ALLIANCE FOR BIKING AND WALKING
Executive Summary
Government officials working to promote bicycling and walking need data to evaluate their efforts. In order to improve something, there must be a means to measure it. The Alliance for Biking & Walking’s Benchmarking Project is an ongoing effort to collect and analyze data on bicycling and walking in all 50 states and the 51 largest cities. This is the third biennial BenchmarkingReport. The first report was published in 2007, the second in 2010, and the next report is scheduled for January 2014.
Objectives
Promote Data Collection and Availability
The Benchmarking Project aims to collect data from secondary sources (existing databases) and to conduct surveys of city and state officials to obtain data not collected by another national source. A number of government and national data sources are collected and illustrated in this report. Through state and city biennial surveys, this project makes new data available in a standardized format that otherwise does not exist.
Measure Progress and Evaluate Results
The Benchmarking Project aims to provide data to government officials and advocates in an accessible format that helps them measure their progress toward increasing bicycling and walking and evaluate the results of their efforts. Because the Benchmarking Project is ongoing, cities and states can measure their progress over time and will see the impacts of their efforts. By providing a consistent and objective tool for evaluation, organizations, states, and cities can determine what works and what doesn’t. Successful models can be emulated and failed models reevaluated.
Support Efforts to Increase Bicycling and Walking
This project will ultimately support the efforts of government officials and bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations to increase bicycling and walking in their communities. By providing a means for cities and states to compare themselves to one another, this report will highlight successes, encourage communities making progress, and make communities aware of areas where more effort is needed. By highlighting the top states and cities, other states and cities will gain inspiration and best practice models. This report is intended to help states and communities set goals, plan strategies, and evaluate results.
About the Alliance for Biking and Walking
www.peoplepoweredmovement.org
“Every community benefits from the fun, practicality and efficiency of biking and walking. In 2020, one-third of all trips in North America will be made by bicycling and walking for all reasons ranging from personal health and environmental sustainability, to economic necessity and moral responsibility. The Alliance has created, strengthened and empowered effective and sustainable bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations in every state, province and major city in North America. These organizations are highly respected by the public, media and policy makers. Their efforts in their communities and their united strength at the national level have transformed communities to places where it is easy, safe, desirable and common for all people to bike and walk. Alliance leaders and organizations in our movement are diverse, are intentional about engaging their diverse populations in mainstreaming bicycling and walking as an option for all, and have engaged in partnerships with other organizations, agencies, disciplines, and allies to expand the number of people biking and walking in their communities.”
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