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Factors Associated with Federal Transportation Funding for Local Pedestrian and Bicycle Programming and Facilities

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Abstract

Providing safe, convenient places for walking and bicycling can reduce barriers to participating in regular physical activity. We examined bicycle- and pedestrian-related investments authorized by federal transportation legislation in 3,140 counties in the United States by region, population size and urbanization, social and economic characteristics, and indicators of travel-related walking and bicycling. From 1992 to 2004, states and counties implemented 10,012 bicycle- and pedestrian-related projects representing $3.17 billion in federal expenditures. We found disparities in implementation and system-building outcomes according to population size and location and social and economic indicators. Counties characterized by persistent poverty (odds ratio=0.69, 95% confidence interval 0.53–0.91) or low educational status (odds ratio=0.66, 95% confidence interval 0.52–0.84) were less likely to implement projects. Three key policy recommendations for improving public health outcomes are drawn from this research: Improved data tracking, more explicit linkages between transportation projects and public health, and improved planning assistance to underserved communities are all seen as essential steps.

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Acknowledgements

Research for this paper was supported through a grant from Active Living Research (#58025), a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Additional support was provided through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Prevention Research Centers grant (U48/DP000064). We are grateful for the research assistance provided by Yimin Lou and Lindsey Cox, and to Federal Highway Administration employees for comments and assistance in providing access to the data used for this research.

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Correspondence to Angie L Cradock.

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Cradock, A., Troped, P., Fields, B. et al. Factors Associated with Federal Transportation Funding for Local Pedestrian and Bicycle Programming and Facilities. J Public Health Pol 30 (Suppl 1), S38–S72 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1057/jphp.2008.60

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