Issue Brief
Active Transportation Issue Brief
August 3, 2023
Issue Area
Active Transportation
Overview
Active transportation is any self-propelled, human-powered mode of transportation, such as walking or bicycling. Increasing access and prioritizing the development of active transportation reduces a household’s reliance on single-occupancy vehicles and fossil-fuel-dependent vehicles. It also has implications for public health, including reduced cardiovascular risk and increased air quality.
Strategies to expand and improve forms of active transportation include:
- Encouraging Safe Routes to School programs to enable children to walk and bike to school safely.
- Constructing a connected network of multi-use trails.
- Accommodating all roadway users with comprehensive street design measures such as “complete streets,” including sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and share-the-road signs that provide safe and convenient travel for all users of the roadway.
- Separating motor-vehicle traffic from non-motorized traffic with physical barriers, such as the construction of bicycle boulevards.
- Providing safe and convenient bicycle and pedestrian connections to public parks and recreation areas.
- Encouraging bicycle parking at workplaces and transit stops.
- Encouraging the development of street-level shopping and restaurants along pedestrian and bicycle routes.
Key Facts
Choosing a bike over a car just once a day reduces an average citizen’s carbon emissions from transport by 67%. (Bloomberg)
Active commuting that incorporates cycling and walking is associated with an 11% reduction in cardiovascular risk. (APHA)
A 5% increase in neighborhood walkability was associated with: 6.5% fewer vehicle miles traveled per capita, 5.6% fewer grams of nitrogen dioxide emitted per capita, and 5.5% fewer grams of volatile organic compound emitted per capita. (Safe Route Partnership)
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Legislator Spotlights
“There was an NCEL workshop on sustainable transportation and a legislator from Colorado talked about e-bike rebates. I thought that was a fantastic idea. So in our 2023 big transportation bill that was passed, we included e-bike rebates…It was so popular when the vouchers were offered on the internet, the computer system crashed and there was a little bit of a delay because so many people wanted to get these rebates."
Frank Hornstein, State Representative, Minnesota
“I credit the resources from NCEL for assisting me in keeping transportation emissions reductions at the top of my priority list, and this year that support has helped lead to a successful effort to reduce transportation emissions in Rhode Island.”
Alana DiMario, State Senator, Rhode Island
