Planning for walking and cycling

Planning for pedestrians and planning for bicycles are two distinct disciplines. We are specialists in both.

We bring a national and international best practices perspective to addressing pedestrian and bicycle mobility and a deep and rich understanding of bicycle and pedestrian planning. Our recommendations are grounded on rigorous study, close observation, and personal experience. Recognized for our innovative work, we bring a focused, asset-based approach and a deep dedication to client satisfaction to the projects where we are engaged.

A proven record of innovative non-motorized planning

Our work on the City of Edina's first ever Comprehensive Bicycle Transportation Plan (link >) has been widely praised for the quality of its execution and recommendations, for its step-by-step implementation approach, and for the innovative practices it introduces into Edina's (and our Metropolitan region's) transportation landscape (blue lanes, bicycle-oriented signal optimization and detection, a complete range of end-of-trip facilities, and deeper transit integration at the Southdale transit hub, among others). It has also been lauded for the consideration it gives to the needs of cyclists over a wide range of skills and age ranges. A copy of the official review of the Plan by funder Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota's "Design for Health" panel can be found here >

Dedication to continuous improvement

We are dedicated to continuously expanding our skills and knowledge. We are active participants in local and national bicycle, pedestrian and transit conferences and trainings, and regularly travel to national and international destinations for firsthand observation and documentation of innovative walking and bicycling best practices and alternative approaches.

We are active members of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) and the Complete Streets Coalition, and are often consulted by communities and public officials on bicycle and pedestrian issues.

National innovations and best practices

We closely track the latest developments in national best practices for pedestrian and bicycle facility design, operational and management practices, and social marketing / educational components for non-motorized transportation. We are deeply familiar with national best practices plan documents, including the State of Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, the City of Chicago Bicycle Plan, the City of Seattle Bicycle Master Plan, and the City of Portland Bicycle Master Plan, among others. We closely monitor the introduction of innovative international practices into the US transportation context - for example, the City of New York has recently begun implementation of cycletracks (barrier-separated bicycle lanes, ubiquitous in many northern European cities) and has also begun an official "Summer Streets" program patterned after Bogotá, Colombia's successful Ciclovía events that temporarily close off automobile access to multiple miles of city streets in order to invite new cyclists and other non-motorized transportation users to gain comfort and confidence on city streets.

We are of course also intimately familiar with current US Federal, State of Minnesota and Metropolitan Council recommendations and regulations governing pedestrian and bicycle facility design, including the AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, the Mn/DOT Bikeway Facility Design Manual, and other US recommendations and best practices, including, for example, the Institute of Transportation Engineers' Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) recommended practice.

An international best-practices approach

Many of the most innovative approaches to effective pedestrian and bicycle transportation are taking place outside of the US. We travel to observe, experience and document these improvements so we may modify and adapt them to our specific context. We have great familiarity with international best practices and relevant design guidelines, and we keep abreast of developments outside the US. We regularly consult international references containing state-of-the-art practices. We have in our library, for example, the most recent English language editions of the Dutch national "Design Manual for Bicycle Traffic" and "Urban Design and Traffic" (addressing placemaking and walking and cycling recommendations) published by the Netherlands Information and Technology Platform for Infrastructure, Traffic, Transport and Public Space (CROW in Dutch acronym).