipal court systems.
     
     
  3. Include bike and pedestrian information in driver training.
     
     Approach: Using information from the crash studies, work with local driver training instructors and violators to identify key messages for delivery to new drivers, as well as those required to take remedial driving courses. Assemble a model curriculum unit and deliver it to all local instructors.
     
     Result: A model curriculum and delivery mechanism for reaching drivers during training.
     
     Examples: The Gainesville, FL Bicycle Coordinator taught 14- and 15-year-old driver education students how to share the road with bicycles. The coordinator brought copies of bicycle/ automobile crash reports to illustrate her points. She then divided the class into groups, each with an accident report. Groups analyzed how the crashes happened and how they could have been avoided.
     
     

  
  New and returning university students should be included in training programs.
  It is during the first few weeks of classes that most crashes occur.

• Deliver important safety messages through various print and electronic media.
  
  
  1. Determine which safety messages are most important for which audiences.
     
     Approach: Using information gathered from the crash studies, identify important messages for the whole range of target audiences.
     
     Result: A prioritized list of messages identified as to their target audiences.
     
     Examples: The Gainesville program determined that one of the audiences most in need of attention was the college student population. Key safety messages for these bicyclists were identified.
     
     
  2. Create a process for effectively delivering those messages.
     
     Approach: Work with the local media and other groups to determine how best to reach the audiences identified above, given the resources available.
     
     Result: A long-term strategy for delivering selected messages to key target audiences.
     
     Examples: In 1986, Madison, WI's bicycle program created an ambitious bicycle helmet campaign, working with local bicycling groups and the media. They did before-and-after studies of both helmet wearing rates and their success in delivering their messages. In Gainesville, FL, officials commissioned a safety specialist to create college student-oriented bicycling comic strips for publication in the campus newspaper and for printing as brochures.

Education programs should target adult bicyclists and motorists.

24.5 Elients of a Good Enforcement Program

• Improve existing traffic laws, as well as their enforcement.
  
  
  1. Review and, if necessary, modify laws that affect bicyclists and pedestrians.
     
     Approach: In cooperation with the police department and city attorney, review local and State bicycle and pedestrian laws and compare with the current version of the Uniform Vehicle Code and Model Traffic Ordinance. Focus, in particular, on those regulations that may unnecessarily restrict bicycle or pedestrian traffic or that seem out-of-date when compared to the national models.
     
     Result: A report listing suggested changes to local and State traffic laws.
     
     Examples: Palo Alto, CA, after reviewing potential crash problis and liability concerns, decided to allow bicycle traffic on a key expressway. In doing so, they opened a new route for fast cross-town travel.
     

     
     Philadelphia, PA police officers use bicycles to patrol city streets.
     

  2. Enforce laws that impact bicycle and pedestrian safety.
     
     Approach: Using information from the crash studies, determine which traffic violations are implicated in the most common serious car/bike and car/pedestrian crashes. Working with the police department, traffic court, and city attorney, develop a plan for enforcing the key laws.
     
     Result: A plan for equitable enforcement of bicycle, pedestrian, and motor vehicle traffic laws.
     
     Examples: Since the mid-1980's, Madison, WI's police department has used a "bicycle monitor" program, staffed by specially deputized university students, to enforce bicycle traffic laws. Seattle's department aggressively polices crosswalks and routinely gives motorists tickets for violating pedestrian rights of way. Missoula's bicycle patrol routinely gives tickets to motorists who violate the law.
     
     
  3. Review and, if necessary, modify procedures for handling youthful violators.
     
     Approach: In cooperation with the police department, develop procedures for handling young bicycle and pedestrian law violators.
     
     Result: A set of procedures for dealing with young bicyclists and pedestrians.
     
     Examples: For years, Dallas operated a youth court for young bicyclists caught violating traffic laws. The City of Santa Barbara, CA, a pioneer in bicycle enforcement, developed a campaign that included special tickets for youngsters, a publicity campaign, and a training film for officers. Missoula, MT has a special warning ticket for youngsters: one copy goes to the violator, one is mailed to the parents, and one is kept at the police station.
     
     
• Reduce the incidence of serious crimes against non-motorized travelers.
  
  
  1. Develop a strategy for reducing the number of bikes stolen and increasing the proportion of recovered bikes.
     
     Approach: Based on the police department's bike theft study, develop a strategy for reducing the impact of bike theft rings and other sophisticated thieves. Also consider a means to inform the public of simple steps they can take to keep their bikes from being stolen.
     
     Result: A plan for reducing bike theft in the community.
     
     Examples: Missoula, MT used their 1982 bicycle theft study as the basis for TV spots, appearances on news shows, news releases, brochures and posters, all of which promoted using high-security locks. They also developed a computerized bicycle registration procedure that has helped identify and return many licensed bikes to their owners.
     
     
  2. Develop a strategy for reducing assaults on bicyclists and pedestrians.
     
     Approach: Based on the study of bicyclist and pedestrian harassment and assault, develop a standard procedure for dealing seriously with these complaints.
     
     Result: Policies and procedures for dealing with bicyclist and pedestrian assault and harassment.
     
     Examples: For years, the Missoula bicycle program has worked with the city attorney's office on a caseby- case basis to resolve complaints of bicyclist harassment. Their efforts resulted in irresponsible motorists receiving numerous warnings and citations.
     
     
• Use non-motorized modes to help accomplish other unrelated departmental goals.
  
  
  1. Implient non-motorized patrols in appropriate areas.
     
     Approach: Based on the experiences of other communities, determine the need and potential of non-motorized patrols in the community and develop an implientation plan.
     
     Result: A plan for funding and creating nonmotorized police patrols in the community.
     
