In June of 2011, the City of Independence passed a complete streets policy. The first part of implementing the complete streets policy included the addition of bike lanes. The HIA addressed the health impacts of placement of bike lanes and made recommendations on how to improve physical activity, healthy food access, and safety. The HIA found that implementation of bike lanes would likely have a positive impact on health overall. The HIA recommended implementation of speed reduction strategies, and education for cyclists and drivers to increase safety. The HIA also recommended that further planning take into account connectivity between the bike lanes and existing paths, trails, retail, and transit.
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This Health Impact Assessment Report first appeared in The Cross-Sector Toolkit for Health. The Cross-Sector Toolkit for Health was originally developed by the Health Impact Project, formerly a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts. The creation of this resource was supported by a grant from the Health Impact Project. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Pew Charitable Trusts, or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
