Add Planned Bike Lanes to a Shared City Map

The most successful bike lane projects happen when the community can see the complete network vision and provide input before construction begins.

If your planned bike lanes exist only in engineering drawings, separate project files, or technical documents that residents can't easily access, you're missing opportunities for community input that makes cycling infrastructure more effective. That's why smart transportation planners ask: can we add all our planned bike lanes to a shared city map that shows residents the complete vision and enables feedback on network design?

With Atlas, you can add planned bike lanes to shared city maps that visualize the complete cycling network while enabling community input on design, connectivity, and priorities. No separate project websites, no disconnected planning processes, no confusion about the bigger picture. Everything displays clearly with the context residents need for meaningful participation.

Here's how to set it up step by step.

Why Shared City Maps with Planned Bike Lanes Matter

Adding planned bike lanes to shared city maps creates better community understanding and more effective cycling infrastructure planning.

So shared bike lane planning maps aren't just project visualization—they're community engagement tools that create better cycling infrastructure through informed public participation and network-level thinking.

Step 1: Set Up Your City Base Map with Transportation Context

Atlas makes it easy to create comprehensive bike lane planning visualization:

• Add street networks showing all roads where bike lanes could potentially be implemented
• Upload existing bike infrastructure including current lanes, trails, and cycling facilities
• Import destination mapping showing schools, parks, transit stops, and commercial areas that cyclists need to reach
• Include topographic information highlighting hills, barriers, and natural cycling corridors

Once configured, your city map provides the context needed for comprehensive bike network planning and community understanding.

Step 2: Map Different Types of Planned Bike Infrastructure

Next, visualize the complete range of planned cycling improvements:

You can map different bike lane types:

• Protected bike lanes with physical separation from vehicle traffic
• Buffered bike lanes providing painted separation and additional safety space
• Conventional bike lanes with standard painted lane markings
• Shared lane markings on lower-traffic streets with cycling symbols
• Multi-use trails for both cycling and pedestrian use
• Bike boulevards with traffic calming and cycling priority treatments

Each bike lane type gets distinctive visual styling to help residents understand different infrastructure approaches and their benefits.

Step 3: Show Project Phases and Implementation Timeline

To help the community understand bike lane development over time:

1. Create project phases showing which bike lanes will be built in different years or funding cycles
2. Add timeline information indicating when design, construction, and completion are expected
3. Show funding sources highlighting how different projects are financed and supported
4. Include connectivity indicators demonstrating how phases connect to create a complete network
5. Design progress tracking so residents can follow implementation and celebrate completed projects

Residents see bike lane development as a coordinated network rather than disconnected individual projects.

Step 4: Enable Community Input on Bike Lane Planning

To collect meaningful feedback about cycling infrastructure priorities:

• Set up comment areas along planned bike lane routes where residents can provide local knowledge
• Create feedback categories for safety concerns, connectivity needs, and design preferences
• Add route alternatives allowing community input on different alignment options or design approaches
• Include priority ranking so residents can indicate which bike lane projects matter most to them
• Configure accessibility input collecting feedback about bike infrastructure needs for different cycling abilities

Also read: Create a Public Map with Comment Pins

Step 5: Display Network Benefits and Community Impact

To help residents understand bike lane value and connectivity:

• Show connectivity analysis highlighting how planned bike lanes connect neighborhoods, schools, and destinations
• Add safety improvements demonstrating how bike infrastructure reduces conflicts and improves transportation safety
• Include environmental benefits showing how cycling infrastructure supports sustainability and air quality goals
• Display economic impact highlighting how bike lanes support local business and property values
• Create accessibility improvements showing how bike infrastructure serves different transportation needs and abilities

Community members see bike lanes as comprehensive transportation improvements rather than isolated projects.

Step 6: Integrate with Transportation Planning and Public Engagement

Now that planned bike lanes are visualized with community input:

• Generate network analysis showing how individual projects contribute to complete cycling connectivity
• Create community priority reports summarizing public input about bike lane importance and design preferences
• Set up project coordination connecting bike lane planning with other transportation and development projects
• Design implementation communication keeping residents informed about bike lane construction progress and impacts
• Export planning data for integration with transportation budgets, grant applications, and construction coordination

Your shared bike lane mapping becomes part of comprehensive, community-responsive transportation planning.

Use Cases

Adding planned bike lanes to shared city maps is useful for:

• Transportation departments visualizing bike network development and collecting community input on cycling infrastructure
• City planners coordinating bike lane projects with land use planning and development review processes
• Cycling advocacy organizations promoting bike infrastructure and educating residents about cycling network benefits
• Public health agencies supporting active transportation and community wellness through cycling infrastructure
• Engineering consultants presenting bike lane designs and collecting stakeholder feedback on transportation projects

It's essential for any community committed to creating comprehensive, connected cycling infrastructure that serves residents' transportation needs.

Tips

• Show the complete network vision so residents understand how individual bike lane projects connect to create comprehensive cycling infrastructure
• Include existing bike infrastructure to demonstrate how planned improvements build upon current cycling facilities
• Provide design examples showing what different bike lane types look like and how they function
• Connect to destinations highlighting how bike lanes improve access to schools, parks, transit, and commercial areas
• Update progress regularly so the community can track bike lane implementation and celebrate completed projects

Adding planned bike lanes to shared city maps in Atlas creates comprehensive cycling infrastructure visualization.

No separate project websites needed. Just map planned bike lanes, enable community input, and create the network-level visualization that helps residents understand and support comprehensive cycling infrastructure development.

Planning and Public Feedback with Atlas

When you're planning projects that affect communities, the challenge isn't just creating good technical solutions—it's making sure those solutions work for the people who will live with them.

Atlas gives you the tools to make planning truly participatory: one map for proposals, community input, and transparent decision-making.

Share Plans and Collect Location-Specific Input

You can:

• Upload planning proposals with clear visual context and project details
• Enable public comments tied to specific geographic locations and planning elements
• Moderate and organize community feedback for meaningful analysis and response

Also read: Map Sidewalk Gaps and Collect Input

Build Transparent, Responsive Planning Processes

Atlas lets you:

• Show how public input influences planning decisions and proposal modifications
• Create comprehensive engagement records for planning commission review and public accountability
• Export community feedback for integration with planning workflows and decision documentation

That means no more disconnected public input, and no more questions about whether community voices actually matter in planning decisions.

Plan Better with Community Knowledge

Whether you're updating comprehensive plans, reviewing development proposals, or planning infrastructure improvements, Atlas helps you tap into local knowledge that makes plans work better for everyone.

It's community-centered planning—designed for genuine public participation.

Boost Your Planning Process with the Right Tools

Planning moves fast, but communities need time to understand and respond to proposals. Whether you're collecting input, analyzing feedback, coordinating stakeholders, or making decisions—clarity and participation matter.

Atlas gives you both.

In this article, we covered how to add planned bike lanes to a shared city map, but that's just one of many things you can do with Atlas.

From transportation planning to community engagement, infrastructure visualization, and network connectivity analysis, Atlas makes complex cycling infrastructure planning accessible and participatory. All from your browser. No transportation expertise needed.

So whether you're managing municipal transportation, advocating for cycling infrastructure, or coordinating community input, Atlas helps you move from "individual bike lane projects" to "comprehensive network planning" faster.

Sign up for free or book a walkthrough today.