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Active Transportation Plan



The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has completed its first Active Transportation Plan, which is an update to the 2007 Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. The Active Transportation Plan outlines a vision and framework for improving conditions for walking and bicycling across Pennsylvania, most notably for those Pennsylvanians who walk and bicycle out of necessity rather than for leisure and recreation.

Along with the Active Transportation Plan, PennDOT has developed an Executive Summary and a How to Plan Guide.

The document identifies and prioritizes strategies that will promote more bicyclists and pedestrians, while supporting safety and multimodal connectivity. It will simultaneously serve as a resource for metropolitan and rural planning organizations, as well as statewide municipalities throughout the Commonwealth as they develop and implement regional and local active transportation plans.

Active Transportation Plan Development Process

Project Overview and Goals

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) developed its first Active Transportation Plan for Pennsylvania that outlines a vision and framework for improving conditions for walking and bicycling across Pennsylvania, most notably for those Pennsylvanians who walk and bicycle out of necessity rather than for leisure and recreation. The Active Transportation Plan also identifies and helps prioritize strategies intended to increase the number of people walking and bicycling, while supporting safety and multimodal connectivity throughout the state.

The Pennsylvania Active Transportation Plan was developed during 2018 and completed in late 2019. The public was engaged during the PennDOT Active Transportation Plan project through an online project survey and interactive webinars.

The Pennsylvania Active Transportation Plan and companion documents serve as a resource for Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), Rural Planning Organizations (RPOs), and Municipalities throughout Pennsylvania providing guidance to local governments as they develop and implement regional and local bicycle and pedestrian plans.

Additional goals of the Pennsylvania Active Transportation Plan goals included:

Develop goals, objectives, and performance measures for biking and walking;

Make additional program and policy recommendations beyond those made in the Pennsylvania Transportation Advisory Committee Bicycle and Pedestrian Study (TAC Study) to the State Transportation Commission (STC); and

Provide guidance on ways to improve local pedestrian and bicycle planning and design efforts.

Public Input

Project Survey

During the spring and summer of 2018, a project survey was posted on this site and shared throughout the state. An overwhelming number of responses were collected – more than 13,000 – and these surveys are currently being analyzed to be included in the Active Transportation Plan. Thank you to all who participated in the project survey. We look forward to sharing the results with you in the future.

Interactive Webinars

Public participation was an essential component to help develop an Active Transportation Plan that addresses the needs of Pennsylvania’s bicycle and pedestrian community. All members of the public were encouraged to view the interactive webinars and informational presentations that were held over the course of the project.

Open House Meeting

An Open House Meeting was held May 30, 2019, to present the vision, themes, objectives, and solicit recommendations for PennDOT's Active Transportation Plan.

