title: Planning for pedestrians and bicyclists: results from a statewide municipal survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We surveyed North Carolina (NC) municipalities to document the presence of municipal walking- and bicycling-related projects, programs, and policies; to describe whether prevalence of these elements differed if recommended in a plan; and to characterize differences between urban and rural municipalities.
  
  
  METHODS
  We surveyed all municipalities with ≥ 5000 persons (n = 121) and sampled municipalities with < 5000 persons (216/420), with a response rate of 54% (183/337). Responses were weighted to account for the sampling design.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From a list provided, staff reported on their municipality's use of walking- and bicycling-related elements (8 infrastructure projects, 9 programs, and 14 policies). The most commonly reported were projects on sidewalks (53%), streetscape improvements (51%), bicycle/walking paths (40%); programs for cultural/recreational/health (25%), general promotional activities (24%), Safe Routes to School (24%), and law enforcement (24%); and policies on maintenance (64%), new facility construction (57%), and restricted automobile speed or access (45%). Nearly all projects, programs, or policies reported were more likely if included in a plan and more prevalent in urban than rural municipalities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results provide cross-sectional support that plans facilitate the implementation of walking and bicycling elements, and that rural municipalities plan and implement these elements less often than urban municipalities.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Kelly R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Evenson
authors.forename: Semra A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Aytur
authors.forename: Sara B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Satinsky
authors.forename: Zachary Y
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Kerr
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
mesh_terms: D001642:Bicycling / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004779:Environment Design; D006285:Health Planning / Q000379:methods*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009657:North Carolina; D015995:Prevalence; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012424:Rural Population; D040241:Social Marketing; D014505:Urban Population; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*