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<br />Houston-Galveston Area Council <br />DRAFT 2025 Regional Transportation Plan <br /> <br />Purpose and Scope <br /> <br />The purpose of the Regional Bikeway Plan element of the RTP is to identify existing and <br />planned facilities within the Transportation Management Area (TMA) where bicycle travel is <br />encouraged. H-GAC intends that the Regional Bikeway Plan be used to identify future RTP and <br />TIP projects and serve as a guide to coordinate roadway planning and future bikeway projects. <br />Bikeways included in this plan shall be defined as one of the following facility types: <br /> <br />On-Street Bikeways <br />. Bike Lanes - designated portion of roadway with signage and pavement <br />markings for the preferred or exclusive use by bicyclists. <br />. Signed Shared Roadways - roadways with "Bike Route" signage, but no <br />pavement markings, where shared use with motorists is encouraged. <br />. Signed Shoulder Bike Routes - roadways with shoulders and "Bike Route" <br />slgnage. <br /> <br />Off-Street Bikeways <br />. Shared-use Path - facilities that are separated from the roadway system, often <br />accommodating a variety of non-motorized modes. <br /> <br />The existing bikeways identified in the Regional Bikeway Plan are, for the most part, <br />within public rights of way and provide transportation options beyond recreational benefits. The <br />plan does not include the many trail systems that provide circulation within parks or privately <br />developed trails within subdivisions. Facilities shown as proposed include: those identified in <br />local bikeway plans or capital improvement programs; RTP and current TIP projects; projects <br />selected for funding under the Statewide Transportation Enhancements Program (STEP); projects <br />selected for funding under the Congestion Mitigation for Air Quality (CMAQ) projegram, and <br />bikeways identified as part of the preferred alternative in Major Investment Studies (MIS). <br /> <br />Making Progress <br /> <br />H-GAC's 1996 Regional Bikeway Plan identified 161 miles of existing bikeways within <br />the TMA. Since then, an additional 284 miles of facilities have been built, giving the TMA a total <br />445 miles of bikeways. These facilities can be categorized as follows: <br /> <br />. Bike Lanes <br />. Signed Shared Roadways <br />. Signed Shoulder Routes <br />. Shared-use Paths/Trails <br /> <br />125 miles <br />129 miles <br />84 miles <br />108 miles <br /> <br />A review of current local bikeway plans and bikeways identified in Major Investment <br />Studies (MIS) "preferred alternatives"(State Highway 3, US 290) was performed. Since 1996, <br />there is an additional 1,243 miles of new bikeways planned. These include the following types of <br />facilities: <br /> <br />· Bike Lanes <br />· Signed Shared Roadways <br />· Signed Shoulder Routes <br />· Shared-use PathsITrails <br /> <br />99 miles (MIS) <br />42 miles <br />o miles <br />1,102 miles <br /> <br />Appendix C Regional Bikeway Plan and Design Guidelines <br /> <br />Page 2 of 27 <br />