Here you’ll find information on technical assistance and funding programs as well as DVRPC, county, and municipal programs relating to pedestrian infrastructure planning, design, and construction.
Technical Assistance & Funding Programs
DVRPC and our federal, state, and local partners offer a variety of resources that relate to sidewalk planning and development, as well as funding for sidewalk design and construction. This section highlights some of these resources.
Visit DVRPC’s Municipal Funding Guide for a searchable database of different state and county funding programs that may support building pedestrian infrastructure.
DVRPC’s TCDI program is a competitive grant program that supports the implementation of the region’s long-range plan. TCDI focuses on linking land use and transportation planning.
DVRPC created the Safe Routes to Transit technical assistance program to help municipalities and counties navigate the often-complex process of designing and funding pedestrian and bicycle improvements around rail stations. Learn more about the program and past participants here.
The popular Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program is now a part of the larger TA Set-Aside Programs. However, the program objectives remain the same: to enable and encourage children in grades kindergarten to eighth grade to walk and bicycle to school by creating programs or planning, developing, and implementing projects that improve pedestrian safety around schools.
Learn more about New Jersey’s program and Pennsylvania’s program.
The Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TA Set-Aside) program is a competitive program that uses funds “set-aside” from the core Federal-aid Highway Program. These programs, administered by each state Department of Transportation, provides federal funds for community-based “nontraditional” surface transportation projects, such as design and construction of bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and streetscaping and corridor landscaping, among other types of projects.
Learn more about New Jersey’s program and the 2020 round by visiting the NJDOT Local Aid Resource Center.
Learn more about Pennsylvania’s program and its most recent funding round in 2018 on DVRPC’s webpage.
DVRPC’s competitive CMAQ program seeks to fund transportation projects that will improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion in the DVRPC Region. CMAQ-eligible projects will demonstrably reduce air pollution emissions and help the DVRPC region meet the federal health based air quality standards. Eligible projects can include pedestrian and bicycle facilities, among other types of projects. DVRPC administers the CMAQ program for both state Departments of Transportation. Learn more about the most recent round on DVRPC’s webpage.
More information coming soon!
More information coming soon!
More information coming soon!
DVRPC Programs
DVRPC is investing in pedestrian planning and infrastructure! Learn about our efforts to collect data, complete plans and studies, create tools, and fund other planning projects through the nine-county region.
A common transportation planning adage is that every trip is a pedestrian trip, including trips by car, which begin and end on foot. As a result, pedestrian planning and the consideration of pedestrian needs are integral elements of nearly all of DVRPC’s planning. Learn more on our site.
DVRPC counts bicyclists and pedestrians because count data helps us understand and plan for the role bicyclists and pedestrians play in our transportation network. Our counting program consists of four types of counts: Project Counts, Cyclical Counts, Screenline Counts and Permanent Counts. Learn more on our site.
DVRPC’s Regional Trails Program provides planning assistance and financial support to trail developers, counties, municipalities and nonprofit organizations to complete the Circuit, Greater Philadelphia’s 800-plus-mile network of multiuse trails. With financial support from the William Penn Foundation, the Regional Trails Program has provided $20 million in funding to over 110 trail planning, design, and construction projects to date.DVRPC counts bicyclists and pedestrians because count data helps us understand and plan for the role bicyclists and pedestrians play in our transportation network. Our counting program consists of four types of counts: Project Counts, Cyclical Counts, Screenline Counts and Permanent Counts. Learn more on our site.
County & Municipal Programs
The DVRPC region is made up of nine counties and over 350 municipalities. Sidewalks and other pedestrian infrastructure, such as ADA-ramps and crosswalks, are often identified as important community needs. Several counties have programs that encourage people to walk and help municipalities plan for and build more pedestrian facilities. Learn more about county programs below. DVRPC also recently mapped known municipal and county pedestrian or sidewalk network plans; contact these municipalities to learn more about their facility plans.
More information coming soon!
More information coming soon!
More information coming soon!
More information coming soon!
More information coming soon!
One of the key objectives of Landscapes3, the county’s comprehensive plan, is to provide universally accessible sidewalks, trails, and public transit connections to create a continuous active transportation network within designated growth areas, and develop multi-use trails to interconnect all communities. To implement this objective, the county has completed an Active Transportation Inventory, expanded its Circuit Trail network, and analyzed new trail opportunities. Learn more at https://chescoplanning.org/transportation/transportation.cfm
Delaware County promotes, plans, and provides technical assistance to support the development of sidewalks, trails, and Complete Streets. Visit the Delaware County Planning Department Mapping Hub (arcgis.com) to view Steps toward Walkability: Delco Sidewalk Inventory; Delco Trail Mix; and Complete Streets Elements in Delaware County.
Montgomery County is a strong promoter of health and well-being. In addition to their popular trail network, there are opportunities to exercise right in their own neighborhoods. During the COVID-19 stay-at-home order, trail usage has increased by 100 to 200 percent in some areas, which has made it challenging to practice proper required social distancing. In response, MCPC has developed a new Web app to empower residents to walk, jog, run, and bicycle on neighborhood streets and local roads. Learn more at: https://www.montcopa.org/2109/Walk-Montco
Additionally, Montgomery County is now in its sixth year of the Montco 2040 Implementation Grant Program. This program offers funding opportunities to municipalities that want to partner on projects that meet the goals of the county’s comprehensive plan. Pedestrian improvement projects have been a focus category in the program since day one and are very popular. Visit montcopa.org/2453/Montco-2040-Implementation-Grant-Program for more information.
The Philadelphia Pedestrian & Bicycle Plan was adopted by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC) in April of 2012. The following maps reflect the efforts by the PCPC, Streets Department, Mayor’s Office of Transportation & Utilities, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, and other entities towards expanding the pedestrian and bicycle networks and creating policies for safety and traffic enforcement over the past three years. For more information visit: City of Philadelphia Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan and the 2015 Progress Report.
