Caltrans District 6 Active Transportation Plan

Welcome

Welcome to the Caltrans District 6 Active Transportation Plan! This Story Map provides an interactive way to view existing conditions and needs for people walking and biking in District 6, which includes the Central Valley counties of Madera, Fresno, Tulare, Kings, and Kern. The primary outputs of the Active Transportation Plan (“Plan”) are lists and maps of location-based needs, prioritized highway segments, and prioritized highway crossings, which are also mapped on this site. We encourage you to use this map to view conditions and needs in your community.

The Caltrans statewide plan, Toward an Active California , envisions that by 2040, people in California of all ages, abilities, and incomes will be able to safely, conveniently, and comfortably walk and bicycle for their transportation needs. The Plan aligns with that vision by identifying needs along and across the State Highway System (SHS). It is guided by the four goals in Toward an Active California:

Mobility: Increase walking and bicycling in California.
Safety: Reduce the number, rate, and severity of bicycle and pedestrian involved collisions.
Equity: Invest resources in communities that are most dependent on active transportation and transit.
Preservation: Maintain a high-quality active transportation system.

This Story Map is a companion to the Active Transportation Plan Summary Report, a more detailed written document that is available on the District 6 page of the Caltrans Active Transportation Plans website . The Summary Report includes background about this project, its process, and next steps for meeting the needs of people walking and bicycling in District 6.

The Plan uses the terms pedestrian and walking broadly to include people of all ages and abilities, including those walking and those using assisted mobility devices like wheelchairs. It uses the term bicycling to include traditional bicycles and a wide variety of other human-powered and electric-assisted devices that use typical bicycle facilities, including devices adapted for use by people with disabilities.

The Story Map sections below provide a guided narrative of key active transportation topics in District 6, sometimes using examples of locations throughout the district. The interactive "Explore the data" feature provides all available data about any location in District 6. This site is best viewed on a desktop in Chrome or Firefox .

Please note that the geographic and mapping information presented on this web page is for informational purposes only, and is not suitable for legal, engineering, or surveying purposes. Mapping products presented herein are based on information collected at the time of preparation. Toole Design Group, LLC makes no warranties, expressed or implied, concerning the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of the underlying source data used in this analysis, or recommendations and conclusions derived therefrom.

Existing conditions

The following maps describe general conditions of the SHS, the network of roadways across the district operated by Caltrans. A more detailed exploration of these measures is available in the Summary Report; key highlights are summarized here. See the “Explore the data” section of this page for additional existing conditions measures.

Surrounding land use context

The SHS in District 6 includes 1,800 centerline miles of roadway, most of which travels through rural environments. Every SHS segment in the district is designated one of the following six types according to its access control and land use context: main street, rural or urban conventional highway, rural or urban freeway, and intercommunity connector (a designation for roads that are the primary route connecting rural communities to each other or urbanized places). Rural conventional highways comprise 60% of SHS centerline miles in District 6, providing important connections to communities and employment in this agriculturally rich region.

Source: Caltrans Transportation System Network

Walking and bicycling prohibitions

People are prohibited from walking and bicycling on some parts of the SHS. In District 6, no main streets and almost no conventional highways prohibit walking and bicycling, but some rural and many urban freeway segments prohibit both. Just 15% of SHS centerline miles in District 6 prohibit walking and bicycling, leaving many opportunities available to facilitate safer and comfortable active transportation on the District’s highways.

Source: Caltrans Transportation System Network, OpenStreetMap. *Note: Walking is prohibited, but bicycling is allowed, on Interstate 5 in District 6.*

Sidewalks

The sidewalks along the District 6 SHS are largely in good or fair condition, which helps support safer and increased walking along and across those highways. This plan prioritizes needs in places where sidewalks are in fair or poor condition. The example here shows sidewalk conditions along State Routes 178 and 204 in Bakersfield; conditions here are mostly good or fair.

Source: Active Transportation Asset Inventory Pilot, District 6 Facility Inventory

Bicycle facility types

Caltrans organizes bicycle facilities by four functional classifications:

Class I bike paths, or shared use paths, are physically separated from vehicular roadways.

Class II bicycle lanes provided dedicated space adjacent to vehicle travel lanes, either with or without painted buffers.

Class III bicycle routes share the roadway lane or shoulder space with vehicles, designating a preferred route for bicyclists where more protected facilities aren't available.

Class IV separated bikeways include hardened infrastructure, such as a raised curb or vertical posts, that provides the greatest degree of protection to bicyclists from vehicles within the roadway.

District 6 has 10 miles of designated bikeways on the SHS, all of which are Class II bicycle lanes. Most are located along urban conventional highways, such as at this location in Visalia.

Walking and bicycling trip potential

Land use, demographics, built environment characteristics, and distance influence the extent to which a person can or will choose to walk or bicycle for daily needs or recreation. Many people can make trips of less than 1 mile by walking or bicycling, or less than 2.5 miles by bicycling. The plan identified locations where people are making such short trips today by any travel mode. The majority of short trips on the SHS occur on main streets, as these roadways are most likely to connect users to varied and closely spaced destinations. Investing in walking and bicycling improvements on the SHS in these kinds of locations has the greatest potential to shift people from vehicle trips to active travel.

