Bicycle and Pedestrian Engineering Design Curriculum Expansion

The thoughtful and educated development and provision of active transportation facilities enhances the livability and health of communities. As federal, state, and local governments seek to encourage active transportation, bicycling and pedestrian facility design is receiving greater consideration in the development of "complete streetsâ€Â and multimodal transportation systems. Preparing the next generation of transportation engineers and planners with the skills they need to raise awareness of non-motorized mode accommodations and implement well-informed bicycle and pedestrian facility designs requires providing necessary training. Bicycle and pedestrian issues are gaining nationwide attention in transportation curricula. More programs seek to offer courses specifically geared…

The thoughtful and educated development and provision of active transportation facilities enhances the livability and health of communities. As federal, state, and local governments seek to encourage active transportation, bicycling and pedestrian facility design is receiving greater consideration in the development of “complete streetsâ€Â and multimodal transportation systems. Preparing the next generation of transportation engineers and planners with the skills they need to raise awareness of non-motorized mode accommodations and implement well-informed bicycle and pedestrian facility designs requires providing necessary training.
        Bicycle and pedestrian issues are gaining nationwide attention in transportation curricula. More programs seek to offer courses specifically geared towards bicycle and pedestrian planning and design goals, although only 13 known courses are currently offered at universities across the US. Portland State University is fortunate to offer one of these 13 courses through its Urban Studies and Planning program; however, due to the overwhelming popularity of the class among undergraduate and graduate students, the university’s quarter-term system does not allow sufficient time to fully address pertinent concepts, particularly theories relating to engineering design of facilities.
This project will introduce a new course to the bicycle and pedestrian curriculum at Portland State University, focused on engineering design issues surrounding bicycle and pedestrian facility design and location. The course will be one of only three documented bicycle and pedestrian facility design courses offered through US university engineering departments. Topics will include facility location and layout, geometric design of roadways and intersections for bicycle and pedestrian use, illumination and signalization considerations, intermodal connectivity, and safety and health components of facility design, among other subject matter. In providing an engineering design-focused bicycle and pedestrian course to students at Portland State, this project will generate guidance documentation for university faculty at other institutions interested in developing comparable courses.
The project will build on current engineering education research by the PI, focused on addressing educational needs of students through the use of innovative classroom techniques, multi-disciplinary generative problem solving, co-operative learning, and classroom engagement. In addition, an Advisory Committee, comprised of local Portland experts in bicycle and pedestrian facility design and operations, will assist in all stages of the course, providing advice, feedback, professional perspective, and course material review.