Wayfinding upgrades improve navigation for pedestrians and cyclists through clear, consistent signage that provides travel distances and enhances route visibility. Implementing wayfinding on a regional scale could include providing consistently branded signage to direct people to bicycle facilities, conducting signage audits along bicycle and pedestrian routes to assess visibility, and upgrading wayfinding infrastructure.
Wayfinding upgrades can encourage bicycling, walking, and transit ridership, however the impact is difficult to quantify as there is not a lot of research on this strategy. Some cities and grant funding agencies require counts or stated preference surveys to determine the impacts of wayfinding before and after installing wayfinding.
Implement signage in neighborhoods with limited digital access. Ensure ADA-compliant and multilingual signs, especially in areas with non-English-speaking populations and aging residents.
Funding varies depending on the extent of the wayfinding program, sign design and size, and whether Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are incorporated. Wayfinding generally requires less funding than major transportation capital projects. Potential funding sources include the Statewide Active Transportation Program, Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning grants, local active transportation funds, and federal Transportation Alternatives funding. Wayfinding can also be incorporated into larger bicycle, pedestrian, transit, and safe-routes-to-school projects to reduce implementation costs.
Modesto’s Non-Motorized Transportation Plan provides a directly relevant local example of bicycle and pedestrian wayfinding. The plan identifies bicycle guide signs, directional pavement markings, destination signs, and other wayfinding elements as tools for improving navigation. It also identifies standards for bicycle and pedestrian signs and discusses combining standard MUTCD signs with local branding.
StanRTA provides route maps, schedules, a trip planner, and connections between its fixed-route network and other transportation systems. Coordinating bicycle and pedestrian wayfinding with StanRTA stops and transit centers would allow users to more easily navigate between active transportation facilities and transit.