Source: LOCUS, 2019. *Note: Walking is prohibited, but bicycling is allowed, on Interstate 5 in District 6.*

Equity priority communities

This Plan places a high priority on meeting needs for people in equity priority communities, which are those that face significant and disproportionate socioeconomic and public health challenges. State highways sometimes act as a barrier that reduces mobility and opportunities in such communities, but improved pedestrian conditions can make it easier for people in those communities to access social and economic benefits without needing a vehicle. In District 6 almost the entirety of the SHS passes through equity priority communities. Refer to the Statewide Context section of the Summary Report for more information about equity priority communities.

Source: ACS 2017 (Median Household Income, Communities of Color), California State Department of Education (Free and Reduced Price School Meal Program 2018/2019)

Identifying needs

This plan identifies location-based needs, or specific locations along the SHS where infrastructure investments would most benefit people walking and bicycling and best achieve the goals of Toward an Active California . This section of the Story Map describes how and where those needs are located in District 6 and how they were sorted into prioritization tiers.

Location-based needs

Caltrans evaluated data about the SHS from its own inventories, from local and regional plans, and from extensive public input to determine where gaps and barriers in walking and bicycling infrastructure are present. Locations were identified as having needs if they met one or more of the following criteria:

Main Street sidewalk gaps
Sidewalks in fair or poor condition
Sidewalks along high-speed highways
Stressful pedestrian or bicycle crossings (accounting for the absence of median islands and marked crossings, posted speed limits, and other factors)
Stressful bicycle segments (due to factors such as high speeds, high traffic volumes, and narrow or absent bikeways)
Infrequent opportunities to cross under or over freeways
Freeway crossings requiring upgrades of various kinds to be more comfortable for people walking or biking

This map displays where location-based needs exist in District 6 for people walking or bicycling along the highway (shown as lines) or across the highway (shown as dots).

Public and agency input

Many of the location-based needs were identified in local and regional plans or are at locations that were the subject of public and agency comment. The map shown here illustrates locations where partner agencies or the public identified active transportation needs.

Prioritization

Locations with needs on the State Highway System were evaluated and prioritized according to how well they align with the goals of Toward an Active California. This helps assess the relative benefits of potential improvements. This involved three steps:

Step 1: The SHS was divided into smaller segments that approximate in scale the highway segments Caltrans might use to develop its improvement projects.

Step 2: Each segment and freeway crossing were assigned scores based on measures related to mobility, safety, equity, and preservation performance. These measures reflect the goals of Toward an Active California, with weights assigned to reflect local active transportation vision and input.

Step 3: Scored segments and crossings were ranked and sorted into tiers; Tier 1 represents the highest intensity of need.

This map shows highway segments and crossings by prioritization tier, giving a relative sense of needs across the district. Active transportation needs at any given location should always be considered for incorporation into nearby projects regardless of their tier. Caltrans has access to additional details about needs at specific locations, which can be used to support project development. Click on any need to see whether it was identified in a local or regional plan.

Explore the data

Use the application below to explore existing conditions and needs data in greater detail. For a more detailed explanation about each layer, please refer to the Walking and Bicycling in District 6 Today and Needs for People Walking and Bicycling on Caltrans Highways sections of the Summary Report, which is located on the District 6 page of the Caltrans Active Transportation Plans website .

Next steps

The District 6 Active Transportation Plan serves is a critical step in implementing Caltrans’ statewide vision for improving the walking and biking experience along the SHS in and around the Central Valley. Caltrans and partners in local agencies and community-based organizations all have important roles to play in supporting highway improvement projects that meet the needs of people walking, including the needs identified in this plan. Next steps include the following:

Leverage local partnerships. District 6 staff will collaborate with agency partners through planning, project design, community engagement, and site visits.
Identify and initiate projects. The Plan’s needs and priorities point to locations where concepts for pedestrians and bicycle improvements should be developed, evaluated, and advanced through design.
Use resources to select improvements. District 6 staff will draw on the new Complete Streets Elements Toolbox and other state and federal resources to support project development.
Fund projects. The Summary Report describes several Caltrans funding mechanisms that can be used to construct improvements to the SHS.
Take district level actions. As Caltrans continues statewide efforts to advance walking and bicycling, District 6 staff will be responsible for local implementation and providing valuable on-the-ground feedback to refine those efforts.

Local jurisdictions can help by coordinating with District 6, partnering with Caltrans to advance local priorities into projects, and seeking out Caltrans funding opportunities. To improve planning and coordination in District 6 and throughout the state, Caltrans commits to sharing data whenever possible and encourages other public agencies and organizations in the region to do the same.

Caltrans District 6 staff can provide additional information about upcoming projects in your community, provide input, and coordinate on project identification, development, and implementation. District 6 staff contacts for the Active Transportation Plan are:

Pedro Ramirez pedro.ramirez@dot.ca.gov Tel. 559.383.5802 Edgar Hernandez edgar.hernandez@dot.ca.gov Tel. 559.981.7436

Data Sources

Bicycling trip potential: LOCUS, 2019

Bicycle facilities: Active Transportation Asset Inventory Pilot, District 6 Facility Inventory, District 6 staff

Crosswalk conditions: Active Transportation Asset Inventory Pilot, District 6 Facility Inventory, District 6 staff

Equity priority communities: ACS 2017 (Median Household Income, Communities of Color), California State Department of Education (Free and Reduced Price School Meal Program 2018/2019)

Land use context: Caltrans Transportation System Network

Sidewalk conditions: Active Transportation Asset Inventory Pilot, District 6 Facility Inventory, District 6 staff

Walking and bicycling prohibitions: Caltrans Transportation System Network, OpenStreetMap

Walking trip potential: LOCUS, 2019