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Active Transportation

Recent Developments

• CDC Announces ‘Active People, Healthy Nation’ Initiative

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched an initiative to encourage physical activity. The “Active People, Healthy Nation” initiative is a toolkit for state and local governments and a public information campaign to inform people about the benefits of an active lifestyle. The initiative includes, among other things, information on creating activity-friendly routes to everyday destinations through such state and local efforts as Complete Streets policies, zoning policies, local government master plans, and Safe Routes to Schools. The CDC will monitor the nation’s physical activity levels through the National Health Interview Survey and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The initiative is based on the Department of Health and Human Services’ Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. For more information, link to the Active People, Healthy Nation website. (1-16-20)

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• Safe Routes to School Programs 2019 Census Issued

  An overview of Safe Routes to School programming in the United States has been issued by the Safe Routes Partnership. The report includes a high-level assessment of challenges, innovations, and opportunities for Safe Routes to School programs. The findings are based on a national survey conducted in 2019 that looked at policies, practices, and funding for programmatic activities. For more information, link to the report. (1-6-20)

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• New Rail-Trail Segments Announced in Four States

  Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has announced that nearly $13 million in funding has been secured for segments of the Great American Rail-Trail. This investment will help to close trail gaps and to improve existing sections of trail along the 3,700-mile route, which currently stands at 52% complete. The funding will go to trail segments in Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, and Washington. Nearly 100 miles of new trail along the route are expected to be completed in 2020. For more information, link to the announcement. (12-23-19)

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• Group Issues Policy Statement on Facilitating Scooter, Bike Share Systems

  The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals has issued a policy statement concerning bike share, shared electric scooters, shared electric bicycles, and other forms of shared micromobility systems. The group views these systems as a valuable part of a comprehensive transportation system that encourages active transportation and reduces automobile use. The policy statement presents key factors, principles, and recommendations that can help with the smooth introduction of micromobility systems in cities and campus environments. The policy statement also says that cities should facilitate the arrival of micromobility systems as best as possible with suitable rules and regulations that will limit uncertainty and negative public opinion. For more information, link to the policy statement. (12-23-19)

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• NCHRP Issues Roadmap of Priorities for Mobility, Health Research

  Research priorities regarding the integration of public health and transportation topics that could be pursued in the next decade have been set out in a report issued under the National Cooperative Highway Research Program. The document, NCHRP 20-112: A Research Roadmap for Transportation and Public Health, includes write-ups of six research problem statements that can be presented to key committees of the Transportation Research Board or the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials as a way to initiate research and begin filling in knowledge gaps. The roadmap identifies ways in which health considerations can be better integrated into transportation policymaking, planning, project development, and program monitoring and evaluation. For more information, see NCHRP 20-112: A Research Roadmap for Transportation and Public Health. (12-16-19)

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• FHWA Grants Interim Approval for Use of Red-Colored Pavement for Transit Lanes

  The Federal Highway Administration has granted interim approval for the optional use of red pavement and pavement markings to increase the visibility of transit station stops, travel lanes, and areas of the roadway reserved for the exclusive use of buses and other transit vehicles. Interim Approval 22 allows the use of the pavement coloration on an interim basis pending official rulemaking and subject to other applicable requirements of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD). Red was selected based on early experimental use and its use for this purpose internationally. The red-colored pavement interim approval follows Interim Approval 14 on the optional use of green-colored pavement in bicycle lanes. For more information, link to Interim Approval 22. (12-4-19)

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• Cities Urged to Include E-Bikes/Scooters in Transportation Networks

  Analysis and recommendations for cities to link e-bikes and e-scooters to sustainable transport goals are provided in a report from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. The Electric Assist: Leveraging E-bikes and E-scooters for More Livable Cities analyzes potential opportunities and risks posed by e-bikes and e-scooters and provides recommendations to encourage use of these modes. For more information, link to the report. (12-9-19)

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• NREL Develops Metric to Evaluate Mobility Opportunity

