Environmental Enhancements

The National Transportation Alternatives Clearinghouse’s spring 2013 What’s on Tap newsletter offers background information on vegetation management, scenic beautification, and landscaping. MAP-21’s Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) makes it possible for projects to potentially receive funding for landscaping and scenic enhancement, especially if such improvements are needed to finish an infrastructure project. Meanwhile, MAP-21 Transportation Activity 7, vegetation management, explicitly allows agencies to seek federal funds for vegetation management. The funds must be used to improve roadway safety, control invasive plant species, or control erosion in transportation rights-of-way. For more information, link to Vegetation Management: Incorporating Landscaping & Scenic Beautification. (5-2-13)

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The League of American Bicyclists has released its annual list of bicycle friendly states to coincide with National Bike Month.  The League creates the list annually based on how states perform on several criteria as reported by each state’s bicycle coordinator. The criteria are geared toward making states aware of steps that can be taken to improve the safety of bicycles on roads, effectively use transportation funding for bicycle facilities, and promote bicycling to mitigate congestion and air pollution. For the sixth year in a row, Washington State ranks number one on the list. The other states in the top 10 for 2013 include Colorado, Oregon, Minnesota, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Arizona. For more information, link to Bicycle Friendly State 2012 State Report Cards. (5-1-13)

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America Walks has published a report detailing the benefits offered by walking. The report offers insight into how walking improves health and the environment and documents the positive effects of walking on businesses, communities, and schools. For more information, link to A Walking Revolution: A Movement Making Americans Happier and Healthier. (3-21-13)

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The Federal Highway Administration has issue interim guidance on implementation of the new Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) under the federal transportation authorization legislation, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). The TAP program combines three previously separate programs: Transportation Enhancements, which funded bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and safety programs, the Recreational Trails program, and the Safe Routes to School program. In the new program, overall funding is reduced by about $300 million compared to fiscal 2012 apportionments and states can transfer up to 50 percent of funds to other apportioned programs. For more information, link to the MAP-21 Transportation Alternatives Interim Guidance. (10-22-12)

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The Federal Transit Administration has announced project selections under the Clean Fuels Grant program, as enhanced with Discretionary Bus and Bus Facilities program funds. The notice announces the funding of 21 projects located in nonattainment and maintenance areas for the ozone and carbon monoxide National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for a total of $51.5 million. The notice also announces the funding of 6 projects located in attainment areas for a total of $7.8 million. The grants will fund transit agencies that are implementing clean fuel projects such as the purchase of buses that run on compressed natural gas, electricity, or hybrid engines, or the retrofitting of existing buses. For more information, link to the Federal Register notice.   (10-2-12)

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The Safe Routes to School National Partnership has issued a resource guide on reducing children’s exposure to vehicle traffic pollution associated with walking and bicycling to school. The guide examines the potential health impacts from exposure to traffic pollution on children and how Safe Routes to School programs may potentially impact children’s exposure to traffic pollution. The guide also offers strategies and approaches that may mitigate exposure to traffic pollution, such as school district no-idling zones and selection of low-traffic walking routes. For more information, link to Safe Routes to School and Traffic Pollution. (9-21-12)

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The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center has posted to its website a webinar on the latest update to the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), released in December 2009. The webinar, originally presented by two members of FHWA’s MUTCD team on April 15, 2010, reviews the significant revisions that have been made to the traffic control standards, guidance, and options that affect pedestrians and bicyclists in the most recent update to the manual. Presentation slides and a transcript of the webinar are also available online. For more information, link to the PBIC Livable Communities Webinar Series archive, Impact of the new MUTCD on Pedestrians and Bicyclists. (5-17-10)

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