Update:  The remaining funding within the Fostering Innovation in Pedestrian and Bicycle Transportation Pooled Fund Study will be spent on the following projects:

Project #1: “Trails as part of a complete transportation network”.  This research would seek to address planning and design issues wherever/whenever a trail on an independent right-of-way meets another type of facility, and thus ties into the broader surface transportation network.

Project #2:  “Safety and operational evaluation of separated bike lane vertical elements”.  This research project will evaluate different types of vertical elements for separated bike lanes (e.g., flex posts, curbs, and planters) in terms of spacing, safety, and operations. Reflectivity and color design issues may also be considered.  The project will also include a field experiment that will measure surrogate safety associated with different configurations of vertical elements, as well as attempt to quantify maintenance costs associated with vertical separation.

Project #3:  “Prioritizing active transportation facilities that would benefit from retrofits”.  This research project will examine planning and project selection processes and policies that prioritize retrofit activities. It will take a case-study approach to describing best practices. This project will also benefit from and build on the recently completed NCHRP Research Report 1036, “Roadway Cross-Section Reallocation”.

Project #4: “Technical assistance on walking and bicycling volume data collection”.  This research funding will be used to provide technical assistance to another project that is developing a guidebook for establishing statewide volume data collection programs, and how to use that data.  The technical assistance activities could potentially fund peer-to-peer exchanges on topics related to volume data collection at a statewide level.  Pooled fund participants would be prioritized for inclusion in these peer-to-peer exchanges.

Transportation agencies across the country are seeking ways to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety and mobility. We have seen a rapid rise in the demand for research on a wide variety of pedestrian and bicycle issues in many different settings and situations. However, existing research programs that advance innovation, such as the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, cannot meet the growing needs for pedestrian and bicyclist research. This TPF study will supplement existing research venues and fill an important missing gap by emphasizing short turnaround practical research on issues immediately relevant to practitioners. It will address national goals and priorities identified through input from local, State, and national partners in FHWA’s Strategic Agenda for Pedestrian and Bicycle Transportation. It will focus on bicycle and pedestrian network planning, safety, design issues (e.g. design flexibility, developing crash modification factors, network connectivity), traffic control devices (e.g., experimenting on innovative markings, signals, and signs), and other relevant issues as designed by TPF participants (e.g., equity, trip data). This TPF study is a collaborative effort from numerous FHWA offices, including the Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty; Office of Operations, Office of Operations Research and Development; Office of Safety, Office of Safety Research and Development (HRDS); Office of Infrastructure, Office of Highway Policy Information; and Office of Transportation Policy Studies. FHWA offices are coordinating to ensure that the TPF addresses cross cutting issues, recognizes research underway and planned, and does not duplicate other efforts.

The overall goals for this Transportation Pooled Fund (TPF) study are to: 1. Provide answers to emerging questions about innovative facility design, planning, and implementation to improve safety and mobility for pedestrians and bicyclists. 2. Conduct effective and efficient research of innovative traffic control devices to accelerate their incorporation into the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). 3. Facilitate the collection and reporting of robust transportation facility data that will allow for updating Federal, State, local, and other design guidelines, such as the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) design guides. 4. Support research on addressing rural multimodal transportation needs, regulatory streamlining, opportunities to improve cost effectiveness and efficiencies in the transportation system, and multimodal investment analysis.

This TPF study will support research to test innovations on the ground and evaluate them for broader application. Topics to be addressed in the first 1-2 years of operation may include: • Conducting research that will feed into the MUTCD experimentation process. For example tasks completed through the TPF could include research on bicyclist compliance and stopping placement in Two-Stage Turn Queue Boxes, bicycle symbols on signs (Turning Vehicles Yield to Pedestrians and Bikes), bicycle markings through intersections (chevrons), and green-back shared lane markings. Bicycle signal applications (protected vs. permitted phasing strategies) will also be considered. • Evaluation of the pedestrian lane facility type identified in the Small Town and Rural Multimodal Networks report • Evaluation of multimodal safety issues relating to clear zones on rural, suburban, and urban streets • User testing of directional tiles/blocks to aid in wayfinding for people with visual disabilities (e.g. what surfaces are consistently detectable, proper placement so that consistent meaning is readily understood) • Research on the economic benefits of pedestrian and bicycle investments Additional topics may include: • Developing crash modification factors and validating countermeasures for pedestrian and bicycle transportation facilities • Incorporating multimodal network connectivity analysis and nonmotorized data in the metropolitan and statewide transportation planning processes, and evaluating equity and economic impacts of pedestrian and bicycle investments • Supporting performance evaluation of infrastructure related applications of design flexibility • Supporting efforts to document and maintain national data on pedestrian and bicycle activity and infrastructure • Operations and safety analysis of two-way separated bike lanes at intersections • Research on strategies for addressing rural multimodal transportation needs, regulatory streamlining, and opportunities to improve cost effectiveness and efficiencies in the transportation system

The pooled fund will provide a mechanism for Federal, State, regional, and local transportation agencies, academic institutions, foundations, private firms, and other stakeholders to collaboratively fund and implement pedestrian and bicycle research. Individual tasks funded through the TPF will be contracted through existing FHWA Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contracts (task topic will determine which ID/IQ to use. The Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for each project will be based on the issue area and the ID/IQ being used. The status of commitments and research results and reports will be available on the Transportation Pooled Fund site and a page will be added to HEP’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Program page. The TPF study will exist for the maximum allowed 5 years. The task Period of Performance for each individual task funded through the Pedestrian and Bicycle Transportation Pooled Fund Study is generally anticipated to take around 6-18 months; although some tasks may take longer. The initial call for participants will close May 31, 2017 and there will be additional calls in years two and three. Commitments Required (total cost of study): $700,000 to initiate pooled fund. DOT’s initial contribution target is $400,000. This reflects contributions from the FHWA Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty; Office of Operations, Office of Operations Research and Development; Office of Safety, Office of Safety Research and Development (HRDS); Office of Infrastructure, Office of Highway Policy Information; and Office of Transportation Policy Studies. Minimum contribution is $25,000. Individual projects funded by TPF to range from $50,000-$200,000. The TPF is eligible for State Planning and Research (SPR) and Planning funds and there is a waiver for SPR match requirements. Agencies contributing funds will be invited to participate in a Technical Advisory Committee. Funds cannot be used for implementation or m