     Examples: Seattle, WA has pioneered the mountain bike patrol as a way of dealing with street crime. Begun in 1987, the patrol has grown to more than 100 officers and the founders have given training seminars to police departments all over the country. Each year, hundreds of mountain bike officers gather for a national conference sponsored by the League of American Wheelmen; many also attend the annual "Beat the Streets" patrol competition hosted by the City of Seattle.

Promotional flyers can give safety tips, rules, and specific laws, and contacts and resources in the area.

24.6 Elients of a Good Encouragement Program

• Reduce or eliminate disincentives for bicycling and walking and incentives for driving single-occupant motor vehicles.
  
  
  1. Add non-motorized options to agency motor pools.
     
     Approach: Identify all agency motor pools and determine which can be modified to include bicycles. In addition, consider which trips can be efficiently taken on foot. Create a plan of action for adding non-motorized options where possible. Promote the approach as a model for other local employment centers.
     
     Result: A plan for using non-motorized modes in satisfying agency transportation needs.
     
     Examples: The City of Seattle recently created a "non-motorized pool," adding bicycles to the motor vehicles available for employee use. The bikes are proving to be extremely popular.
     
     
  2. Require companies and agencies to produce balanced transportation plans for their workforce's commuting needs.
     
     Approach: Review city policies and practices, as well as those of private companies and other large employers, that reward driving private automobiles or discourage walking or bicycling. Work with all appropriate agencies and companies to modify those provisions.
     
     Result: A set of proposed options (policies, ordinances, programs) that address institutional biases against bicycling and walking.
     
     Examples: In Palo Alto, CA, a transportation plan for Stanford University suggested helping staff purchase bicycles if they would use them for commuting to work. The City reimburses those who use their bicycles for work-related trips. The university campus in Davis has, for many years, severely restricted motor vehicle parking. This has been identified as one of the major factors in encouraging students and faculty to ride bikes to the campus.
     
     
• Provide ways for non-participants to receive a casual introduction to bicycling and walking.
  
  
  1. Include entry-level bicycling and walking activities in local recreational programming.
     
     Approach: Identify existing programs or groups that could become sponsors for introductory-level bicycling and walking activities. Based on user studies, create a list of potential activities and match them with groups willing to offer sponsorship.
     
     Result: A schedule of introductory- level non-motorized recreational activities.
     
     Examples: Eugene, OR's recreation department sponsored a variety of recreational rides and workshops for novice adult riders through their network of parks. The Chesterfield County Parks Department in Richmond, VA, sponsors an annual "Peanut Ride," which visits peanut farms in the area, allowing participants to learn more about local agriculture while getting exercise.
     
     
  2. Promote utilitarian non-motorized transportation through introductory fun events.
     
     Approach: Through a combination of promotional events and media publicity, encourage citizens to walk or ride in place of driving.
     
     Result: An annual series of promotions supporting non-motorized travel.
     
     Examples: Boulder's annual Bike Week has become a major event over the years, encompassing a schedule of senior citizen rides, bike polo, business challenges, bicycle parades, and nonpolluter commuter races. During their Bike to Work Day in 1992, approximately 7,000 people rode bicycles to work.
     
     
  3. Offer key target audiences detailed information on utilitarian non-motorized travel.
     
     Approach: Based on the user studies, determine which audiences are most likely to bicycle or walk; further determine their detailed informational needs and create a plan for getting that information to the target audience.
     
     Result: A plan for giving detailed useful information to key target audiences.
     
     Examples: The Ann Arbor, MI, program has run seminars at local hospitals and other employment centers, helping participants learn how commuting by bicycle might work for them. In Los Angeles, the El Segundo Employers Association, in cooperation with the Southern California Association of Governments, has produced maps, pamphlets, and seminars to promote nonmotorized transportation among their workers.
     
     
• Use electronic and print media to spread information on the benefits of non-motorized travel.
  
  
  1. Develop and disseminate a limited set of simple, but important, pro-bicycling and pro-walking messages.
     
     Approach: Based on the user studies, determine the educational needs of bicyclists and walkers, assemble a list of the most important messages, and create a media campaign to get them across. Include the experiences of current non-motorized travelers as a way of personalizing the messages and lending added credibility.
     
     Result: A media campaign promoting the benefits of bicycling and walking directed at key target audiences.
     
     Examples: San Diego has used bus-mounted advertising to promote the benefits of non-motorized travel. Seattle, in cooperation with a local TV station, has created a series of local promotional television spots.

Local agencies can work together to promote bicycling and walking, transportation, and safety.

24.7 Conclusion

A comprehensive bicycle-pedestrian program directed toward the goal of increasing safe travel by non-motorized modes must combine the efforts of many people. No one office can do it all. Officials in public works, planning, enforcement, education, and recreation agencies all have a role and must work together to achieve the desired end.

In order to measure future success, it is important to first determine current conditions. Since nonmotorized travel is so seldom measured, we know little about it. With data on use, user attitudes and behavior, safety, and security problis, it is possible to begin assembling an achievable set of goals and objectives. These goals and objectives should be used to guide the development and implientation of an action plan. The plan should include physical elients such as roadway improvements and trail systems, as well as non-physical elients such as enforcement and educational programs.

Evaluating the elients of the action plan is a critical step in determining future direction and past success. Success should be measured both in terms of services delivered and effects achieved. Evaluation must be seen as a key ingredient to implientation, rather than as an extra duty to be performed if there is time or money.

Combining these steps into a comprehensive program will allow a community to achieve and measure success.

24.8 References

Text and graphics for this lesson were derived from:

Federal Highway Administration, National Bicycling and Walking Study, Case Study 11: Balancing Engineering, Education, Law Enforcement, and Encouragement, 1994

 

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