Adventure Cycling Association Helps Head U.S. National Bike Route System
November 22, 2008 by Darren Alff
Most of us know that cycling in America is not as popular as it is in many other parts of the world. In my mind at least, much of that has to do with our lack of established cycling routes which would allow riders of all ages, levels, and types to get from one place to the next. While established signed routes do exist in small segments, the United States is years behind other countries who have long ago established dedicated routes for traveling cyclists.
According to the Adventure Cycling Association, a plan to create a national system of bicycle routes covering more than 50,000 miles of roads and trails is gathering steam. The idea behind this national network is to create a system of signed bicycle routes that cross state borders and connects urban, rural and suburban regions. Ultimately, this network of cycling routes would allow a cyclist to ride from his or her house to just about anywhere in the country!
With the onset of such exciting news, I had the pleasure of talking to the Adventure Cycling Association’s New Route Coordinator, Ginny Sullivan, and asked her about how the idea for this National Network came about and what it means for cyclists throughout North America. To hear my interview and learn how you can get involved in your local area, just click the plan button below:
Interview Length: 28 Minutes
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Click here to download this interview…
Additional Information On The U.S. Bike Route System:
What is the Adventure Cycling Association?
The Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) is the leading bicycle travel organization in North America with over 44,000 members. A nonprofit organization, its mission is to inspire people of all ages to travel by bicycle. ACA produces routes and maps for cycling in North America, organizes more than 40 tours annually, and publishes the best bicycle travel information anywhere, including Adventure Cyclist magazine and The Cyclists’ Yellow Pages. With 38,158 meticulously mapped miles in the Adventure Cycling Route Network, Adventure Cycling gives cyclists the tools and confidence to create their own bike travel adventures. For more information, visit: www.adventurecycling.org.
What is AASHTO?
AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. It represents all five transportation modes: air, highways, public transportation, rail, and water. Its primary goal is to foster the development, operation, and maintenance of an integrated national transportation system. AASHTO advocates transportation-related policies and provides technical services to support states in their efforts to efficiently and safely move people and goods. Much of AASHTO’s work is done by committees comprised of member department personnel who serve voluntarily. The Association provides a forum for consideration of transportation issues and is frequently called upon by Congress to conduct surveys, provide data, and testify on transportation legislation. Through AASHTO’s policy development activities, member departments often address federal programs and provide guidance. For more information, visit www.transportation.org.
What is the U.S. Bicycle Route System?
The U.S. Bicycle Route System is a proposed national network of bicycle routes that span multiple states and are of national and regional significance. These routes are selected and maintained by State Departments of Transportation (DOTs), and designated and catalogued by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).
Who oversees the U.S. Bicycle Route System?
U.S. Bicycle Routes are multi-state routes designated as such through AASHTO and their Special Committee on Route Numbering. State DOTs rely on AASHTO to help establish policy as well as engineering and design guidelines. AASHTO also administers the designation of the Interstate Highway System and the U.S. Highway System.
Who implements U.S. Bicycle Routes?
State DOTs are the point of contact for coordinating the selection of routes, documenting them, and applying to AASHTO for designation.
What does designation mean?
Designation is a term used to signify that a route is officially recognized and is assigned a route number.
Who maintains U.S. Bicycle Routes?
Maintenance of a route can vary, depending upon what agency (state, county, or local) has responsibility for the roads or trails that the route uses. A route could use a state highway for one segment, then travel along a county road, and then use an independent pathway maintained by a park district or recreational agency. States may form agreements with agencies and organizations with regard to route maintenance and signing. There is currently no specific funding allotted to signing or maintaining U.S. Bicycle Routes.
What is the history of U.S. Bicycle Routes and are there existing U.S. Bicycle Routes?
U.S. Bicycle Routes began to be established in the 1970s with the designation of an east-west U.S. Bicycle Route 76 which originally followed Adventure Cycling Association’s (ACA) TransAmerica (TransAm) route through Virginia, Kentucky and a portion of Illinois, and a north-south U.S. Bicycle Route (USBR) 1, which originally followed ACA’s Atlantic Coast Route through North Carolina and Virginia. No other designations of U.S. Bicycle Routes have been made since these first two routes were established.
How can a state have a U.S. Bicycle Route?
Any State DOT can designate a U.S. Bicycle Route as long as the entire route travels between two or more states and is nationally or regionally significant. For example, when designating U.S. Bicycle Route 76, the states of Virginia and Kentucky worked together to align the connection of the route across their common state border. States wanting to designate a specific U.S. Bicycle Route will need to submit coordinated applications to AASHTO for approval. The AASHTO Application for State DOTs to use to request the designation of a U.S. Bicycle Route will be available on-line soon.
