The Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation
A major program of the Transportation Research and Education Center, the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI) advances active transportation research and design for professionals, educators, and university students through training, curriculum development and scholarships.
Founded in 2007, we work with Portland State University faculty in urban studies and planning and civil engineering to conduct interdisciplinary research and integrate bicycle and pedestrian topics into our university courses to support the next generation of professionals. Our location in Portland, Oregon – a national leader in multimodal travel – provides the ideal environment to teach safe, convenient and accessible active transportation and promote a culture of walking and biking.
Through our IBPI program we have worked closely with community partners, policymakers, and consultants, including the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation, Metro, Alta Planning + Design, the Street Trust, and Oregon Walks on collaborative research initiatives.
TRAINING PROFESSIONALS
Our Workshops in Portland, Oregon
For over a decade we have been hosting a diverse mix of one to multi-day workshops that train active transportation professionals, sharing the knowledge gained from our research and collaborations with fellow bike-ped organizations. Since 2007 we’ve trained 740 people from 45 U.S. states and 6 countries! Most notably, 45 colleagues from across the border in Canada have traveled to Portland, Oregon for these trainings. Fill out this form to be notified when we announce the next IBPI trainings.
Currently, we offer three flagship IBPI workshops in Portland:
- Comprehensive Bikeway Design Workshop
- Creating Effective Active Transportation Programs Workshop
- Integrating Bike-Ped Topics into University Transportation Courses Workshop
Check out photos from all of our IBPI programs over the last decade or more.
Partner Events
We’ve partnered with many organizations over the years - both locally and nationally - to encourage cross collaboration and knowledge sharing in active transportation: the Association for Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP), the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC), the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), and consulting firms in the city of Portland and WA County metro. Some major events we have provided leadership on:
2019 APBP Conference
With over 350 attendees, the 2019 conference of APBP was held on August 25-28, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. The Local Host Committee was chaired by TREC at PSU’s Cait McCusker, with additional support from PSU faculty and staff on the committee, in the program, and with tours.
2016 Open Streets Summit
Held August 18-21, 2016, the 3rd International Open Streets Summit was hosted over 170 attendees at Portland State University. The Open Streets Project is an advocacy project led by The Street Plans Collaborative, and the 2016 conference was organized by Street Plans, 8–80 Cities, the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation, and TREC at PSU.
BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN RESEARCH
Portland State research gives walking and bicycling their due as key pieces of a transportation system, exploring the choice to walk or cycle and how to make those options safer. It also looks at the economic factors of a system suited to cyclists and pedestrians. Our faculty, research staff and students at PSU are national experts in designing safe, effective and innovative bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.
BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN GUIDES: DESIGNING FOR TODAY
Understanding that data on walking and cycling need to be put to use before they can help anyone, we work to make sure policymakers and professionals get the best research in formats they understand and use. In collaboration with our many partners, we have a long history in developing guidance for practitioners:
EDUCATING THE NEXT GENERATION
Experiential Learning in the Classroom
To create the transportation system of the future, investing in bike-ped education at the university level is just as important in investing in active transportation facilities and projects. At Portland State University we offer a wide range of transportation courses, degrees and programs, including a transportation certificate program. TREC is also home to the Better Block PSU university-community partnership program that connects PSU students to real world projects that promote equitable placemaking, community building, and active transportation advocacy.
Teaching the Teachers
Through our IBPI program, we’ve trained 94 transportation faculty members in an annual workshop to learn how to integrate bike-ped topics into their university courses.
Study Abroad in the Netherlands
Our two-week Portland State University course (4 credits) offers an immersive experience to explore the Dutch approach to cycling, transit, innovative mobility and land use. The curriculum provides a comparison between U.S. and the Netherlands problems, priorities, and solutions. Specific emphasis on planning and engineering principles, policy, and practice will be explored through field trips, tours and guest lectures, while visiting Utrecht, Amsterdam, Delft, and Houten. Primarily hosted for university students, this experience is also open to transportation professionals.
BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN CURRICULUM RESOURCES
The Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at PSU is committed to teaching university students the latest available information on multimodal, active, equitable and safe transportation and urban design. Developed as part of various university transportation courses, the below curriculum modules help to further this objective.
