Prioritizing Areas for Development of an 8,000-mi Bicycle Network throughout the State of Texas

Abstract

In response to the Texas Bicycle Tourism Trails Act (Texas Transportation Code § 201.9025), the Texas Department of Transportation collaborated with its Bicycle Advisory Committee to investigate the development of a statewide bicycle tourism trails (BTT) network. The conceptual bicycle network is over 8,000 mi long and crosses cultural highlights including historic monuments and national parks throughout Texas. The current bicycle network offers varying levels of service to cyclists and there are substantial gaps in existing bicycle facilities. The development of a statewide BTT network in Texas is envisioned to be a long-term collaborative process built incrementally over many years with many different partners. Geographic information system (GIS)-based visualizations help make the task of planning such a feat easier. High Street Consulting was contracted to develop a visual GIS-based tool that scores segments of the bicycle network based on data-informed criteria pertaining to existing conditions throughout the network. The corridor prioritization tool helps planners select where to target next with regard to developing facilities on the BTT. It allows users to do the following: (a) view planned highway projects and assess where bicycle trail improvements could be coordinated with other construction activities; (b) view parks, historic sites, and other cultural locations in relation to the BTT; (c) upload a locally preferred route; and (d) review reports about cyclist crash history and level of traffic stress for cyclists. The tool is powered by an SQL database in which the data used for scoring are stored and can be updated, and was deployed to a web server using a cluster of Docker containers.