A common saying in transportation planning is that every trip is a pedestrian trip; even car trips start and end with walking or rolling. Therefore, it’s crucial to consider pedestrians in all transportation planning projects. DVRPC uses a Complete Streets approach to support pedestrians across the region. Complete Streets are roadways designed to accommodate all road users—people who walk, roll, bicycle, ride transit, and drive. This approach improves transportation options and mobility throughout the region. DVRPC supports local pedestrian planning by collecting data, undertaking and advancing transportation planning projects, and identifying and sharing best practices that are relevant to our region.
Planning Tools
Greater Philadelphia Pedestrian Portal
The Greater Philadelphia Pedestrian Portal is a centralized hub where you can learn about DVRPC’s multilayered approach to improving pedestrian infrastructure in the region. Access maps to interact with and edit DVRPC's regional pedestrian network GIS dataset by using the "Explore" and "Edit" tools. Registered planners can create and share pedestrian improvement plans using the "Plan" tool. Here you'll also find information on resources and opportunities to help communities build more sidewalks.
Sidewalk and Street Tree Screening Tool
The Sidewalk and Street Tree Screening Tool utilizes data on extreme heat vulnerability, equity, tree canopy coverage, and sidewalk density. This map identifies locations in the DVRPC region where sidewalk repair and street tree planting would have the greatest impact. There are four (4) different analysis categories that were combined into one overall Priority Score (ranging from 0-16). The four categories include temperature score, social vulnerability score, tree canopy density, and sidewalk density.
Sidewalk Gap Analysis
A connected pedestrian network is the foundation of a healthy, accessible, and prosperous community. This analysis helps communities around the region prioritize the pedestrian improvements that will make the greatest impact. How well connected is the pedestrian network in the Greater Philadelphia region? How do gaps in the pedestrian network affect our ability to travel around the region? This map explorer uses four analyses to examine different elements of pedestrian accessibility.
AccessScore
AccessScore is an analysis that assesses the infrastructure and demographic characteristics around transit stations that relate to how supportive of bicycling and walking the area is and how much bicycle and pedestrian activity could be occurring there. The analysis includes Regional Rail, light rail, trolley, and subway stations throughout the Philadelphia region with service provided by SEPTA, NJ TRANSIT, and PATCO.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Count Programs
DVRPC began developing the Southeastern Pennsylvania Pedestrian Cyclical Count Program in the fall of 2018, supported by discretionary funding through the PennDOT CONNECTS initiative. The purpose of the pedestrian cyclical count program is to count pedestrians at a number of set locations per year in order to monitor pedestrian travel trends in representative contexts throughout the region over time. Counts associated with that program, as well as all other counts conducted since 2010, can be found in the Travel Monitoring Counts Viewer.
In addition, DVRPC began a permanent counting program at over 10 locations along Circuit Trails around the region, thanks to generous support from the William Penn Foundation and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, who provided funds for equipment acquisition. Bicyclists and pedestrians are counted 24 hours per day, 365 days per year at these locations, and the data is all accessible online.
Sidewalk Priorities: Montgomery County
This map builds upon previous analytic efforts related to sidewalk gaps, and specifically analyzes accessibility to points of interest within Montgomery County PA. This map focuses on comparing the accessibility of the existing sidewalk network alongside the full OpenStreetMap, which is used as a stand-in to model a future scenario where every road has complete pedestrian amenities.
Recent Publications
DVRPC routinely conducts a number of pedestrian access and planning specific studies. Listed here are the most recent publications. These products are available through our Resource Center at 215-592-1800 or via email at public_affairs@dvrpc.org.
A New Route to Better Travel for All: The Regional TDM Plan
This strategic plan is a working document that is intended to be the foundation for the solicitation, selection, and implementation of transportation demand management (TDM) work conducted in the bi-state DVRPC region.
Mobility Choices: Transportation Conversations in Three Black and Latino Communities in the Greater Philadelphia Region
The objective of this project is to better understand how people living in communities of color in the DVRPC region choose their mode of transportation, and what physical, social, or structural forces shape those choices. We did this by surveying in three communities: North Trenton, NJ; Norristown, PA; and Mantua/East Parkside neighborhoods in Philadelphia. The intent of this work is to develop a report and qualitative dataset that can be used by DVRPC and its regional partners to better understand the needs of these communities and inform decision making around future transportation programming and planning.
Trenton Complete Streets Design Handbook
The Trenton Complete Streets Design Handbook was created by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission in collaboration with the City of Trenton, Mercer County, NJDOT, and additional community stakeholders. The handbook proposes a series of design treatments and overlays, along with implementation steps, to implement Complete Streets on a variety of different street typologies.
