Promoting Biking and Walking in Pennsylvania
Content
Even though bicycling and walking make up 12% of trips in Pe nnsylvania, and bicyclists and pedestrians make up 11% of the fatalities statewide, Pennsylvania only spends 1.5% of its transportation budget on biking and walking projects and that 1.5% is derived fully from federal funds. PennDOT does not devote any state funds specifically to bicycling bicycling and walking projects. More and more communities in Pennsylvania want to include bicycle and pedestrian facilities on their roads, but the Commonwealth lacks the funding to support planning, installation and maintenance of bike lanes, wider shoulders, road markings, bicycle route signage and sidewalks. Biking and walking are important modes of transportation transportation that deserve support and accommodation as part of Pennsylvania’s comprehensive transportation system. There are three important opportunities for Pennsylvania to support communities that want to make bicycling and walking safer. First, create a bicycling and walking walking office or section within PennDOT. PennDOT. Second, make biking and walking a substantive component of the multi-modal fund. Third, eliminate policies that are an obstacle to the placement of bicycle facilities on state roads. 1.
Create a Bicycle Pedestrian Office within PennDOT. Within PennDOT, there is no section, office or division devoted to biking and walking. PennDOT does not devote a full time bicycle-pedestrian coordinator (in one person) to overseeing the state’s biking and walking programs and policies. Without an expert on bicycle pedestrian issues on PennDOT’s executive team, these modes are easily neglected. While some District PennDOT offices have employees designated as bicycle/pedestrian coordinators, their job is to review project proposals to determine if they meet the minimum requirements for accommodating accommodating biking and walking. They offer little coordination coordination and do not substantively substantively interact with municipalities or counties to help them improve or plan for bicycling and walking in their communities.
2.
Ensure that the new multi-modal fund allocates sufficient sufficient funds to bicycle and walking walking projects. Providing an opportunity for municipalities and counties to apply for planning, design and construction funds for biking and walking projects would provide concentrated resources towards transportation modes that have long suffered from underfunding.
3.
Eliminate the Bicycle Occupancy Permit . Currently, state law requires local authorities authorities to obtain approval from PennDOT in order for a bicycle marking or sign to be installed on a state road. Consequently, PennDOT requires local authorities to assume all maintenance and liability responsibility for bicycle markings and signs and obtain a Bicycle Occupancy Permit (BOP) if a bicycle facility is added to a state road within the municipality. The BOP is not required in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, and between them, they have over 400 400 miles of bike lanes. In the rest of the state, where the BOP is required, less than 50 exist. Bicycle markings and signs signs should not trigger PennDOT PennDOT approval and local authorities should not be required to obtain a BOP from PennDOT in order to have bicycle markings or signs installed on state roads within their jurisdictions.
Amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes to create a Pedalcycle and Pedestrian Office and to further provide for the installation, removal or renovation of certain traffic-control devices by local authorities. The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows: Section 1. Chapter 35 of Title 75 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes is amended by adding a section to read: CHAPTER 35. SPECIAL VEHICLES AND PEDESTRIANS *
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SUBCHAPTER F. PEDALCYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN OFFICE § 3584. Pedalcycle and Pedestrian Office established (a) Office. There is established within the Department of Transportation a Pedalcycle and Pedestrian Office, whose purpose shall be to coordinate the Department’s activities to promote the establishment of pedestrian and bicycle facilities on state highways, local roads and trails. Section 2. Section 6122 of Title 75 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes is hereby amended to read: § 6122. Authority to erect traffic-control devices (a) General rule.--The department on State-designated highways and local authorities on any highway within their boundaries may erect official traffic-control devices, which shall be installed and maintained in conformance with the manual and regulations published by the department upon all highways as required to carry out the provisions of this title or to regulate, restrict, direct, warn, prohibit or guide traffic. *
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(2) Local authorities may install, revise or remove the following traffic-control devices on a Statedesignated highway, and Department approval is not required: (i) Bicycle Route Sign; (ii) Pavement markings for bicycles such as the bicycle lane symbol. [(2)](3) *
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Section 3. This Act shall take effect in 60 days.
New matter indicated by italics Deleted matter indicated by [brackets]
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Create a Bicycle Pedestrian Office within PennDOT. Within PennDOT, there is no section, office or division devoted to biking and walking. PennDOT does not devote a full time bicycle-pedestrian coordinator (in one person) to overseeing the state’s biking and walking programs and policies. Without an expert on bicycle pedestrian issues on PennDOT’s executive team, these modes are easily neglected. While some District PennDOT offices have employees designated as bicycle/pedestrian coordinators, their job is to review project proposals to determine if they meet the minimum requirements for accommodating accommodating biking and walking. They offer little coordination coordination and do not substantively substantively interact with municipalities or counties to help them improve or plan for bicycling and walking in their communities.
2.
Ensure that the new multi-modal fund allocates sufficient sufficient funds to bicycle and walking walking projects. Providing an opportunity for municipalities and counties to apply for planning, design and construction funds for biking and walking projects would provide concentrated resources towards transportation modes that have long suffered from underfunding.
3.
Eliminate the Bicycle Occupancy Permit . Currently, state law requires local authorities authorities to obtain approval from PennDOT in order for a bicycle marking or sign to be installed on a state road. Consequently, PennDOT requires local authorities to assume all maintenance and liability responsibility for bicycle markings and signs and obtain a Bicycle Occupancy Permit (BOP) if a bicycle facility is added to a state road within the municipality. The BOP is not required in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, and between them, they have over 400 400 miles of bike lanes. In the rest of the state, where the BOP is required, less than 50 exist. Bicycle markings and signs signs should not trigger PennDOT PennDOT approval and local authorities should not be required to obtain a BOP from PennDOT in order to have bicycle markings or signs installed on state roads within their jurisdictions.
Amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes to create a Pedalcycle and Pedestrian Office and to further provide for the installation, removal or renovation of certain traffic-control devices by local authorities. The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows: Section 1. Chapter 35 of Title 75 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes is amended by adding a section to read: CHAPTER 35. SPECIAL VEHICLES AND PEDESTRIANS *
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SUBCHAPTER F. PEDALCYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN OFFICE § 3584. Pedalcycle and Pedestrian Office established (a) Office. There is established within the Department of Transportation a Pedalcycle and Pedestrian Office, whose purpose shall be to coordinate the Department’s activities to promote the establishment of pedestrian and bicycle facilities on state highways, local roads and trails. Section 2. Section 6122 of Title 75 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes is hereby amended to read: § 6122. Authority to erect traffic-control devices (a) General rule.--The department on State-designated highways and local authorities on any highway within their boundaries may erect official traffic-control devices, which shall be installed and maintained in conformance with the manual and regulations published by the department upon all highways as required to carry out the provisions of this title or to regulate, restrict, direct, warn, prohibit or guide traffic. *
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(2) Local authorities may install, revise or remove the following traffic-control devices on a Statedesignated highway, and Department approval is not required: (i) Bicycle Route Sign; (ii) Pavement markings for bicycles such as the bicycle lane symbol. [(2)](3) *
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Section 3. This Act shall take effect in 60 days.
New matter indicated by italics Deleted matter indicated by [brackets]
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