  The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has announced the development of a way of measuring multimodal mobility by location, taking into account available mobility types (including bicycles, scooters, walking, and transit), time, energy, and affordability. The Mobility Energy Productivity metric includes a visual map and numeric data to indicate the richness of mobility at a given location. The metric evaluates the proximity and convenience of access to a variety of goods, services, and destinations reachable by various forms of mobility. The metric seeks to answer questions about how mobility choices impact and are impacted by infrastructure investment, economic health, and the quality of life of residents. The metric is being integrated into systems models and is intended for metropolitan transportation planners as a way to help prioritize infrastructure investments and set goals. For more information, link to the fact sheet. (12-2-19)

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• Group Issues Bicycle-Friendly State Rankings

  The League of American Bicyclists has issued its 2019 ranking of bicycle-friendly states. Washington state tops the list again, with California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Oregon rounding out the top five spots. The 2019 ranking finds widespread progress nationwide concerning active transportation and that every state has taken at least one of the five Bicycle Friendly Actions: complete streets law or policy, safe passing laws, bicycle safety as part of strategic planning, statewide bike plans, and 2% or more of dedicated transportation funds. In spite of this, the related report finds that the number of bicyclist fatalities continues to rise. The ranking is based on information provided by state departments of transportation. For more information, link to the ranking and the state report cards. (11-26-19)

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• Sidewalk Navigation Tool Development Subject of IDEA Report

  The development of a pathway navigation web application that would provide information on sidewalk conditions, route quality, and user preferences, especially for wheelchair users and the visually impaired, is the topic of a report from the Transportation Research Board. The report, issued under the Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis Program (Transit IDEA Project 87), outlines the development of pathNav using data collected by through a smart phone app and a hand-operated device that maps sidewalks using an accelerometer, inclinometer, laser, camera, and GPS transponder. The pathNav tool will implement a route accessibility index that considers the quality of the pathway as determined by data collected. A web interface will be built allowing users to search for the most accessible routes. The report includes display mockups and software architecture. For more information, link to the report. (11-8-19)

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• Group Reports on Transportation Alternatives Program Spending

  A quarterly report on how states are using Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funds has been issued by the Safe Routes to School Program. The report, which looks at spending as of September 2019, found that a total of $342 million in funding was obligated, and 14 states transferred a total of $118 million to other transportation programs. It also found that seven states (AZ, HI, NH, ND, SC, WI, WY) let a total of $19.4 million in TAP funding lapse. Since 2013, all of the states have obligated $3.1 billion for biking, walking, and Safe Routes to School projects—which translates to thousands of projects, the report said. For more information, link to the announcement and the report. (10-25-19)

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• Study Quantifies Economic Benefits of Bike/Ped Facilities

  Active transportation infrastructure – including bicycle and pedestrian facilities and trails -- has the potential to contribute more than $138.5 billion in economic benefits to the U.S. economy each year, according to an analysis from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. The study analyzed data on health cost savings, climate protection, mobility, and direct economic value of trails and active transportation, and found that such infrastructure currently contributes more than $34.1 billion to the U.S. economy annually. As infrastructure improves, that potential amount could increase dramatically, along with health improvements and other co-benefits. For more information, link to the report. (10-15-19)

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• FHWA Issues Bike, Ped Planning/Project Development Guidance

  The Federal Highway Administration has issued guidance on the range of opportunities under current federal laws to improve conditions for people walking and riding bicycles. The guidance provides an overview of several key provisions of federal surface transportation law relating to planning requirements and building connected networks for bicycle and pedestrian facilities. It also discusses simple and cost-effective ways to integrate nonmotorized users into the design and operation of the transportation system by including bicycle and pedestrian accommodation as part of larger programs and projects. For more information, link to the guidance. (9-26-19)

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• New York City Tops List of Metro Areas for Bicycle Commuters

  The University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies has issued a report that ranks the 50 largest (by population) metropolitan areas in the United States on how well people can travel to their jobs using a bicycle. New York tops of list of cities that provide easy or moderately easy bicycle commutes, as determined using a scale of one to four, with one being a stress-free route and four being no bike-specific infrastructure at all. The top five include San Francisco, Chicago, and Denver, with Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. splitting the fifth spot. The report presents detailed accessibility values for each metropolitan area as well as block-level maps that illustrate the spatial patterns of accessibility within each area. It also includes a map at the census tract level that shows accessibility patterns at a national scale. For more information, link to the report. (July 2019)

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• Report Reviews Transit Agency Partnerships With Ride-Hailing Companies

