Active Transportation Resource Center Offers New Course in Planning and Designing for Bicycles

California's Active Transportation Program, which is funded through Caltrans, just launched a new training class called Bicycle Transportation: An Introduction to Planning and Design.

The first course took place in Marysville a few days ago; future courses are planned in Redding (May 8), Stockton (May 22), Oakland (June 12), and San Diego (November 6), with more to come throughout the state. The class, taught by retired Caltrans engineer Larry Moore, is a seven-hour introductory course designed for planners, design engineers, traffic operations engineers, and landscape architects at Caltrans and local and regional agencies.

It is open to anyone interested in learning about basic design standards, guidance, and tools for bicycle infrastructure design, and it is free. Register at this link.

According to the Active Transportation Resource Center website, the course “reviews California’s commitment to support all modes of transportation,” with participants learning “how to apply bicycle design concepts that best balance competing needs on a specific route.”

Learning objectives are to:

• recognize California’s commitment to support all modes of transportation
• discuss basic tools used to assess and evaluate the suitability of a roadway for the four bicyclist types
• review planning and design standards, guidance, and tools for bicycle transportation design
• explore trade-offs among potential design elements to balance competing needs for all users

In addition, the course promises to discuss “current policy as it relates to the future of active transportation.”