Who decides where a route will go?
Routes may be established on roads, trails, or highways depending upon state policy. State DOTs, as the points of contact for these routes, will be the arbiters of where their routes will be designated in their respective states. AASHTO recommends that roads, highways, or pathways designated as U.S. Bicycle Routes conform to the AASHTO Guide for Development of Bicycle Facilities (see the AASHTO bookstore at https://bookstore.transportation.org to order). States can also follow their own criteria and policies if they are acceptable to AASHTO. The Task Force on U.S. Bicycle Routes has provided some guidelines and recommended corridors to assist states in choosing the first set of national-level routes. ACA and AASHTO encourage states to use their local bicycle organizations to assist in assessing potential routes, and states are also welcome to utilize Adventure Cycling Association’s routes and knowledge when determining their options.
What if the best route or an important connection is not on a road managed by the State Department of Transportation?
State DOTs can work in coordination with local jurisdictions (counties, townships, and municipalities) to establish the best feasible route. Oftentimes, roads that are very suitable for cycling routes are outside State DOT jurisdiction. When designating and signing these routes, cooperation between agencies is essential.
States such as Pennsylvania, Georgia and New York have coordinated efforts between multiple municipalities in their state networks with great success. Their examples might provide a model for states to replicate.
How will the U.S. Bicycle Route System develop?
To help facilitate the development of U.S. Bicycle Routes, AASHTO formed a Task Force on U.S. Bicycle Routes in 2004. The members of this Task Force, with staff support from Adventure Cycling Association, developed a draft National Corridor Plan. States can use this plan to help determine where a route should be developed. Criteria set forth by the Task Force helped guide the development of the draft Corridor Plan as did input from scores of state agency personnel, cyclists, bicycling and trail advocacy organizations and many more. State bike plans and state suitability maps were also utilized. See the Inventory of U.S. Bicycle Routes Report for more information. The plan can be changed by the states designating the U.S. Bicycle Route. The Task Force recognizes that local knowledge is key to getting the best route established for the best bicycling experience.
What is a Corridor?
Corridors form the framework for the first phase of the U.S. Bicycle Route System. These are not routes, but rather, 50-mile wide swaths that suggest where a route should be developed. Corridors link key destinations, urban centers, and take into account the natural landscape.
How did the Corridor Plan originate?
The concept for the National Corridor Plan was developed by AASHTO, through guidance from the Technical Committee on Nonmotorized Transportation, the Subcommittee on Traffic Engineering, and the vision of AASHTO staff. See the AASHTO Fact Sheet to learn about the six-phase plan. Though no new U.S. Bicycle Routes have been established in recent years, AASHTO recognized that this was probably due to the lack of a plan and facilitated communication between states. There is growing evidence that there is demand for such a system: the Adventure Cycling Route Network has grown to include more than 38,000 mapped miles of routes in the U.S. and Canada and there are national and provincial networks developing in countries across the world with great success.
Why create a Corridor Plan for the U.S. Bicycle Route System?
The vision is similar to how the US Highway system developed over 80 years ago. Private route organizations blazed many of these routes, and then AASHTO created a national framework and designation plan to tie the routes together into a recognized system spanning the country. Just as the Lincoln Highway and the Yellowstone Trail helped form the U.S. Highway system, the Adventure Cycling Route Network along with the East Coast Greenway, Mississippi River Trail, and other routes can help form an expansive national network of U.S. Bicycle Routes.
These plans shifted and changed in route placement, scope and progress based upon the flux and flow of America’s interests and needs. So too, will the Corridor Plan and the development of U.S. Bicycle Routes. Routes will develop both within and outside the existing corridor plan. States and localities have the opportunity to utilize the plan as a starting point for progress.
How does the Corridor Plan work?
Today, every state has Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinators on staff to help facilitate cycling infrastructure and route identification. In addition, many DOTs are recognizing the need to establish and encourage more bicycling and walking as a viable and necessary transportation mode. The Corridor Plan establishes a starting point for states to begin working together on making interstate connections. It allows states and localities to develop the best routes while utilizing the guidance provided by the Corridor Plan.
How was the Corridor Plan developed?