Curriculum Module | Description | Developed by | Materials for Download |
Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans | Creating a Master Plan for bicycling and pedestrians is one of the first steps in achieving active transportation goals. This module explores the unique needs of pedestrians and bicyclists and the elements present in a complete Master Plan. Steps to creating the Master Plan and the components that make up a plan will be explained. Example plans from other cities will be explored to highlight these components. | Lynn Weigand, Ph.D., PSU | Curriculum Module: Overview, Lecture Notes, Slides, Three Assignments, and Related Resources |
Bicycle and Pedestrian Programs and Design Movements | There is an array of programs and initiatives within the fields of transportation, planning and public health that relate to or support pedestrian and bicycling policies and infrastructure, and education and encouragement programs. This module will introduce different movements in transportation and design that lend themselves to more bicycle and pedestrian oriented planning. | Lynn Weigand, Ph.D., PSU | Curriculum Module: Overview, Lecture Notes, Slides, Two Assignments, and Related Resources |
Bicycle Facility Design | Bicycle facilities range from conventional bike lanes to coordinated wayfinding systems, all acting to improve the safety and comfort of bicyclists. This module will review different types of facilities available to jurisdictions to improve their bikeway network. They are drawn from international best practices and this module gives an overview of when and how they can be used. There are two separate lectures, one focused on types of facilities and the second focused on bike parking only. | Lynn Weigand, Ph.D., PSU | Curriculum Module: Overview, Lecture Notes, Slides, Three Assignments, and Related Resources |
Data Collection | This module will review some of the methods and reasons behind conducting research on bicycle and pedestrian planning. Research on bicycle and pedestrian planning helps answer questions about behavior, needs, and will help set benchmarks to determine the progress and success of a program. From answering questions about users to facilities, this research can improve the outcomes of a bicycle or pedestrian facility and network. | Lynn Weigand, Ph.D., PSU | Curriculum Module: Overview, Lecture Notes, Slides, Two Assignments, and Related Resources |
Education and Encouragement Programs | This module looks at ways different organizations are educating and encouraging youth to be safe bicyclists and pedestrians. Education and encouragement activities for this age group take a variety forms and intend to impart healthy habits for life. Since children see, hear, and process information differently than adults, education programs must be crafted specifically with the child’s developmental ability in mind. | Lynn Weigand, Ph.D., PSU | Curriculum Module: Overview, Lecture Notes, Slides, Three Assignments, and Related Resources |
History of Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning | This module will begin by looking at the history of bicycle and pedestrian travel, or active transportation, and ways in which it has been designed and funded in the United States. Active transportation choices have economic, health, and environmental benefits which makes it increasingly relevant to communities across the United States today. Finally, there will be a discussion on different organizations and institutions which are collaborating and working on improving bicycle and pedestrian transportation. | Lynn Weigand, Ph.D., PSU | Curriculum Module: Overview, Lecture Notes, Slides, Assignments, and Related Resources |
Pedestrian Facility Design | Pedestrians can be viewed as the foundation of the transportation system as essentially every trip begins and ends with pedestrians. This is a diverse group with different facilities needs. There are four primary design elements for pedestrians that will be discussed. Strengths of different facility types, how to plan for the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), and theories such as Universal Design will all be discussed to give planners and advocates a better idea of how to create a welcoming pedestrian environment. | Lynn Weigand, Ph.D., PSU | Curriculum Module: Overview, Lecture Notes, Slides, Two Assignments, and Related Resources |
Trail Design | Trails are increasingly being used as a vital component to the bicycle and pedestrian network and are seen as an asset to the community. Traditionally, trails in communities were primarily for recreational purposes. Now they are providing needed connections between communities and a safe place to ride. This module will look at the variety of trail types and what components are necessary for a successful trail project. | Lynn Weigand, Ph.D., PSU | |
Transportation Facilities Design | This is a class required for students acquiring a graduate degree in transportation engineering. It introduces common facility design concepts for transportation infrastructure. | Karen Dixon, Ph.D., Oregon State University | |
