Prioritizing Areas for Development of an 8,000-mile Bicycle Network Throughout the State of Texas

By Brittany Gernhard and Ashton Hicks

Bicycle tourism contributes about $83 billion to the U.S. economy annually and is one of the fastest growing areas of outdoor tourism according to a 2017 report by the Outdoor Industry Association.[[i]] Recognizing Texas - rich in history, culture, and natural beauty - as an ideal place to promote bicycle tourism, the Texas State Legislature passed Transportation Code § 201.9025 which calls for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Bicycle Advisory Committee to make recommendations on the development of a statewide bicycle tourism trails network.

Bicycle Tourism Trails Study & Network Development

A 2018 TxDOT study investigated the initial development of a statewide bicycle network This study had four primary objectives:

1. Identify tourism trail routes - Where do bicycle tourists want to go?

2. Identify benefits of bicycle tourism trails - How would Texas communities benefit?

3. Foster the development of safer bicycle tourism trails - What types of bikeways are recommended as tourism trails?

4. Engage stakeholders - Making the study a reality [ii]

As a result of this study, an initial example bicycle network was developed, shown below.

[i] 2017 Outdoor Economy Report. Outdoor Industry Association; 2017. Available from: https://outdoorindustry.org/resource/2017-outdoor-recreation-economy-report/

[ii] Seifert, C., et al. Texas Bicycle Tourism Trails Study Final Report; 2018 July. Available from: https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot-info/ptn/btts-final-report.pdf

Figure 1 Bicycle Tourism Trails Example Network

Corridor Prioritization Tool

To address the daunting challenge of where to begin network development and when, TxDOT partnered with High Street Consulting Group to develop a Corridor Prioritization Tool. This tool was designed to aid planners in making informed decisions about prioritizing the development of the network.

The Tool uses a variety of data sources to score the network on data-informed criteria. The criteria were developed in collaboration with TxDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program, TxDOT District offices, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and private and non-profit stakeholders. A District-level and Statewide-level score are calculated for each segment. The highest-scoring segments highlight areas that planners may consider for further study.

Tool Layout & User Experience

The layout of the Tool was designed to be intuitive and include functionality most helpful to TxDOT District planners, the end users. The user interface was streamlined to have all functionality within a single page. The Tool relies on tabs and dropdowns to condense a large amount of information, as shown in the following image.

The Settings section, placed where a web user’s eye often goes first, allows users to select a District and Prioritization Scenario, setting the stage for subsequent analyses. The Interactive Map serves as the focal point, cumulating all analyses and providing real-time feedback.

Tabs act as the bridge between different features. The BTT Segments and UTP Projects tabs offer a table-based view of segments and planned TxDOT Unified Transportation Plan (UTP) projects. The Segment Score Weights tab enables users to customize the weighting used to score the network. The Locally Preferred Network Alternatives tab allows users to upload spatial files of locally preferred networks and compare them with the example network.

Conclusion

The Corridor Prioritization Tool is a strategic blueprint for the future of bicycle tourism in Texas. Currently deployed for use by TxDOT planners, it stands as a testament to the state's commitment to sustainable tourism, economic growth, and enhanced quality of life. The development of a statewide bicycle tourism network is envisioned to be a long-term collaborative process built incrementally over many years in partnership with multiple public, private, and nonprofit partners.

[1] 2017 Outdoor Economy Report. Outdoor Industry Association; 2017. Available from: https://outdoorindustry.org/resource/2017-outdoor-recreation-economy-report/

[1] Seifert, C., et al. Texas Bicycle Tourism Trails Study Final Report; 2018 July. Available from: https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot-info/ptn/btts-final-report.pdf