FHWA's Environment & Planning Office issues call for research ideas related to bicycles, pedestrians and health

CHAPEL HILL, NC — The Federal Highway Administration's Environment and Planning areas of research – including bicycle/pedestrian and health topics – have relied on a single funding source called STEP (Surface Transportation Environment and Planning Cooperative Research Program). The Bicycle and Pedestrian Team at FHWA is seeking input and suggestions for the lines of research that should be pursued within this emphasis area.

To submit comments, please visit http://knowledge.fhwa.dot.gov/cops/step.nsf/home/ and click on "Bicycle/ Pedestrian and Health" underneath the "Environment" heading. Please fill out the one-page form with short, succinct comments. The deadline is December 3, 2009.

The goals of the Bicycle /Pedestrian and Health emphasis area are to:
Investigate and institutionalize the collection of bicycle and pedestrian trip/exposure data at national, State, and local levels;

Provide technical knowledge and products needed by state and local officials in developing and implementing bicycle and pedestrian projects;

Determine the health benefits of increased physical activity due to higher rates of bicycling and walking;

Determine how to make the appropriate provision of bicycle and pedestrian projects a routine part of all transportation decisions; and

Develop meaningful measures of effectiveness for bicycle and pedestrian projects and programs, such as quantifying environmental benefits due to improved walking and bicycling rates.

FHWA does not seek specific, detailed research proposals and discourages researchers from submitting proposals of that nature. Specific research work statements for this suggestion, if pursued under the STEP, would be crafted by FHWA, after careful consideration of stakeholder views.

For more information, please contact Gabe Rousseau at Gabriel.rousseau@dot.gov or 202-366-8044.
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