Bike & Ped Engineering Curricula | This is a slide deck offering an overview of how to integrate bicycle and pedestrian topics into transportation engineering curriculum, both in the classroom and in the professional sphere. | Miguel Figliozzi, Ph.D., PSU Chris Monsere, Ph.D., P.E., PSU | Lessons Regarding Projects For The Classroom & Connecting With The Profession |
Misc - History of Bike & Ped Planning and Engineering | These presentations offer a brief historical synopsis of the emergence of bicycle and pedestrian-oriented transportation planning, both in general as well as specific to Portland, Oregon. | Susan Mason, Ph.D., Boise State University Peter Koonce, P.E., PSU | Bicyclist Planning For Engineering 108 Brief History Of Portland Pedestrian And Bicycling Evolution Part #1 Bicycle & Pedestrian Design And Planning Topics For Curriculum Part #2 Bicycle Design And Planning Topics For Curriculum Part #3 |
Bike & Ped Counting | These materials provide templates for recording counts of bicycles, pedestrians, and motorists, and their turning movement counts (TMC), as well as a presentation on bike/ped count programs. | Krista Nordback, Ph.D., P.E., PSU | |
USP 465-565 Ped & Bike Planning Lecture | This class examines the importance of walking and bicycling as means of transportation that equitably advances health, economics, access, and quality of life. We will consider the possibilities when politics, policies, planning, projects, programs and people focus on prioritizing our public ways for people. We will draw heavily on Portland’s experience, but also include research and practices from other US and international cities. | Drusilla van Hengel, Ph.D., PSU | |
CE 493-593 Bike & Ped Infrastructure | Design and operational concepts in the engineering design of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. This course covers on-road and shared path locations. Specific topics include design details of bikeways, basic geometric design, intersection and signalization considerations, and ADA requirements supporting non-motorized modes. | Chris Monsere, Ph.D., P.E., PSU | |
CE 351 Transportation Systems | This course is an introduction to the principles of transportation engineering with a focus on highway engineering and traffic analysis. Topics include vehicle fundamentals and road vehicle performance, geometric design, pavement design, and fundamentals of traffic flow and queuing theory. Linkages beyond the highway mode are included. | Avinash Unnikrishnan, Ph.D., PSU |
The curriculum modules and resources shared here are offered to you conditioned on your acceptance without modifications of the Terms. Your use of the curriculum modules constitutes your agreement to all such Terms.
- To reproduce or make copies of the modules: any reproductions or copies must contain proper attribution to the Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University, and at a minimum, the TREC logo.
- To distribute the modules or module adaptations: any reproductions or copies must contain proper attribution to TREC, and at a minimum, the TREC logo.
- To create and reproduce adaptations (work based on the curriculum modules): provided that any such adaptations or changes, including any translation in any medium, takes reasonable steps to clearly label, demarcate or otherwise identify that changes were made to the original modules. For example, a translation could be marked "The original curriculum modules were translated from English to Spanish." If significant adapations are made (e.g. language translation) that may benefit other users, please contact us at asktrec@pdx.edu to determine whether this update could be added to the project resources.
SUPPORTING THE NEXT GENERATION: SCHOLARSHIPS
Since 2007, IBPI has supported the next generation of bicycle and pedestrian professionals through two scholarships for PSU students who go above and beyond to advance active transportation design, programs, and community engagement practices: IBPI Active Transportation Scholarship and the IBPI Excellence in Active Transportation. All 34 of our past IBPI scholars have professions in active transportation, building the healthy, safe, and active future that we want to see.
The Innovation in Active Transportation Endowed Scholarship was begun through the generous donation of a local philanthropist and several local firms, and you can help us fund the future of active transportation with your donation!
ANN NILES ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION LECTURE
The Ann Niles Active Transportation Lecture, first established by an endowment from Ann Niles in 2011, is a unique opportunity to bring world-class thinkers on pedestrian and bicycle issues to PSU and our local community. The annual lecture serves as a legacy to Ann Niles who was a strong advocate for livable neighborhoods and safer pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and served on many transportation-focused boards and committees in Portland. The Ann Niles speakers offer a fresh perspective and driving passion for safe, healthy, and sustainable active transportation. By promoting dialogue across disciplines and interests, this lecture series supports PSU's mission to "let knowledge serve the city."