Abstract
Phase 2 of New Jersey's bicycle and pedestrian master plan is an innovative approach to quantify bicycle and pedestrian needs at the statewide level. In cooperation with New Jersey's three metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), the New Jersey Department of Transportation developed the new master plan to provide guidance to policy makers and project sponsors on the most promising locations for future bicycle and pedestrian investment. Bicycle and pedestrian priorities are identified along the two dimensions of supply and demand, that is, the suitability of facilities and the potential for nonmotorized trip making in specific locations. In addition, the project includes New Jersey's first statewide inventory of existing and proposed bicycle facilities and geographic information systems (GIS) data on trip attractors such as schools, commercial areas, and transit stations. Although the master plan uses existing analysis methods mainly, it is unique in the way that it combines these methods interdependently and in conjunction with facilities and trip attractor inventories at a statewide level. The inventories and analyses use GIS to create user-friendly tools and to display results. Final products include lists of priority bicycle corridors and pedestrian locations, which are reviewed within the collaborative MPO planning forum. The lists and analyses will be used as sketch-planning tools to evaluate the need for bicycle and pedestrian improvements to existing highway projects and to develop new bicycle and pedestrian projects. Bicycle and pedestrian analysis approaches, role of GIS, and future research needs are discussed in detail.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.