Active Transportation infrastructure is good for Ohio because it moves traffic by taking cars off the road. Active transportation provides more choices for how Ohioans get around in their daily lives without relying on a car; supports in-demand vibrant neighborhoods; and offers cost-effective mobility options, for both individuals and the state, all while helping to promote active lifestyles, improved health, and decreased congestion on roadways.

2026 Ohio Active Transportation Conference

Join us on September 2 in Dublin, Ohio for the 2026 Ohio Active Transportation Conference!

Active Transportation: Planning & Development for Ohio Communities

Active Transportation in Ohio: Sign-Up and Read our AT Newsletter

Active Transportation Funding: State & Federal Grant Information

Additional Resources: Planning Resources, Workshops, and More

How to Build Safe, Vibrant Streets in Ohio: A Guide for Non-Engineers

In summer 2024, GOPC published our first volume of How to Build Safe, Vibrant Streets in Ohio: A Guide for Non-Engineers. It provided tips for implementing an active transportation project, funding sources, and technical assistance programs at the state and federal level that can help plan and fund projects. We are proud that the guide has been downloaded nearly 350 times, and hope it is inspiring more innovative approaches to creating calmer, safer streets, and revitalized neighborhoods in Ohio and beyond!

We are excited to share How to Build Safe, Vibrant Streets in Ohio: A Guide for Non-Engineers, Volume 2. Volume 2 builds on the case studies presented in the first edition by featuring additional examples of outstanding improvements local leaders and communities have undertaken. These improvements are making roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists, and creating more vibrant and welcoming neighborhoods. Volume 2 also includes case studies on active transportation planning efforts, describing the work communities have taken to prepare for actual infrastructure investments.

How to Build Safe, Vibrant Streets in Ohio: A Guide for Non-Engineers, Volume 2 features two case studies that are focused on process. Our first case study examines three different ways Ohio communities developed their active transportation plans. The second case study looks at how different communities have implemented demonstration projects to test, educate, showcase, and seek public feedback before the infrastructure change was made permanent and are widely adopted.

Volume 2 also features infrastructure projects in Cincinnati and Dayton.  All case studies highlight the roles local governments, quasi-governmental entities, the business community, philanthropy, and local advocates played in developing and implementing projects.


National Bike Month + Bike Safety Month 2026

May is National Bike Month, a time to celebrate biking as an essential element of transportation, recreation, healthy lifestyles, and so much more!

Throughout the month of May, events are celebrating one of our favorite forms of active transportation. These events include Bike to Work Week, celebrated May 11 - 17, with National Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 15, 2026.

According to the League of American Bicyclists, 40% of all trips in the U.S. are less than two miles, making biking a feasible and essential way to get around.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of events around Ohio commemorating National Bike Month and Bike Safety Month. Check for other events in your local community, enjoy the spring weather as it starts to warm up, and enjoy a ride!


Originally published in July 2024, How to Build Safe, Vibrant Streets in Ohio: A Guide for Non-Engineers, Volume 1 describes innovative approaches to making neighborhoods and streets calmer, safer, and more welcoming to people of all ages and abilities.

At the heart of the guide are six case studies that feature active transportation projects in communities throughout Ohio. The projects, which range from modest in scale to complete overhauls of a district streetscape, show how cities in Ohio are working collaboratively to address local needs. Volume 1’s case studies include:

  • Xenia’s buffered bike lane that connects regional trails

  • Columbus’ protected, bi-directional bike lane in the University District 

  • Mansfield’s downtown redevelopment strategy

  • Youngstown’s right-sizing of downtown streets 

  • Bexley’s work implementing a long-term vision for a walkable, bikeable city 

  • Lorain’s efforts to make streets safer and more beautiful  

 

Along with How to Build Safe, Vibrant Streets in Ohio: A Guide for Non-Engineers, GOPC has also created these resource documents, Active Transportation Funding Opportunities and Resources in Ohio and Tips for Implementing Active Transportation Projects in Your Community.

These excerpts are summaries of the suggestions for getting started on active transportation projects in your own city, and the resources GOPC has identified which communities can utilize to support the development of active transportation projects.

To aid in new project development, these separate guides include a list of federal and state funding sources and technical assistance programs that support planning and implementation.

Active Transportation Newsletter

GOPC began an email series in early 2023 to help promote, develop, and implement more Active Transportation (AT) infrastructure throughout Ohio.

GOPC’s goal with these emails is to amplify high-quality AT work happening around the state, ensure widespread awareness of existing funding programs for AT, and support policies and programs that will lead to even more AT and transit investment in Ohio.


Active Transportation Funding Opportunities

State Grant Opportunities

Federal Grant Opportunities

Federal Funding Questions

If you have questions about current or pending federal grant applications, click below.

Additional Resources

Walk.Bike.Ohio Statewide Bike and Pedestrian Plan

As a policy plan, Walk.Bike.Ohio will guide policies, programs, and investments in infrastructure to improve walking and biking, but does not recommend specific infrastructure projects.

Ohio Department of Transportation AT Academy

The Active Transportation Academy (ATA) is a resource for building capacity and expertise on active transportation topics, educating practitioners, decision makers, and partners, and helping your community reach its active transportation goals. The ATA provides trainings, workshops, e-Learning courses, and online resources on a variety of topics related to walking and biking.

The Devou Good Foundation Bike & Pedestrian Workshop Scholarship

The Devou Good Foundation is providing scholarships for the 2024 Bike and Pedestrian Workshop hosted by the Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) located at Portland State University and the NACTO Designing Cities Conference in Miami.


About the Greater Ohio Policy Center

GOPC is a statewide, non-partisan advocacy organization with a vision of a revitalized Ohio. We work with communities throughout Ohio to share and promote best practices that support sustainable development. We have a reputation at the Ohio statehouse for being pragmatic and data-driven.

Transportation policy is of particular interest to us because roads and highways shape the places where Ohioans live. We have recently served on the Access Ohio 2045 and Walk.Bike.Ohio Advisory Committees and are working to support efforts to build more AT and transit infrastructure around the state.

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