Texas A&M University Transportation Mobility Master Plan
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Texas A&M University was facing immense growth. To get ahead of the transportation and mobility issues anticipated from this growth—and minimize the amount of real estate needed for vehicles—Walker Consultants prepared a Mobility Master Plan for the University to encourage faculty, staff, and students to explore travel modes beyond the traditional single-occupant vehicle.
Walker began by analyzing and assessing the University’s entire transportation mobility framework. This included rigorous public outreach: an interactive project website, tabling sessions, a discussion forum, and breakout sessions (both in-person and online). Walker also collected and analyzed data on vehicular, pedestrian, and other rolling movements on different parts of campus.
Walker then performed field tests using traffic cones to alter the landscape and study how users reacted temporarily. We combined these real-world results with our other measurements to understand and identify pinch points and access issues.
Walker developed technical planning recommendations that used tactical urbanism, transportation design principles, and creative demand mitigation strategies. Regarding parking, Walker recommended a three-pronged approach: reallocating much of the demand to available areas on the west side of campus, reducing and mitigating demand overall, and building additional parking for certain users. A transit re-route accompanied these parking recommendations to serve the western parking areas better and create dedicated pick-up and drop-off areas. Walker also recommended the creation of safe cycling infrastructure, adding parklets, and improving shade for pedestrians.
With Walker’s transportation and mobility recommendations, Texas A&M can gracefully accommodate its growth while improving the quality of life for faculty, staff, and students.
David Lieb, TDM-CP
Principal | National Director of Higher Education Mobility Planning”Walker conducted an extensive study... The result was a visionary and comprehensive Mobility Master Plan with extensive, multimodal recommendations; prioritized lists; estimated costs; and projected timelines. The transit plan also included a forecast of phased recommendations to facilitate budgetary planning. The collaboration, research, analysis, interest, and vision the Walker team provided to Transportation Services culminated in an implementation plan that translated the recommendations into feasible action items, some of which are underway already.
Debbie LollarExecutive Director, Transportation Services, Texas A&M University
