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"SmartMobility" is a nickname for the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program. Authorized by Congress, the Pilot Program is designed to demonstrate that biking and walking can represent a major part of an affordable, sustainable transportation solution. Four communities across the U.S. have been selected to receive up to $25 million dollars each for program purposes (SAFETEA-LU, Section 1807 ). With this money, the communities have been working to introduce a network of nonmotorized transportation infrastructure facilities that connect directly with transit stations, schools, residences, businesses, recreation areas, and other community activity centers.
The SmartMobility pilot communities are:
With a population of less than 100,000 residents, Columbia, Missouri is
the smallest of the four pilot communities. The city is home to the
University of Missouri-Columbia, a major research university. Thus,
median age in this pilot community is the youngest of all four pilots,
hovering around 27 years old. Like the other three pilot communities,
more than 85 percent of the city’s 45,000-person workforce commutes by
vehicle (either alone or in carpools). However, of the four pilots,
Columbia experiences the highest share of workers who commute by
walking (7 percent). Columbia’s existing network of trails,
well-organized bicycle and pedestrian advocacy group, and dense
downtown make the city a good candidate for innovative nonmotorized
infrastructure and educational activities.
Marin
County, in the San Francisco Bay Area, is home to almost 250,000
residents spread throughout the County’s 520 square miles. As the
second largest pilot community, (both in terms of land area and
population) approximately three-fourths of Marin’s workforce of 126,000
commutes by car, van, or carpool. The County boasts many miles of
existing bicycle lanes, multi-use trails, and signed routes throughout
Marin’s neighborhoods, and benefits from a temperate climate, making it
possible for residents to bike or walk year-round. Countywide plans are
in place to construct new – and enhance existing – facilities, and
implement new educational and promotional campaigns.
The
City of Minneapolis is the most densely populated of the four pilot
communities, with nearly 400,000 residents occupying 55 square miles.
Most projects will be located in Minneapolis, though projects will also
be considered along corridors leading into Minneapolis in 14 adjacent
urban and suburban municipalities, the metropolitan airport, and a
state park. The combined population of those adjoining communities is
550,000. Of the four pilot communities, Minneapolis experiences the
highest share of non-vehicular commuting, with 17 percent of trips on
foot and bicycle and four percent on public transit (2000 Metropolitan
Council Travel Behavior Inventory). Transit for Livable Communities
plans to increase the share of biking, walking, and transit ridership
in the Minneapolis area through strategic infrastructure and
educational investments, supported by the Nonmotorized Transportation
Pilot Program.
Sheboygan
County, Wisconsin, located on the western shores of Lake Michigan, is
one of the largest pilot communities in terms of land area, covering
more than 500 square miles. A mid-sized region with a Census 2000
population of approximately 110,000, Sheboygan County is composed of 15
townships, 10 villages and 3 cities. The County (administered by a
County Board of 34 representatives) will disburse, through its Joint
Resources and Transportation Committee, approximately $6.25 million for
nonmotorized projects in each of the four program years (2006-2010).
With a workforce of nearly 60,000 – with more than 90 percent commuting
by motor vehicle – Sheboygan County has an opportunity to advance mode
shifts through a combination of infrastructure projects and public
education campaigns.
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