Overview
The ATP tool supports the California Active Transportation Program and practitioners who need bicycle and pedestrian crash evidence. Interactive maps and dashboards help you summarize crashes for proposed projects or community-wide studies.
Open the tool from the Analysis & Visualizations menu under ATP Maps & Summary Data. For a guided walkthrough, explore the Caltrans ATP Application Assistance Flash Training recordings:
Part 1: TIMS ATP Tool Overview (13:36)
View transcript for TIMS ATP Tool Overview
This narrated overview explains how to open the TIMS ATP tool, choose analysis filters, interpret the jurisdiction heat map, and navigate to project-specific maps and dashboards.
The presenter demonstrates switching between visualization modes, adjusting the community boundary, and using summary tables to support Active Transportation Program applications.
Closed captions are available in the video; activate them with the player controls for synchronized on-screen text.
Part 2: Infrastructure application example (44:19)
View transcript for Infrastructure application example
This training covers an end-to-end walkthrough of completing an infrastructure-focused ATP application using the tool, including selecting counties and cities, narrowing crash filters, and drawing corridor project areas.
The speaker highlights reading crash summaries, exporting supporting maps, and documenting data needed for the Caltrans application narrative.
Closed captions are available in the video; activate them with the player controls for synchronized on-screen text.
Part 3: Non-infrastructure application example (31:58)
View transcript for Non-infrastructure application example
The narrator demonstrates how to apply the ATP tool to a non-infrastructure project, focusing on selecting relevant community areas, summarizing pedestrian and bicycle education crash data, and documenting findings for grant worksheets.
Steps for exporting tables, managing crash lists, and aligning results with program requirements are also discussed.
Closed captions are available in the video; activate them with the player controls for synchronized on-screen text.
The workflow is organized into six steps, summarized below.
Step 1 – Select the filters
Choose the geographic and crash factors that define your study area. The selections control every downstream map, table, and export.
- County and City (select All for full county data or Unincorporated for county-maintained areas).
- Optional one-mile buffer outside the jurisdiction boundary.
- Include or exclude state highway crashes.
- Crash types (pedestrian, bicycle, or both).
- Severity levels (fatal, severe injury, other visible injury, or complaint of pain).
- Crash years. ATP applications require at least five years; provisional years are excluded by default but can reveal recent trends.
As soon as filters are set, a summary table and jurisdiction-wide heat map appear. Adjust filters at any time to refresh the dataset.
Step 2 – Identify your project area
The default heat map shows crash concentrations across the entire jurisdiction. You can also switch to a hex-grid view for a binned visualization.
Choose one of three project size options (under 3 miles, 3–10 miles, or more than 10 miles) to scale the community boundary. Click the map to center the boundary and select Show Community Heat Map.
Heat-map intensities help compare hotspots:
- Red – 14 or more crashes.
- Yellow – 11 or more crashes.
- Blue – 6 or more crashes.
The county/city heat map provides statewide context, while the community heat map recalibrates the scale to highlight local concentrations near your project.
Step 3 – Draw project boundaries
Use the drawing toolbar (top-right of the map) to trace the project limits. Combine lines, polygons, rectangles, or circles as needed.
- Extend boundaries roughly 100 feet beyond proposed improvements, but avoid capturing unrelated intersections.
- Include bypassed roadways for off-street trail projects.
- Repeat the workflow for each jurisdiction if a project spans multiple cities or counties.
If your project spills outside the community boundary, return to Step 2 to enlarge the boundary before continuing.
Polyline mode is preferred for corridor projects; it automatically applies a 100-foot buffer.
If you make a mistake, use the undo or delete buttons on the drawing toolbar. When finished, select Show Project Area Crash Map.
Step 4 – Review the project crash map
After drawing the project area, the tool displays the detailed crash map for that boundary.
Confirm that the map includes all relevant segments and excludes unrelated crashes. If corrections are needed, redraw the project boundary.
Crash symbology
Marker shapes identify crash type (pedestrian, bicycle, or both) while colors denote severity.
Select any crash marker to read a quick summary and open Google Maps and Street View links for additional context.
If no crashes appear, try expanding the analysis years or reevaluating project limits to ensure they capture relevant hotspots.
Step 5 – Review crash summaries
The ATP tool includes two sets of summaries: dashboards built into the ATP interface and deeper analyses powered by other TIMS tools.
ATP tool summaries
The collapsible Summary Results table and charts show drawn crashes by type and plot annual trends. A zero crash year hides the trend line because growth from zero cannot be expressed as a percentage.
Use the export icon on any chart to download an image for reports.
Crash list
The crash list tabulates every mapped crash with sortable columns. Select a case ID to highlight it on the map.
TIMS summaries
Select Open in-depth crash summary to load your filtered dataset into the SWITRS Query & Map tool. Explore additional charts, victim-level details, and maps. Printouts from that tool need to be generated separately before navigating back to the ATP interface.
The Before and After Comparison view opens a new window to compare community and project area crashes across two user-selected timeframes.
Download crash data
Use Download Crashes to export a CSV of every crash in the project boundary. Save this file to reload the dataset later or to analyze it in external software. Refer to the SWITRS codebook for field descriptions.
Step 6 – Print maps and summaries
ATP applications require printed heat maps, crash maps, and supporting summaries. Select Print to generate a formatted packet that aligns with Caltrans guidelines.
- For customized layouts, take screenshots after adjusting zoom and layer visibility.
- If a map tile fails to render, rerun the print job.