The Corridor Plan was developed through three years of research and corridor assessment. Starting with the Route Inventory and the Corridor Criteria, the Task Force looked at every feasible corridor that might exist. (Corridors are not routes, but are, 50-mile wide swaths where a route should be developed.) The result was a dense network of hundreds of thousands of miles of potential routes. Realizing that the plan was not feasible in the near-term at that level of density, the Task Force prioritized certain corridors. The plan has changed many times based upon recommendations from State DOTs, trail administrators and bicycle organizations. It will continue to be modified as states get more involved in establishing U.S. Bicycle Routes.
How does AASHTO decide what route number a U.S. Bicycle Route will have?
This is where the newly developed Designation System for the Corridor Plan becomes important. AASHTO’s Special Committee on Route Numbering will use the designation plan to determine what number will be assigned to the proposed route. The Task Force on U.S. Bicycle Routes will be available to make recommendations and deal with any issues. It will be up to the state DOT to determine how to manage the route through mapping and/or signing.
How do we differentiate our state routes from our U.S. Bicycle Routes?
Currently, state and local numbered bicycle routes use the green and white M1-8 sign as seen in the US Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). US Bicycle Routes use the black and white M1-9 sign. As shown in the MUTCD. This is similar to how states use black and white U.S. Route marker shields exclusively for US highways, and a different sign design for state or local highways.
Who is funding this initiative?
Currently there is no appropriated funding specific to the U.S. Bicycle Route System. The Task Force will be working on developing ideas for how to help states find resources after the plan is approved by AASHTO.
What are the advantages of having a U.S. Bicycle Route?
With gas prices at an all time high and climate change on the minds of many Americans, bicycling provides a sustainable transportation solution. The goal of the U.S. Bicycle Route System is to provide the opportunity for more people to travel by bicycle, especially for medium and long-distance travel. Besides the environmental benefits, cycling is healthy and affordable, and spending by traveling bicyclists can provide a powerful economic impact for the many towns and cities that they encounter on their journeys.
Is there demand?
Adventure Cycling Association has over 44,500 members. Over the last 10 years, the organization has seen a 27% growth in membership and a 42% growth in sales of maps. This does not include auxiliary members through bike clubs, shops, and advocacy groups. Other sectors are growing as well, USA Cycling states that they have seen a 45% membership increase in the last five years. National Bicycle Dealers Association reports that road and comfort bike sales for 2007 continue to track well in combination with the ever popular mountain bike, all of which are bikes often used for commuting as well as recreation. Overall, bicycling is booming in the U.S. Just as important, in countries where networks have been developed, the mode share for bicycling has skyrocketed to as high as 30 percent. Trip counts on the United Kingdom’s National Cycling Network (NCN) are growing dramatically year-to-year as the network grows and awareness builds. In 2000, there were 85.5 million trips on the NCN; in 2006, there were 338 million.
What other countries have invested in national systems and with what success?
One important and very successful example is the United Kingdom’s National Cycle Network, developed with the help of Sustrans. Sustrans is a non-profit organization that has helped create over 12,000 miles of connected bike routes and trails. Funding comes from multiple resources including the lottery, landfill tax, and various charitable foundations. The system boasts that 75% of the U.K. population lives within two miles of a route. According to surveys, 338 million trips are taken on the NCN each year. VeloLand Switzerland is expanding their current system of nine routes to fifty. They are supported by multiple entities including the Switzerland Mobility Foundation, the federal Office of Energy and local governments. For something closer to home, there is Vélo Quebec’s La Route Verte system, which has generated a high tourism impact from Canadians and Americans looking for a way to recreate by bike without leaving the continent. This network has 4,000 km of routes that include bike paths, designated shared roadways, and roads with paved shoulders all marked with bright signage. The network also connects urban and suburban routes to serve every-day cyclists. Vélo Quebec has received much support from the Quebec government. A few others to look at include: Denmark’s Route Network, the European Cycle Route Network, Western Australia’s Bike Routes and Germany’s D-Route Network.
How does our state get started?
Choosing a corridor and coordinating with neighboring states is the first step. Next, states will need to identify a viable route and begin working with the other municipalities and organizations that might have jurisdiction of the roads and trails involved. Also, a key component is the alignment of the route across the state border. Once the route has been documented (roads used, number of miles, intersections noted and mapped), the State DOTs will complete the application on AASHTO’s Special Committee on Route Numbering website and submit applications to AASHTO for review and approval. This committee meets every spring and fall.
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[...] has a rep from Adventure Cycling chimed in with pertinent info, but another fella has linked us to a nearly thirty minute audio interview with AC about the genesis of the inter-state bicycle route nu… – a concept which I fully support and am very excited to see people actively involved in. [...]