Methodology for Identifying Trail Deserts: Exploring Modal Access to Trails through Demographic and Land Use Factors

Trail planning and development continue to grow in support of the increased demand for pedestrian and bicycle mobility throughout the country. With this growth in trail facilities, understanding how transportation justice, specifically trail modal access, can be measured and evaluated is valuable. The term trail deserts is presented in this study as a way to describe geographic areas where residents have little to no opportunities for trail mobility. This study focuses on the development of a seven-step method using GIS to define trail access and desert areas based on modal access (pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular) as well as to understand relationships related to demographic and land use factors. This method is unique as it introduces and defines the term trail deserts. Also, a modal accessibility scale (high, medium, and low) is developed using a buffer approach (pedestrian and bicycle) and roadway network analysis approach (vehicular) to determine trail access. This approach is advantageous as it reflects the variations in modal accessibility between both nonvehicular and vehicular access to trail facilities. A case study on Pennsylvania is conducted and the method is presented so that transportation planning organizations (such as Metropolitan Planning Organizations and DOT agencies) can apply the process to their own jurisdictions to improve trail improvement and prioritization processes.