  A review of partnerships between transit agencies and transportation network companies has been issued under the Transit Cooperative Research Program. TCRP Research Report 204 reviews both active and inactive partnership arrangements and finds that the most common partnership arrangement involves the transit agency directly subsidizing ride-hailing trips. The report also finds that transit agencies seek partnerships with transportation network companies to provide a specific type of service, to respond to a specific challenge, or to demonstrate innovation. The most common target audiences are users of paratransit or who have difficulty with the first mile/last mile connections to transit. The findings include a Partnership Playbook to help transit agencies make informed decisions. For more information, link to the report. (9-25-19)

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• NACTO Provides Best Practices, Policies for Shared Bikes and Scooters

  The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) has issued revised guidelines that provides best practice recommendations and a survey of the current state of practice for managing and regulating shared bikes and scooters. The guidelines present best practices, including requirements for fleet size, fleet removal or relocation, fleet rebalancing for docked systems, equipment maintenance, customer service, pricing equity, and operator labor and employment standards. The guidelines also discuss policies for public engagement and data sharing. In addition, the guidelines have comparative charts of the current state of practice in multiple cities nationwide. For more information, link to the guidelines. (9-11-19)

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• FTA Announces Grants for Low- or No-Emission Buses

  The Federal Transit Administration has announced $84.9 million in grant funding for advanced-technology transit buses and infrastructure under the Low- or No-Emission grant program. The grants will go to 38 projects powered by technologies including fuel cells, battery electric engines, and related infrastructure investments such as charging stations. For more information and a list of projects, link to the announcement. (7-26-19)

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• Researchers Explore Potential for Incentivizing E-Bikes

  White papers published by the Transportation Research and Education Center at Portland State University explore the potential for incentivizing electric bicycles as a means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The papers address the effects of e-bikes on person miles traveled and how incentives can be used to expand the market for such vehicles. Future research will focus on modeling travel behavior and sustainability impacts of e-bike use. For more information, link here. (5-23-19)

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• FHWA Issues Transportation Alternatives Annual Report

  The Federal Highway Administration has issued its annual report on the status of transportation alternatives projects in the states. The report, which covers fiscal year 2018, indicates that approximately $781 million in funding was provided for 2,789 projects nationwide. More than three-quarters of the selected projects were pedestrian and bicycle facilities. The rest of the funding was applied to projects involving recreational trails, turnouts and vista overlooks, historic preservation, environmental mitigation and wildlife habitat connectivity, and street improvements related to Safe Routes to School. For more information, link to the report. (6-26-19)

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• FHWA Issues Community Connections Case Studies

  The Federal Highway Administration has added 17 case studies to its collection related to community connections. The case studies are part of FHWA’s Community Connections initiative, which is a priority focus area under the fourth round of its Every Day Counts initiative. The program supports communities that have been divided by past transportation investments and are currently experiencing gaps in existing transportation infrastructure and services. The program includes analytical tools, public involvement strategies, project development and design techniques, and operational improvements and programs. The case studies are categorized by four types – invest, renew, restore, and repair – and are intended to demonstrate approaches in many different contexts. For more information, link to the Community Connections Case Studies. (6-12-19)

  Related Resources: Active Transportation Case Studies, Context Sensitive Solutions Topic, Transportation and Health Peer Exchange

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• NACTO Issues Guide on Improving Intersections for Bikes

  The National Association of City Transportation Officials has issued a new guide on designing city intersections to be safer for people bicycling. The guide, Don’t Give Up at the Intersection: Designing All Ages and Abilities Bicycle Crossings, expands upon elements presented in NACTO’s Urban Bikeway Design Guide and presents several tiers of intersection facilities, ranging from most to least protected and outlining the design elements that city planners can use to implement each. The guide includes such things as the placement of bikeway setbacks and corner islands, determining clear sight distances, designing curb radii to encourage slower vehicle turning speeds, and the design and color of pavement markings. The guide also discusses the modification of traffic signal timing to create safer vehicle and bike interactions. For more information, link to Don’t Give Up at the Intersection. (5-29-19)

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• FTA Announces $9.6 Million to Improve Transportation Access to Health Care

