The program provides funding for municipalities across the state to develop comprehensive bicycle or pedestrian plans. There are several plan options available to meet specific community needs.
- All North Carolina municipalities are eligible to apply for a standard bike or pedestrian plan (application). Additionally, the following options are available:
- Counties with a population of less than 50,000 may apply for a bicycle or pedestrian plan.
- Smaller municipalities with populations of less than 10,000 can apply to develop combined bicycle and pedestrian plans.
- Municipalities of less than 5,000 population may apply for a project acceleration plan (application) – an abbreviated plan primarily focusing on priority project identification and implementation.
- Municipalities (and counties with populations of less than 50,000) who currently have bicycle plans and/or pedestrian plans, either through this grant program or otherwise, may apply for a plan update (application) provided the existing plan is at least five years old.
The deadline for application, to be submitted electronically, is Wednesday June 30 at 5 p.m. Award recipients will be notified by September 2021. This program is sponsored by the department’s Integrated Mobility Division (IMD) and the Transportation Planning Division. Since 2004, over $7 million have been awarded through this program to 226 municipalities and 6 counties across the state. Proposals are divided and judged in geographical groups to help establish equitable distribution of funding across the state. The selected awardees commonly incorporate a diverse mix of municipalities from large cities to small towns .Plans funded are not for one specific project, but represent a comprehensive strategy for expanding bicycle and pedestrian opportunities within a given municipality. The plans may address facilities, programs, policies and design guidelines that encourage safe walking and bicycling.
A webinar will be scheduled for May 12, 2021 to describe the grant program and to respond to any questions from potential applicants.
For more information on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Grant Initiative, contact Bryan Lopez at (919) 707-2606 or balopez@ncdot.gov
JMTE's recently provided Bicycle & Pedestrian Plans
Canton Bike-Ped Plan
J.M. Teague Engineering & Planning (JMTE) partnered with Chipley Consulting to create a Comprehensive Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan for the Town of Canton. The plan recommends infrastructure improvement projects and lists short- and long-term action items that will help create a blueprint to enable a variety of transportation options for residents and visitors.
We focused on network connectivity and accessibility, with prioritized recommendations for improvements to Canton’s infrastructure. We also developed action items in the five Es (Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, and Evaluation). Through a variety of community involvement efforts that included biking and walking through town, we observed the behavior of pedestrians and made preliminary recommendations for key corridors and intersections. The final list of project recommendations includes intersection improvement ideas, greenway and trail projects, locations for a bike lane and shared lane marking prioritization, and numerous sidewalk opportunities, such as improving existing lengths and adding new sections.
The diversity of projects allows for flexibility in implementation, with low-cost spot improvements and big, bold regional connections. JMTE also proposed several ways to measure how well the Town is doing in its implementation goals by measuring new infrastructure construction and usage of trails, sidewalks, and bike lanes.
Spindale Comp Bike & Ped Plan
J.M. Teague Engineering & Planning (JMTE) partnered with Chipley Consulting to conduct a comprehensive plan for bicyclists and pedestrians in Spindale, NC. JMTE focused on advancing the goal of linking parks, trails, historic Main Street, schools, churches, and job centers to the region as a whole. Recommendations included relatively inexpensive sidewalk segments, broad multijurisdictional greenway corridors, intersection safety improvements, new bike lanes and shared lane markings, and a range of policies and program ideas.
JMTE and Chipley Consulting held meetings in the field, which were open to the public, taking a group on a bike ride through town, stopping along the way to pinpoint locations where infrastructure was lacking or inadequate. The steering committee helped prioritize the list and feedback from public events helped make sure that all recommendations were reviewed and approved by a variety of stakeholders. In addition, JMTE proposed a number of ways to measure how well the Town is doing in their implementation goals by measuring new infrastructure construction and usage of trails, sidewalks, and bike lanes.
FRANKLIN COMPREHENSIVE BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PLAN
J.M. Teague Engineering & Planning worked with NCDOT and the Town of Franklin, NC, on this comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian plan. JMTE con-ducted on-site technical reviews of the bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, making project recommendations based on steering committee prioritization with the goal of making sure the town’s transportation networks are suitably connected and well balanced.
The Plan recommended numerous sidewalk construction and intersection improvements, an urban sidepath multiuse trail system, bike lane additions within the right-of-way, and expansions and connectors to the greenway system.
