Planning for bicycle infrastructure in military installations : a proposed bicycle network for Sheppard AFB

Sustainable transportation planning is becoming increasingly important as greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and affect global climate change. Cities have started to engage in active transportation planning for bicycles and pedestrians as part of the larger sustainable transportation planning effort. Military installations should also be engaging in this type of planning, particularly for bicycles. The federal government has identified priorities related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, making military bases more livable, and increasing the health and fitness of service members, all of which could be addressed with a bike plan. There are also planning documents produced by the Department of Defense that support sustainable planning practices on bases, including specifically bicycle planning. To see how these priorities and planning practices could be implemented on a base, a case study was conducted which looked at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, TX. A bicycle network and programming strategies were proposed for the base, taking into consideration the specific needs and challenges that Sheppard Air Force Base faces.