  The Federal Transit Administration has announced grants to 37 projects aimed at improving and expanding access to health care services. The funds, totaling approximately $9.6 million, are part of the FTA’s Access and Mobility Partnership Grants. The program focuses on transportation and technology solutions to help people reach medical appointments, access healthy food, and receive better paratransit services. Grant recipients will use the funds to develop mobile applications and improve on-demand transportation services, offer microtransit and purchase vehicles, and create or expand partnerships with nonprofit organizations or transportation network companies. For more information, link to the announcement. (5-22-19)

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• Group Unveils Route for 3,700-Mile Trail Connecting the Nation

  A 3,700-mile coast-to-coast multiuse trail that will be entirely off-street and separated from vehicle traffic is being planned by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. The Great American Rail-Trail’s preferred route would span 12 states and the District of Columbia and touch upon 16 historic highlights along the way. The group has issued the Great American Rail-Trail Route Assessment Report that outlines the recommendation for the route, developed in close partnership with states and local trail planners and managers. The route includes more than 1,900 miles of existing trails but also and more than 1,700 miles of “trail gaps,” sections of trail in need of development to complete one contiguous route. For more information, link to the announcement. (5-8-19)

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• NCHRP Issues Guide on Connecting Transportation and Health

  A practitioner-ready communications guidebook with tools and resources to help federal and state transportation agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, and local transportation professionals achieve successful outcomes through effective collaboration with health stakeholders has been issued under the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP 25-25/Task 105). The guidebook has methods to help understand the context of transportation and public health, find who to connect with and how, establish the foundation for effective communication, select the right techniques, seek support from other organizations, and find supporting data. For more information, link to the report. (April 2019)

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• Report Reviews Transit Agency Partnerships With Ride-hailing Companies

  A review of partnerships between transit agencies and transportation network companies has been issued under the Transit Cooperative Research Program. TCRP Research Report 204 reviews both active and inactive partnership arrangements and finds that the most common partnership arrangement involves the transit agency directly subsidizing ride-hailing trips. The report also finds that transit agencies seek partnerships with transportation network companies to provide a specific type of service, to respond to a specific challenge, or to demonstrate innovation. The most common target audiences are users of paratransit or who have difficulty with the first mile/last mile connections to transit. The findings are intended to assist transit agencies in making partnership decisions. For more information, link to the report. (4-9-19)

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• Environmental Effects of Ride-hailing, Other Travel Modes Reviewed in Report

  The environmental impacts of various modality choices and the frequency of ride-hailing use among drivers are explored in a report from the National Center for Sustainable Transportation. The report focuses on vehicle miles traveled, energy consumption, and the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation of various groups of travelers. It identifies four classes based on survey respondents’ reported use of various travel modes: drivers, active travelers, transit riders, and car passengers. The report also reviews the frequency with which travelers use ride-hailing services, also called transportation network companies, finding that the total environmental impacts account for a relatively small percentage of total GHG from transportation. For more information, link to the report. (January 2019)

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• Regulation of Ride-Hailing Services Subject of New Report

  The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy has issued a report discussing the challenges cities face by transportation network companies (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft worldwide. The report presents a framework for regulating TNCs to maximize benefits such as adding connectivity to transit as well as reducing the need for car ownership while also mitigating potential problems with use of TNCs. The report says that cities should consider the role TNCs fill in their areas and establish ways to measure the impacts on congestion, safety, emissions, and equitable access. The report includes four case studies and a companion webinar recording. For more information, link to the announcement. (3-21-19)

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• Study Urges Improving Corridors to Promote Healthy Communities

  A study of commercial arterials across the U.S. recommends actions and practices to make corridors safer and promote healthy communities. The study, Blind Spots: How Unhealthy Corridors Harm Communities and How to Fix Them, by the Urban Land Institute and Smart Growth America, included an audit of 6,925 urban and suburban commercial arterials from 100 of the most populous U.S. metropolitan areas. Using a range of indicators, the study found many primary arterials tend to be dangerous, have high instances of traffic deaths, and cost communities in terms of safety, economic productivity, and transportation efficiency. The study recommends a range of land use and transportation policies and practices to improve the health of the nation’s corridors. For more information, link to the report. (2-20-19)

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• New Benchmarking Report on Biking, Walking Issued

  The League of American Bicyclists has issued the 2018 edition of the Bicycling and Walking in the United States Benchmarking Report. The report says that bicycling to work is increasing but that 10 cities contributed about 44 percent of new bicycle commuters. The report also says that states with a low rate of active transportation also have a high rate of chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. In addition, the report says that the number of trips on foot is increasing overall but that some states are showing a decrease. Finally, the report says that the number of states and communities with a Complete Streets policy has continued to increase since 2007, and that cities are moving more aggressively than states to plan for bicyclists and pedestrians. The report is the continuation of the benchmarking project started in 2007 by the Alliance for Biking and Walking. For a copy of the report, link to the announcement.

