Planning for everyone? An examination of state bike plans for equity related content

Faith Jasso, Lucas D. Elliott, Melissa Bopp

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

State bicycle plans are governmental policy tools developed by state departments of transportation that guide future state legislation regarding bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, allocation of resources or funding, address safety education efforts, outline priorities and policy recommendations to improve bicycling for all populations within the state. This study assessed the mention of equity and vulnerable population groups in published state bicycle plans. Bicycle plans were obtained through state government websites and scanned for key words related to equity terminology (mention of specific identifying factors: race/ethnicity, income, LGBTQ+, age/youth, disability, rural, and other). Relevant passages were identified and recorded for data analysis. A content analysis was conducted to identify major trends and salient quotes. Of the 40 states (including Washington, D.C.) that had bicycle plans available, 16 states overtly mentioned the word “equity” and/or had specific equity objective statements. The most mentioned population groups were rural and low-income populations. Rural was predominantly mentioned by southern and midwestern states. It is important for states to include equity objectives or goals in bicycle plans to guide policy and legislation to work towards making biking more accessible for all in the future.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number104923
JournalCities
Volume149
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2024

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Development
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Urban Studies
  • Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Planning for everyone? An examination of state bike plans for equity related content'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this