Southeastern Pennsylvania Pedestrian Cyclical Count Program Summary
DVRPC began developing the Southeastern Pennsylvania Pedestrian Cyclical Count Program in the fall of 2018, supported by discretionary funding through the PennDOT CONNECTS initiative. The purpose of the pedestrian cyclical count program is to count pedestrians at a number of set locations per year in order to monitor pedestrian travel trends in representative contexts throughout the region over time. Future uses of the data may include developing estimates of pedestrian activity for all road segments and tracking of changes in travel after infrastructure investments.
Safe Routes to Transit: Bordentown Station
The Safe Routes to Transit: Bordentown Station plan was created by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission in collaboration with a variety of partners, most notably the City of Bordentown and Burlington County. The study proposes a series of design treatments with implementation steps to assist the municipality in funding and building a series of safety improvements for people walking and biking to the RIVERline station and downtown Bordentown.
Safe Routes to Transit: Woodbourne
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) worked with Middletown Township and Bucks County to improve bicycle and pedestrian access to Woodbourne Station, on SEPTA’s West Trenton Regional Rail line. The memo presents a pedestrian access proposal along with estimated costs.
Programs
DVRPC provides technical assistance or guidance to local governments on a wide range of topics. Below is a list of those programs.
Expo: Experimental Pop-ups
DVRPC’s Expo: Experimental Pop-ups program offers assistance to communities to test solutions to transportation problems through demonstration, or pop-up projects, and quick build infrastructure. Program staff assists communities to design, implement, and measure projects that apply various pedestrian, bicycle, transit, and roadway strategies that address safety and placemaking.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Count Programs
DVRPC began developing the Southeastern Pennsylvania Pedestrian Cyclical Count Program in the fall of 2018, supported by discretionary funding through the PennDOT CONNECTS initiative. The purpose of the pedestrian cyclical count program is to count pedestrians at a number of set locations per year in order to monitor pedestrian travel trends in representative contexts throughout the region over time. Counts associated with that program, as well as all other counts conducted since 2010, can be found in the Travel Monitoring Counts Viewer.
In addition, DVRPC began a permanent counting program at over 10 locations along Circuit Trails around the region, thanks to generous support from the William Penn Foundation and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, who provided funds for equipment acquisition. Bicyclists and pedestrians are counted 24 hours per day, 365 days per year at these locations, and the data is all accessible online.
Regional Safety Task Force (RSTF)
The Regional Safety Task Force brings together a multi-disciplinary group of professionals to identify safety goals, strategies and resources. The focus of the Task Force is diverse, multidisciplinary (engineering, education, enforcement, emergency services, legislation and funding) and multimodal (automobile, truck, transit, bicycle, foot and train). The Task Force plays a significant role in the development of the Regional Safety Action Plan.
Resources
Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program (TASA)
The TASA Program provides funds to build pedestrian and bicycle facilities, improve access to public transportation, create safe routes to school, preserve historic transportation structures, provide environmental mitigation, and create trail projects that serve a transportation purpose while promoting safety and mobility.
DVRPC Regional Trails Program
The Regional Trails Program, administered by DVRPC, with funding from the William Penn Foundation, aims to capitalize upon the region's rich network of "rights-of-ways" by providing funding for targeted, priority trail design, construction and planning projects that will promote a truly connected, regional network of multi-use trails throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.
Travel Options Program (TOP)
In 2020, DVRPC developed a formal and coordinated Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program for the nine-county Greater Philadelphia region. Through a biennial, two-part competitive search process, DVRPC seeks creative ideas that will reduce the number of single occupancy vehicles (SOVs) on the region’s roadways and improve accessibility to, and equity across, all modes of transportation.
Safe Routes to Schools
The Safe Routes to Schools program is funded through the Federal Highway Administration's Federal Aid Program. Under the most recent legislation, funding does not provide for a standalone SRTS Program. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has elected to continue funding the SRTS program separately. The objectives of the SRTS Program are to enable and encourage children, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school.
Transportation and Community Development Initiative (TCDI)
The Transportation and Community Development Initiative (TCDI) is a grant opportunity that funds local planning initiatives that also advance the goals of the region’s long-range plan, Connections 2050: Plan for Greater Philadelphia. TCDI focuses on linking land use, transportation, and economic development planning that promotes the use of transit, bike, and pedestrian transportation modes.
DVRPC Municipal Funding Guide
This guide is intended to assist local and county governments, community groups and nonprofit organizations in the Delaware Valley Region to identify federal, state, county, and private sources of funding for locally initiated planning and development projects. Funding opportunities are listed by program, category, and eligibility requirements.