Trails and Bikeways Map Data Inventory

The Mid-America Regional Council’s Trails and Bikeways Map is truly a regional effort. MARC works with city and county governments to collect the most current information, then compiles and standardizes it to produce a regional map that shows more than 2,000 miles of trails and bikeways. 

Importance of complete and accurate data 

An accurate trail and bikeway inventory is important to both local and regional planning initiatives. The inventory helps measure the growth of on-road and off-road systems. It also helps identify opportunities to provide connections between cities and counties through regional planning. 

Trail users rely on this information. MARC coordinates the distribution of tens of thousands of printed maps to communities across the region. The information is used to update the online version of the Regional Trails and Bikeways Map.

An accurate and complete off-road trails inventory is also vital for 911 responders who rely on this information to locate people during emergencies. 

How to submit trails and bikeways data 

MARC accepts existing and planned trails and bikeways information in virtually any format but prefers GIS data. If data is already posted online as a map service or download, MARC will retrieve it with no further action needed from you. 

Requested trails and bikeways attributes 

MARC GIS staff merge local jurisdiction trail and bikeway data into a regional dataset using standardized data attributes and terminology. These include:

• Status 
  • Existing – facilities are existing and open for public use.  
  • Planned – facilities are in any one or more development phases: project programming, preliminary engineering, construction design, or under construction. 
  • Proposed – facilities are part of a long-term vision for a future bikeway network. The source of the community plan should be provided. Jurisdiction – if the facility is managed by an organization that is different from the city or county, it may be listed here. 
• State – the abbreviation for the state in which the facility is located (KS or MO). 
• County – the name of the county in which the facility is located. 
• City – the name of the city in which the facility is located, if applicable. 
• Authority 
• YearBuilt – lists the calendar year in which the facility was completed. Better data in this category helps MARC track system expansion. 
• InMARCRegion – Either “Y” or “N”, whether the facility is within the nine-county MARC metropolitan planning organization boundary. 
• RouteName — a facility may be named after the stream it follows, a park in which it is located, a rail corridor or the roadway it parallels, or it may have another unique name. All bike lanes, marked bike routes, and other identified shared roadways will default to the roadway name unless otherwise specified. 
• FacilityType – MARC maps certain types of facilities in the region. For a detailed explanation of these facilities, see MARC’s Regional Trails & Bikeways Map mapping standards. 
• FacilitySubType – The major facility types may have one or more subcategories within them. For a detailed explanation of these subcategories, see MARC’s Regional Trails & Bikeways Map mapping standards. 
• SurfaceType – shows the surfacing material of the facility, if available. There is no set list of values for this attribute. For example, if the facility is paved, but the material is unknown, the SurfaceType can show “Hard Surface.” 
• OnOffRoad – shows whether the facility lies within the street or roadway, defined as between the curbs. Shared use paths along streets or roads are considered “Off” road. 
• SideOfRoad – displays the side of the street or road that a facility lies. If the facility is on both sides of the road, such as a bike lane or paved shoulder on each side of the road, this field can be left blank. 
• LengthInMiles – displays the length of the facility measured in miles. This is typically calculated through tools in the GIS program. 
• WidthInFeet – displays the width of a facility, measured in feet. In the case of facilities that are run on both sides of a roadway, such as simple painted bike lanes or paved shoulders, the WidthInFeet is determined by measuring the width on one side. 
• PublicPrivate – displays whether the facility is located in a public or private right-of-way. MARC does not publicly display facilities that are privately owned. 
• ParkName – if a facility is located in a park, the name of that park is displayed here. 
• RegionalBikewayPlan – displays whether a facility alignment matches the Regional Bikeway Network proposed by the Greater Kansas City Regional Bikeway Plan. “Y” or “N”. 
• MetroGreen – displays whether a facility alignment matches the trails network proposed by the MetroGreen plan. “Y” or “N”. 

It is not required that you submit your data with these attributes, but the data will be conformed to these attributes on MARC’s map.  If you maintain separate files for existing, planned and proposed facilities, please submit each separately. There is no need to combine datasets. We encourage communities to submit trail and bikeway community plans to ensure we have a comprehensive inventory of local plans that reflect any recent updates.