Developing & Implementing Master Bike & Pedestrian Plans

1. Developing & ImplementingMaster Bike & Pedestrian Plans Heleen Dewey Spokane Regional Health District March 2010

2. Objective • Involve transportation, planning and public health in the development of master bike and pedestrian plans

3. Public Health & Planning • A story

5. About Spokane

6. About Spokane • 2008 Spokane County population 459,000 (estimate) • City of Spokane largest jurisdiction at 204,400 Our health and activity level? • 60% of County residents overweight or obese • Fewer than half of all adults and children get recommended levels of physical activity

7. 2006 Non-Motorized Transportation Study • Average commute is a half-mile for walkers and 1½ for bikers • 1% of trips by bike (2% nationally) • 9% of trips by walking (same as nation) • 42% of children are driven [1] Nonmortorized Transportation Pilot Program Evaluation Study. University of Minnesota. 2007. Communities surveyed: Marin County, CA; Minneapolis, MN, Sheboygan, WI, Columbia, MO, and Spokane, WA

8. How Spokane got started… • 2004 -$3500 annual grant for 5-years from WSDOT/WSDOH in cooperation with CDC • Co-facilitated by Spokane Regional Health District and City of Spokane • Task Force made up of professionals, advocates, and agency representatives • Facilitated a series of events/workshops • Educated elected officials

9. Active Living Symposium • Education on connecting public health and planning specific to our community Outcomes: • City of Spokane Plan Commission reviews Comprehensive Plan for healthy community policies • Illustrated then Councilwoman Verner’s 2007 Quality of Life resolution

10. Connecting the City • Generate ideas and support to develop a stronger non-motorized plan within the City of Spokane • Identify priority projects and effective policy/regulatory intervention • Existing plan not implemented and needed updating • Lack of clarity in non-motorized transportation planning (funding, RTPO involvement, priorities) • More communication/collaboration among different user groups

11. Outcome of Workshop • Enforce development standards • Bike/Pedestrian coordinator • Impact fees • Bike boulevards • Stripe streets • Route across river • Sidewalks • Fill gaps • Need pedestrian plans

12. Spokane Regional Pedestrian Plan • 3-year DOH Preventative Health Block Grant • Focus to incorporate physical activity policies into community pedestrian planning documents • First year Regional; Guidance document provided by Spokane Regional Transportation Council. • City of Spokane planning • Smaller jurisdictions in the county • Complete Streets education

13. Pedestrian Plan - Process • Included a community process with multiple agencies • Analyzed current data • Surveyed residents • Surveyed planners/engineers in jurisdictions • Draft plan in a team approach

14. Residents Survey Barriers to pedestrian travel: • Lack of crosswalks • No sidewalks, sidewalks in disrepair, gaps and snow removal needed • Lack of lighting • Poor driver behaviors • School issues, too much traffic near schools and moving too fast thru neighborhoods

15. Planner Engineer Survey Barriers to implementing pedestrian facilities: • Inadequate funding • Lack of staffing and training • Lack of pedestrian inventory/network • Lack of understanding of health & economic benefits of walking • Consideration for disabled users

16. GOALS

17. GOAL 1: Support all levels of pedestrian travel by developing plans, projects, and programs

18. GOAL 2: Design & implement changes in the infrastructure to increase pedestrian safety and connectivity

19. GOAL 3: Support the planning, funding, & public knowledge of integrated networks of paved pedestrian paths that serve as an alternative to roadways & facilitate non-motorized travel to and through neighborhoods, shopping, parks, schools, & transit accessible areas.

20. GOAL 4: Improve actual & perceived pedestrian safety & security

21. GOAL 5: Support all pedestrian travel to improve physical health & slow obesity & chronic disease

22. GOAL 6: Pursue funding to maintain, enhance & expand pedestrian facilities.

23. GOAL 7: Increase the number of school children who walk to school by 2% from 26% to 28%

24. Other key public health recommendations • Regionally significant project list • Complete street policies • Functional trail connections • Support transit use & linkages to transit

25. Insights • Understanding each other’s goals, needs, strengths • Clearinghouse • Quiet catalyst – could seed the project, didn’t have to own it • Capacity – education, outreach, new Ideas • Unintentional succession plan • Timing – health, smart growth, gas prices, sustainability, economics/market demands, political climate, grassroots • Another face for funding requests • Rediscover the connections between planning and public health

26. Next steps… • Quiet Catalyst - partnerships • YMCA Pioneering Healthier Communities • SmartRoutes 2010 • Lands Council • Complete streets resolution – Board of Health • Active Technical Transportation Committee • Health impact assessment training • Active Living Leadership • Elected officials

28. Heleen Dewey Physical Activity & Nutrition Program 509-324-1555 hdewey@spokanecounty.org