One of the main concerns identified by Chester County residents during the update of Landscapes3, the county’s comprehensive plan, was the need for more bicycle and pedestrian facilities within their communities.

With funding provided through a grant from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission’s Transportation and Community Development Initiative program, Planning Commission staff introduced the Active Transportation Municipal Ordinance Inventory and Outreach project– or ‘Active Transportation Inventory’ for short – at the ‘Trains, Trails & Traffic’ event held in December 2019.

An overview and summary of the completed Active Transportation Inventory was recently provided at the ‘Bicycles, Pedestrians, and Transit’ meeting on September 30, 2020.

The project included a comprehensive inventory and review of existing subdivision and land development ordinances, comprehensive plans, and any bicycle, pedestrian, or transit related advisory documents for all 73 of Chester County’s municipalities. Additionally, the project included identification of potential ordinance amendments (tailored for each municipality) to improve active transportation facility implementation, as well as technical assistance and a summary report of the findings and recommendations.

A variety of online eTools are also available for use by local municipalities, including information and examples regarding greenways, street trees, transit oriented development, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and more.

The primary benefit of the Active Transportation Inventory is to allow the critical element of public infrastructure to be completed as part of the land development process throughout Chester County’s municipalities. It supports the implementation of Lanscapes3 via the Connect goal, to “Advance efficient, reliable, and innovative transportation, utility, and communications infrastructure systems that responsibly serve thriving and growing communities.”

To learn more about the Active Transportation Inventory, as well as other transportation initiatives and projects throughout the county, visit https://chescoplanning.org/transportation/transportation.cfm.