Delaware is on track to exceed 500 miles of bicycle trails in the coming year. As shorter links of trail become connected, a bicycling network forms. This helps keep bicyclists separate from traffic. For many bicyclists, especially those who are younger, older, or less experienced, separation from traffic is critically important. If people don't feel safe and comfortable, they won't ride.

The Delaware Department of Transportation and its partners are working on the Blueprint for a Bicycle-Friendly Delaware, a statewide bicycle policy plan. DelDOT asks Delawareans to share their bicycling experiences through the project's online, interactive wikimap. The wikimap will help DelDOT and partners identify opportunities and prioritize needs for bicycling, including connections for separated facilities. The plan will define a broad vision for bicycling and will evaluate opportunities to improve bicycling-related policies, programs, and processes. It will also establish an action plan to implement recommendations.

"The purpose of this effort is to take the existing momentum, which has never formally been coordinated across all of the stakeholders, and focus our efforts to lead to more people bicycling comfortably and safely," said Anthony Aglio, who is managing the bicycle planning effort for DelDOT.

Potential outcomes of Blueprint for a Bicycle-Friendly Delaware include revisions to design manuals, improved coordination among diverse stakeholders toward shared goals, and increased clarity in the bicycle facility planning and development process. Although the plan focuses on policy, it will have a strong network emphasis. The wikimap lets people identify their preferred routes, challenges, barriers, and opportunities for improvement. Ideas and feedback received through the wikimap will help DelDOT and other agencies prioritize bicycle projects.

Aglio said, "Hearing specific concerns and ideas from bicyclists who actually use the facilities as well as other members of the community who would like to ride or ride more frequently is one way we can help coordinate and prioritize projects that maximize public benefit."

The interactive map will be available at least through October 2017 at www.tinyurl.com/BikeFriendlyDE-Wikimap.