Berrien County Trails Master Plan

The future of active recreation and transportation for Berrien County, Michigan is presented in this visual document that plans for 38 municipalities to create a comprehensive and connected network.

Connectivity for all.

Over 372 new miles of dedicated pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure is proposed in 118 unique segments. These segments crossed many jurisdictional boundaries and required coordination and buy-in to make this plan successful. The plan includes a dedicated map for each jurisdiction and and implementation toolbox section to help all 39 of the jurisdictions in the County implement their segments.

The scale of the plan required unique spatial analysis.

Berrien County is a large county at 568 square miles and includes 39 municipalities, all of which were involved in the planning process. To ensure equity and that all critical areas are served by the proposed network, unique spatial analysis methods were used to help visualize certain characteristics important for route planning.

  • Demand Analysis

    Demand analysis was used to help understand where trips would be generated and where clusters of destinations exist in Berrien County. Demand analysis was generated using the following factors:

    Population density, residents with income 200% and below poverty level, residents that walk, bike, or use transit to get to work, Strava data, and locations of schools, employment, retail, entertainment, and parks.

  • Needs Analysis

    Certain factors increase the need for individuals to rely on active transportation. Areas of high need should be prioritized for bicycle and pedestrian improvements. Needs analysis was generated using the following factors:

    Minority race groups, no high school diploma, no vehicle available, residents below the poverty line, youth, older residents, limited English speaking, and residents with a disability.

  • Health Analysis

    Health was another factor of consideration for route planning. Active recreation and transportation provides opportunities for people to be healthier and live healthier lifestyles. Factors that were used to create the Health Analysis were the following:

    Disability, Youth, Older Adults, Health Facilities, and prevalence of the following health conditions in adults: cancer (excluding skin), coronary heart disease, diagnosed diabetes, mental illness, stroke, and obesity.

  • Stress Analysis

    To provide comfortable and safe routes, and provide appropriate infrastructure recommendations, it was important to understand how stressful certain on-road routes would feel for pedestrians and cyclists. Stress Analysis was generated using the following factors:

    AADT Traffic, crash, speed limits, numbers of lanes, lane width, and if sidewalks were present.