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• Group Provides Explanation of Transportation Alternatives Program Funds

  The Safe Routes to School National Partnership has issued an explanation of its review of how state departments of transportation are getting Transportation Alternatives Program money out the door. The group, which issues quarterly analyses of funding for active transportation, explains the components of its evaluation, including TAP funding available per state; amounts each state has transferred to fund non-TAP programs; amounts that states have let lapse; percentages of TAP funds transferred or lapsed; total amounts and percentages obligated; and funds at risk. The group explains that low rates of funding put toward awarded TAP projects means fewer active transportation projects are built, and a higher risk that the funds will need to be returned to the federal government. For more information, link to the article and the Dec. 2018 quarterly report. (2-8-19)

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• Report Provides Survey Results on Transit, Livability Connection

  The Upper Great Plains Institute at North Dakota State University has issued a report outlining the results of the National Community Livability Survey. The survey of 25,000 adults in all 50 states indicated that transportation conditions influence community livability. It suggested that residents are looking for improvements to road conditions and public transportation, reducing congestion in metro areas, and making overall walkability and accessibility better. The report also said that improved livability would include improving the availability of jobs, affordable housing, affordable transportation options, access to quality healthcare in non-metro areas, and reducing crime in metro areas. Furthermore, a majority of respondents from both metro and non-metro communities agree that it is important for public transit to be available in their community. For more information, link the report. (2-7-19)

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• FTA Reports on Grant Program for Access to Health Care Solutions

  The Federal Transit Administration has issued a report to Congress on its Pilot Program for Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility Grants. The pilot program is intended to find and test promising, replicable public transportation solutions that increase access to health care, improve health outcomes; and reduce health care costs. For more information, link to the report. (December 2018)

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• AASHTO to Host a Webinar on Recent Bicycle, Pedestrian Plans

  AASHTO’s Council on Active Transportation will hold a webinar Jan. 29 on recent innovations in bicycle and pedestrian projects and planning in Massachusetts and North Dakota. The webinar will include discussion of MassDOT’s newly released statewide bicycle and pedestrian plans and guidance documents, as well as North Dakota DOT’s statewide plan for active and public transportation and related demonstration projects. Register for the webinar by clicking here.

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• Health in Transportation Technical Assistance Announced

  The Federal Highway Administration has announced the selection of six communities to receive technical assistance under the agency’s Framework for Better Integrating Health into Transportation Corridor Planning. The FHWA will provide training and technical assistance at the state and local levels in Arkansas, California, Illinois, Maryland, Texas, and Utah. The local transportation agencies will use the decision making framework as a way to incorporate multimodal access into planning and project development, improve health outcomes, and enhance community considerations into corridor planning. For more information, link to the announcement. (1-23-19)

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• Guide Issued for Growing a Safe Routes to School Program

  The Safe Routes to School National Partnership has issued a new guide on ways to for create a local safe routes to school program. The guide provides an overview of how the programs work and why they matter. It also provides insight on the stages of establishing a system and the essential components—including action plans and policies—for creating a sustainable program. The guide is accompanied by several sample documents that can be used to establish a program. For more information, link to the guide. (1-8-19)

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• Group Issues Guide on Local Active Transportation Financing

  The Safe Routes to School National Partnership has issued a report that provides an overview of the key role active transportation financing can play in developing healthy communities. The report explains active transportation financing—which can include bonds, fees, fines, taxes, and other funding mechanisms—and how it works to support infrastructure for bicycles, walkers, and other non-motorized transportation. The report also sets out the benefits to local government of increased active transportation financing, examines different approaches, and explores important considerations regarding policy goals and campaign directions. For more information, link to the report, a fact sheet, and a brief on securing funding. (1-11-19)

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