Non Motorized Transportation Project

Project summary:

The University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies is leading community-wide population surveys for the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program (NTPP) to measure changes in levels of walking and bicycling as a result of enhanced conditions. To evaluate impacts of the program, two community-wide surveys were conducted before (phase 1: 2006) and after (phase 2: 2010) the pilot program.

The survey in phase 1 consisted of a short mail-out questionnaire and a computer assisted telephone interview (CATI) among respondents to the short questionnaire. In phase 2 the short questionnaire was integrated into the CATI. The final sample consisted of 1279 complete records in phase 1 and 1807 complete records in phase 2.

Statistical analysis focused on evaluating differences between phase 1 and phase 2 in the core variables on nonmotorized travel behavior. The detailed analysis did not reveal any consistent or statistically significant differences between phases 1 and 2. It is important to point out that the inability to detect significant patterns of change is not synonymous to no change occurring. The report discusses some of the factors that make this type of research challenging.