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What is an Active Transportation Plan?

Active transportation refers to modes of travel that are powered by human energy, such as walking, biking, and using non-motorized vehicles. It emphasizes physical activity as a means of transportation, promoting healthier lifestyles and reducing environmental impact. Active transportation also includes access to transit, making it easier for people to combine walking or biking with public transportation for longer trips.

An Active Transportation Plan (ATP) aims to develop comprehensive strategies to enhance walking and bicycling options, including transit access.

What is the purpose of this project?

The primary purpose of the plan is to identify feasible Active Transportation Projects that can ultimately be constructed throughout the City of Clearwater. The plan will identify facilities on City, County and State roads, that together will form a comprehensive network of walking and bicycling facilities.

What types of active transportation projects were identified?

Different types of potential facilities were identified throughout the city based on initial feedback related to what types of facilities people feel most comfortable walking and biking on, including:

Recreational Trails are facilities that are separated from the vehicular travel way for use by bicyclists, pedestrians, skaters, wheelchair users, joggers, and other users. Conflicts between trail users and people driving exist at crossing locations. The Pinellas Trail is an example of a Recreational Trail.

Urban Trails are facilities that are separated from the vehicular travel way for use by bicyclists, pedestrians, skaters, wheelchair users, joggers, and other users in an urban environment. Urban Trails are also known as Shared Use Paths (SUPs). The Druid Trail is an example of an Urban Trail.

Bike Lanes are dedicated, on-road bicycle facilities separate from a vehicle lane, designated through signage and pavement markings. As bike lanes become wider, there are opportunities to add a physical separation between the bike lane and the vehicular travel lane to improve comfort and safety; these opportunities are shown on the project map as Protected Bike Lanes.

Neighborhood Greenways are low-speed low volume roadways where people biking can share the lane with vehicle traffic. These facilities can be designed through pavement markings and signage. Neighborhood traffic calming and crossing treatments need to be considered as part of a neighborhood greenway project.

Crossing Improvements are needed at many locations throughout the city to connect different neighborhoods and provide access across major roads that can be a barrier. Potential crossing treatments to support neighborhood greenway designations, as well as access to existing facilities, are identified in the plan. Implementation of recreational trails, urban trails and bike lanes will require a more extensive planning and design process, and it is expected that every intersection along the corridor would be evaluated for appropriate treatments at the time those projects move forward.

Sidewalk Gaps will be closed on Arterial and Collector roads, either through the construction of sidewalks or urban trails. On local residential streets without sidewalks, a new program where a neighborhood can request sidewalks will be developed. As requests are made, they will be prioritized for implementation based on available funding and other limitations of the program.

For more information, visit the City of Clearwater project site:

MyClearwater.com/ActiveTransportationPlan