Measuring Investments in Active Transportation When Accomplished as Part of Other Projects (2022)

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4 Background A variety of stakeholders and interested parties frequently ask state departments of transpor- tation (DOTs) to provide data on investments in active transportation projects, such as bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. These investments may occur as stand-alone projects or as a part of larger infrastructure projects, such as providing bike lanes when a roadway is resurfaced. Cur- rently, state DOTs do not use a uniform methodology for tracking these investments; some may not track active transportation investments at all when they are accomplished alongside other non-active transportation-related improvements. This is problematic because implementing active transportation improvements as part of larger projects is often the most efficient option. Because it is difficult to track active transportation investments that are not stand-alone proj- ects, states may be underreporting their investments in active transportation. DOTs may use formulas or other methods to estimate the portion of larger projects attributable to active trans- portation components, but this splitting of the project costs may represent an extra burden to contractors, engineers, and state DOT staff. Some states may also report lane miles improved or added to the network without estimating the costs for those improvements. Accurate invest- ment information may help DOTs better understand how to make projects more efficient and provide useful data to evaluate overall project performance. Active transportation refers to modes of transport that are human powered. While this pri- marily refers to walking and bicycling, this report also includes the following within its defini- tion: people using mobility devices, skating, and using newer forms of micromobility, such as scooters. This report is focused on active transportation investments that occur as a part of larger transportation projects that may not be focused primarily on providing an active transportation facility or treatment. Examples may include the construction of new sidewalks when a roadway is reconstructed, or the construction of a sidepath as part of a new roadway project. Throughout this report, these projects are referred to as “active transportation component projects.” Track- ing these active transportation component project investments can take the form of financial tracking, location tracking, tracking of quantities, or other measures. Agencies use different terms to describe roadways, including street, road, roadway, and highway. Although these terms may connote different facilities to different people or agencies, “roadway” is used throughout this document as a catch-all term referring to public-traveled ways. Synthesis Objective The objective of this synthesis is to document whether state DOTs, and the District of Columbia, are tracking and recording their investments in active transportation component projects and to understand the challenges they face in tracking these investments. This report is intended C H A P T E R 1 Introduction

Introduction 5   for state DOT staff who may wish to better understand how their states are investing in active transportation. This synthesis may help agencies tailor their data collection practices to more accurately measure investments in active transportation. Synthesis Approach This synthesis used multiple methods to determine if and how DOTs are tracking active trans- portation component projects. First, a literature review was conducted to provide an under- standing of past research on state DOT practices for tracking active transportation investments. Second, an online survey was distributed to the FHWA-maintained list of state bicycle and pedestrian coordinators of the DOTs in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia about their practices with tracking active transportation investments. Staff from 42 states and the District of Columbia (83%) completed the survey. Third, case examples of five state DOTs were developed based on virtual interviews that expanded on the online survey questions. Report Organization The synthesis of practice is organized into the five chapters described as follows: • Chapter 1: Introduction introduces the synthesis, providing background information and summarizing the document’s scope and organization. • Chapter 2: Literature Review summarizes and presents findings from the literature review of existing practices for tracking investments in active transportation by state DOTs. • Chapter 3: State of the Practice describes the results of the survey of state DOT practices for tracking investments in active transportation component projects. • Chapter 4: Case Examples summarizes the information provided by the five state DOTs selected for interviews. These states were selected to represent a variety of data collection practices across state DOTs. • Chapter 5: Summary of Findings provides a summary of key observations and suggested areas for further research that could improve the state of data collection about investments in active transportation. References and a list of acronyms and abbreviations precede two appendices. Appendix A presents the survey questionnaire, and Appendix B provides responses to the survey.