Active Transportation is human powered movement - it is what we do when we use things like shoes, wheelchairs, and bikes to get around. When we are more active as a community, our health improves, our air becomes cleaner, and the local economy gets busier. We can get more people choosing active transportation by changing how we build our communities. Bicycle lanes make roads safer to bike, sidewalks keep cars away from pedestrians, and compact neighborhoods promote foot traffic. Connections between these amenities opens active transportation as an option for everyday travel.

The Lancaster Active Transportation Plan (ATP) is a guide to increasing the connectivity of our communities through an active transportation network. It designates places across the county for people to easily switch between cars, shoes, bikes, and transit. These Mobility Hubs are access points to our transportation system that include bicyclists and pedestrians.

Other large projects in the ATP include a bike network in Lancaster City, and three trails in the County: the Greater Lancaster Heritage Pathway, the Northeast Greenway Extension, and the Engleside Greenway. These project will be important links in our network for the County. The ATP also contains policies and programs for implementation.

The ATP is a joint effort between Lancaster County, the Lancaster Inter-Municipal Committee (LIMC), and the City of Lancaster. The plan’s implementation is overseen by our Active Transportation Advisory Committee (ATAC).

These projects address implementation recommendations in the ATP.

Route 30 Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossing Study

The ATP identified US 30 as a major barrier to bicycle and pedestrian mobility. From the Susquehanna River to Old Philadelphia Pike, Route 30 is a limited access highway with 28 grade-separated highway crossings. Each crossing includes an overpass or underpass structure, representing a significant transportation investment – one that is not easily or inexpensively modified to accommodate non-motorized travel. The study expands upon a preliminary analysis in the ATP of barriers to bike/pedestrian mobility at the 28 crossings. (See ATP, pages 2-36 and 2-37). This study seeks to improve active transportation access to Lancaster City and other areas of the county by determining priority locations for targeted improvements to reduce the barriers to safe and efficient bicycle and pedestrian travel created by Route 30.

Lancaster Active Transportation Maps

Most maps that you can find online or in print focus on car infrastructure like streets and highways. Our Active Transportation Map shows how we are connected by a network where we can walk, roll, and ride between places.

The map is available as a web app and a printed foldout.

Local Active Transportation Plans

The Lancaster ATP recognized municipal planning documents like local Active Transportation Plans as the best tools for communities to formalize ideas about desired bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improvements as well as design and prioritize their implementation.

Here is a list of Lancaster County municipalities that have created and adopted plans.

Akron Borough

Caernarvon Township

City of Lancaster

Denver Borough

East Hempfield Township

Elizabethtown Borough

Marietta Borough

Quarryville Borough

West Earl Township