Trails for Transportation
| Categories | Trail Standards & Design |
| Keywords | mode choice, National Bicycle and Pedestrian Clearinghouse, Planning, trail design, transportation |
| Posted by | admin |
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| Viewed | 620 times, 1 today |
Excerpt:
Why should trails be considered a part of the transportation system?
An estimated 131 million Americans of all ages regularly bicycle or walk for exercise, sport, recreation, or transportation, and in many communities trails provide the backbone of public infrastructure needed for these activities. According to the 1990 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS), 7.2 percent of all transportation trips are made by foot, and another 0.7 percent are made by bicycle. While 8 percent of all trips made by non-motorized modes is a small share, it is significant, especially when one considers that the average American makes twenty trips per week; which means that each person in the nation makes an average of 1.5 trips per week by non-motorized modes.
Three Keys to Viable Transportation Trails
There are three important factors to address when considering trails as transportation: 1) trail system planning, 2) trail design and engineering, and 3) the overall bike/pedestrian friendliness of the community.
