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FHWA Highway Safety Programs

Lesson 5: Adapting Suburban Communities for Bicycle and Pedestrian Travel

Objectives:

Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:

  1. Recognize the types of suburban development patterns that have led to automobile-oriented travel.
  2. Demonstrate different strategies for re-designing suburban areas to accommodate non-motorized transport.

Pre-Instruction:

Components Activities
Motivation

Take the class for a walk along a commercial strip or other equally pedestrian-unfriendly location in your area. Point out the problems with the development type in terms of how it discourages pedestrian and/or bicycle travel.

Objectives

Present and explain the two lesson goals listed above (V-5-1).

Information Presentation:

Components

Activities

Information Sequence

Outline the presentation of the lecture (V-5-2 and V-5-3).

Information

Review the historical development of urban and suburban land use as covered in Lesson 1. Focus on the suburban practices of leap-frogging and in-filling.

Explain the importance of understanding the needs of the various users of non-motorized transportation, developing strategies to promote bicycling and walking, and recognizing current suburban land use forms that discourage non-motorized transportation (V-5-4 through V-5-6).

Explain the inherent dangers in certain types of suburban development and land use features that affect bicyclists and pedestrians (V-5-7).

Contrast planning for the automobile with planning for non-motorized transportation (V-5-8 and V-5-9).

Demonstrate how good pedestrian and bicycling connections to transit services can encourage a symbiosis between these various modes.

Provide examples of commercial and office developments that encourage walking and biking (V-5-10 and V-5-11).

Example(s)

Much of the information transmission should be done by way of example. The viewgraphs reflect this.

Student Participation:

Components

Activities

Practice

Use the activity provided in the student notes.

Feedback

Provide comment and feedback to the class as appropriate.

Follow-Up:

Components

Activities

Enrichment

Assign reading for Lesson 6.

Ask the students to find an example of neo-traditional development completed within the last 10 years. Have them be prepared to report their findings to the rest of the class.

Review

Provide a summary of Lesson 5 (V-5-12).

Exercise

5.10 Exercise

Lesson Objectives:

  • Recognize suburban development patterns that have led to automobile travel
  • Demonstrate strategies for re-designing suburban areas to accommodate non-motorized transportation

Lesson Outline:

  • Historical development of urban and suburban land use
  • User needs
  • Strategies that promote bicycling and walking
  • Suburban land use forms that discourage non-motorized transportation
  • Safety concerns

Lesson Outline (continued):

  • Planning for the automobile
  • Planning for non-motorized transportation
  • Connections to transit services
  • Commercial and office developments that encourage walking and biking

Suburban Development:

  • Streetcar suburbs
  • Leap-frogging
  • Auto orientation
  • In-filling
  • Abandonment of the street

User Groups:

  • Children
  • Parents
  • Elderly
  • Commuters
  • Recreationists

Promotional Strategies:

  • Serve large groups
  • Improve unsafe, frequently used locations
  • Improve the busiest locations
  • Attract new users

Present Land Use Forms:

  • Individual tract subdivisions
  • Linear arterial streets
  • Bypassed vacant land

Planning for Non-Motorized Transportation:

  • Conceptual planning
  • Build around existing routes
  • Arterials vs. collectors
  • Identify major generators of non-motorized traffic

Planning for Non-Motorized Transportation (continued):

  • Identify major attractors of non-motorized traffic
  • Compare existing routes vs. demand
  • Consider where improvements should be made
    • Existing
    • New
  • Consider the impacts of new development

Development Features That Encourage Walking and Biking:

  • Setbacks
  • Orientation and facades
  • On-site walkways
  • Access between adjacent developments
  • Lighting

Development Features That Encourage Walking and Biking (continued):

  • Improvements between the building and the street
  • Lot coverage
  • Parking reduction
  • Parking lot design

Lesson Summary:

  • Suburban development patterns have made it difficult to use non-motorized transportation
  • There are many ways to change this condition
    • Existing retrofits
    • New developments