Bike, pedestrian, and active transportation plans typically do the following:

• Provide a report on “existing conditions” related to facilities (bike lanes, trails, sidewalks, etc) and programs already provided, crash rates/types/locations, current rates of biking and walking, and sometimes surveys or interviews with individuals about why they do/don’t bike or walk and what barriers they face

• Offer definitions of different types of facilities, treatments, programs, and what they’re for

• Publish information on the plan’s process, detailing the outreach and communications process, the input that was received and from who

• Provide a list and/or map of recommended programs, policies, and facilities to achieve safety and achieve goals laid out earlier in the plan, prioritized based on importance and with an estimated funding need for implementation

Some important elements every bike plan should include are the following:

• A continuous, regional network of “low stress” and “all ages” facilities. This usually only includes physically protected on-street bikeways, off-street bike/walk trails, and narrow neighborhood streets with significant design to slow car speeds and reduce non-local car traffic. This also includes infrastructure treatments at intersections to enable safe and convenient through movements and turns for bike riders
  
  
• Progressive policy and planning recommendations for secure bike parking design standards and funding, both for use by the general public as well as for implementation with new development
  
  
• Recommendations for design standards on “low stress” neighborhood bikeways to include physical and continuous traffic calming (speed humps, traffic circles, diverters, etc) throughout each corridor
  
  
• Program recommendations for the jurisdiction to support and fund activities like bike rides, classes, events like Bike to Work Day, community bike shops and maintenance programs, and other opportunities for encouraging individuals and organizations to bike
  
  
• Policy recommendations around “quick build” responses to all serious injury or fatal bike/walk crashes, with short term mitigations to reduce risk at that location