The following information provided by the Virginia Conservation Network:

VIRGINIA TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY ISSUES LANDMARK BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN POLICY DIRECTIVE

Whittington W. Clement, Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia, has issued a ground-breaking directive to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) concerning bicycle and pedestrian policies and procedures.  In an April 2,
2003 memorandum to VDOT Commissioner Philip A. Shucet, Secretary Clement directed VDOT to follow what essentially are the Virginia Bicycling Federation's
priority recommendations for accommodating and funding bicycling and walking on Virginia highways (http://vabike.org/docs/vbfpos.doc), including full compliance with the USDOT bicycle and pedestrian accommodation guidance issued in February 2000
(http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bikeped/Design.htm). Virginia Bicycling Federation, Allen Muchnick, http://vabike.org, 703-271-0895; muchnick@capaccess.org

The full text of the directive is reproduced below.

MEMORANDUM
TO: Mr. Philip A. Shucet, Commissioner of Transportation
FROM: Whittington W. Clement, Secretary of Transportation
RE: Bicycle and Pedestrian Policies and Procedures

I was pleased to learn that the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), through its Transportation and Mobility Planning Division, is coordinating a comprehensive review of VDOT's bicycling and pedestrian policies and procedures.  It is my
understanding that this review is being undertaken consistent with statewide multimodal transportation planning initiatives.  Some of the proposed changes to these policies and procedures may require the review and approval of the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB), while others may be implemented administratively.

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide general guidance to you and your staff as you move forward with this important undertaking.  This effort should be achieved in an expeditious manner and should be consistent with the Governor's directive to develop
multimodal solutions to the Commonwealth's transportation problems.  The following goals should serve as a foundation for your efforts.

* Non-motorized transportation should receive the same consideration as motorized transportation in the planning, design, construction, and operation of Virginia's transportation network.

* Bicycle and pedestrian accommodations should be included in the design of all new highway facilities, and all major highway reconstruction efforts, unless (i) special circumstances exist that effectively prevent the inclusion of bicycle or pedestrian
accommodations, or (ii) a local governing body has formally requested that bicycle or pedestrian accommodations not be included in a particular project.  VDOT should clearly explain any special circumstances during a public planning and design process.  VDOT also should develop procedures to coordinate with the appropriate local governing body
to identify and publicly document any requests to not include bicycle or pedestrian accommodations in a particular project.

* Access to the entire transportation system should be improved for bicyclists and pedestrians.  Existing restrictions affecting bicycle and pedestrian access to existing highway facilities should be reviewed to achieve this goal.

* Formulas and procedures for funding bicycle and pedestrian facility design, construction, maintenance and operations should be reviewed and amended to
ensure that these facilities are treated in the same fashion as highway projects.  There should be no bias against bicycle or pedestrian facilities.

* In preparation for the 2004 General Assembly, VDOT should identify and develop recommendations for amending any statutory provisions that hinder the inclusion of bicycle or pedestrian accommodations in highway construction or reconstruction projects or that prohibit the use of state or federal transportation funds for stand-alone bicycle or
pedestrian construction projects.  Again, there should be no bias against bicycle or pedestrian facilities.

* As part of its commitment to multimodal solutions, VDOT should ensure that all of these activities are appropriately coordinated at the statewide and district levels, including the appointment of focused district advisory councils for pedestrian and bicycle issues.

* The current efforts to develop a statewide, multimodal plan and to revise secondary road standards should incorporate these same goals, as appropriate.

* Finally, given the importance of these undertakings, I would appreciate the development of schedules to ensure that the bulk of this work is completed by the end of this calendar year.

I look forward to working with you in implementing these important goals.