Bike and Pedestrian Information

A healthy community supports all modes of transportation, especially bicycles and pedestrians.  To help Utah communities make transportation be a healthy choice, we have developed a video to walk you through our Utah Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Design Guide.  If you need more information, download the Guide below, or contact us for more information

The Utah Department of Health and its partners are pleased to present the Utah Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Design Guide (PDF). This Guide has been designed to provide local cities and towns the tools that they need to make their community a place where the active choice is the healthy choice.

As part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funding for Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW), this Guide provides the tools and resources necessary to engage community members, identify goals, and take the steps to make their community's policies and environments active transportation friendly.

What is Active Transportation?

Active transportation involves any way an individual can travel to and from desired locations by using the body as the primary means of locomotion. Simply put, if you ride a bike, walk, skate, or skip to go somewhere, you are using active transportation. This is much more than providing bike lanes, but a systematic approach to placing people at the same level of priority as cars.

The Guide

The Guide was made possible through the work of our partners:

• Utah Department of Transportation
• Safe Routes to School Program
• Utah Transit Authority
• Department of Public Safety, Highway Safety Office
• Salt Lake Valley Health Department
• Wasatch Front Regional Council

Why Plan for Pedestrians and Cyclists?

Walking and cycling are not only effective modes of transportation, but they are beneficial to an individual's health and the quality of an environment. When a community emphasizes walking or cycling, it demonstrates that how we move is as important as where we go, and how fast we get there. Economic development improves when travelers can stop into a local shop without struggling with parking or time constraints, and these businesses encourage each other to accommodate the increased pedestrian traffic flow. All of this, while important, pales in comparison to the health benefits that arise from people friendly environments.

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