Active Transportation

What is Active Transportation?

Active transportation refers to any non-motorized mode of transportation, such as walking or bicycling. South Fayette Township has received an $11,250 WalkWorks grant to fund development of an Active Transportation Plan.

What is an Active Transportation Plan?

An Active Transportation Plan is a roadmap for a community to provide high-quality, connected facilities that enable all people to safely engage in physical activity. The plan also provides a framework for pursuing funding and implementing a wide variety of projects, programs and policies.

Plan Development Process

Adoption followed a research and public input process.

Steering Committee

A committee of township staff and community members worked with Gibson-Thomas Engineering to develop the plan.

The steering committee of the Active Transportation Plan held their first meeting in November 2023:

• John M. Barrett, South Fayette Township Manager
• Craig Cozza, President, Cozza Enterprises LLC / Pro Bike + Run
• Gary Hartz, Planning Director, South Fayette Township
• Stacy Hurt, Healthcare and physician practice management / Special needs advocate
• Tom Iagnemma, South Fayette Township Planning Commission / South Fayette School Board
• Ronald Miller, South Fayette Township Parks and Recreation Board
• Dr. Raymond Pitetti, Director of the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
• Police Officer Representative, South Fayette Township Police Department
• William Price, Attorney, Clark Hill / Newbury Neighborhood Association
• Brandon Soubie, Transportation Director, South Fayette School District
• Paula Willis, Parks and Recreation Director, South Fayette Township

Open House

An open house was held in June 2024 at the South Fayette Township Municipal Center to review draft projects for the Active Transportation Plan. Engineers and committee members were available to answer questions and hear feedback about walking, biking and other non-motorized transportation in the community.

Public Survey

The public provided input about non-motorized transportation in South Fayette Township in spring 2024 via a survey and interactive map. The feedback helped develop the Active Transportation Plan.

Final Adoption

The South Fayette Township Board of Commissioners adopted the final Active Transportation Plan in September 2024.

WalkWorks Grant

South Fayette Township was awarded a WalkWorks grant in the amount of $11,250 to fund development of an Active Transportation Plan.

In November 2023, WalkWorks, a program of the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) and the nonprofit Pennsylvania Downtown Center, awarded nine communities with $210,000 in grants to assist in the development of Active Transportation Plans and increase physical activity by connecting local destinations with improved pedestrian, bicycle and transit networks.  

South Fayette Township worked to collect data, assess current conditions and aspirations, and incorporate public input to craft the plan.

The WalkWorks program is committed to expanding walkability, bikeability, accessibility, and connectivity to transit across Pennsylvania and encourages residents to incorporate activity-friendly routes into daily routines.

“WalkWorks supports healthy communities by enabling more people to have the option of walking or biking to places they go every day,” said Acting PA Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen.

The grant recipients were selected by a multidisciplinary review team that included representatives from the Department of Health, the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the Department of Community and Economic Development.

Funding for the grants is provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant program, as well as additional funding from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, for two of the awardees.