Designing for Nonmotorists

Photo from the National Transportation Enhancements Clearinghouse
Mineral Wells to Weatherford Rail-Trail, Mineral Wells, TX.
Opening day and dedication of the Mineral Wells to Weatherford Rail Trail.
(Photo: Texas DOT).

Course Overview

Part 2: Highway and Street Facilities

• Complete Streets
• Road Diets
• Bicycle Facilities
• Pedestrian Facilities: Go to the Accessible Design course.
• Bridges

On-Road Bicycle Facilities

• What are the Standards?
• National Highway System: Use AASHTO.
• AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities
• The 2010 Guide is under final review.
• Everything else on-road: We recommend using AASHTO, but we can't enforce it.
• Don't use only minimum design standards.

Bicycle Facilities

Shared Lanes

• Generally on lower volume roads.
• Wide outside curb lanes.
• Often enhanced with "Bike Route" signs.
• Bicyclists may need to "take the lane" to avoid debris, potholes, bumps, etc.
• Need to maintain smooth pavement.
• Need bicycle-safe grates.

Bicycle Facilities

Highway Shoulders

• Allow motor vehicles and bicycles to coexist.
• Shoulders wider than 6 feet usually can handle bicyclists: prefer 8 or 10 feet on busier highways.
• Need to maintain smooth pavement.
• Need bicycle-safe grates.
• Need to remove debris.
• Conflict with some State laws that prohibit using shoulders as travel lanes.

Bicycle Facilities

Rumble Strips

• Can be hazardous to bicyclists.
• Need "escape" spaces: AASHTO will propose:

Bicycle Facilities

Bicycle Lanes: On-street lane for bicyclists.

• Usually same direction.

Bicycle Facilities

Sometimes left side.

Sometimes contraflow.

Bicycle Facilities

• Intersections need special treatments.
• Caution with "Door Zones".

Bicycle Facilities

Cycle Tracks: Controversial

• A bicycle facility next to roadway (1 or 2 way).
• More popular in Europe (Netherlands, Denmark).
• 2010 AASHTO Guide will address.
• May be grade separated from motor and pedestrian traffic.
• Intersection conflicts.

Bicycle Facilities

Bike Boulevards

• Interconnected routes favoring bicycle travel.
• Can be a mix of on-street, shared lanes, bicycle lanes, and trail connections.
• Relatively common in "college towns".

Bicycle Facilities

Photo from Bicycle Countermeasure Selection System
(BIKESAFE).

Roundabouts

• Ongoing discussion about bicyclists traveling through roundabouts.
• See the Bicycle Countermeasure Selection System (BIKESAFE): www.bicyclinginfo.org/bikesafe/index.cfm.

Bicycle Facilities on Bridges

Possible Bicycle Treatment for Bridges and Roundabouts:
Olympia WA.


Photo from the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center.
Olympia, Washington.
Taken in 2006 by Dan Burden

Bicycle Amenities

• Bike racks on buses
• Bike racks on trains
• Bike parking for transit
• Public bike parking

Photos from the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center.
Left: Austin, Texas. Taken in 2008 by Greg Griffin, AICP
Middle: Boulder, Colorado. Taken in 2004 by Austin Brown
Right: Train in Denmark. Taken in 2006 by Dan Burden

Pedestrian Facilities

• Go to the Accessible Design Course!
• Consider pedestrian amenities.

Photo from the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center.
Madison, Wisconsin. Taken in 2006 by Dan Burden

Pedestrian Amenities

Eligible: Facilities related to transportation.

• Benches
• Bus shelters
• Trees
• Water
• Restrooms
• Trailside and trailhead facilities.
• Lighting: Don't overdo! See www.darksky.org.

Photos from the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center.
Left: United States .Taken in 2006 by Dan Burden
Right: United States. Taken in 2006 by Annie Lux

Pedestrian Amenities Not Eligible

Transportation funds should not substitute for park funds. Not eligible:

• Picnic areas
• Ball fields; bleachers
• Running tracks around school fields
• Park restrooms*
• Other examples...

* Unless primarily a trailhead for a transportation trail.

Bridges

Bridges: Essential Links.

4 photos from the National Transportation Enhancements Clearinghouse.
Top right: Osage Prairie Trail, Tulsa OK.
Top middle: Steel Bridge, Portland OR
Bottom left: Farmington Canal, Cheshire CT
Right side: Soo Line "S" Bridge, Eau Claire WI
Bottom middle: Rich Zelensky, Nebraska Department of Roads, through the River Valley Trail Riders, Council Bluffs IA.

Bridges

• A bridge may be the "make or break" link for an interconnected nonmotorized transportation system.
• DOT Policy: DOT encourages bicycle and pedestrian accommodation on bridge projects including facilities on limited-access bridges with connections to streets or paths.
  • This includes potential connections to facilities on parallel or intersecting streets or paths.

Highway Bridges

• Design bridges for all potential users.
• Design highway bridges to accommodate emergency breakdowns.
• Consider possibilities for nonmotorized users at both ends: are there possible connections to local streets or paths?
• Motorists can handle several-mile detours; nonmotorized users cannot.

Bridges

• Think about the context!!!
• Consider emergency needs. Bridges should account for vehicle breakdowns.
• Consider emergency access needs, but:
• You don't need tractor trailer standards for most trail bridges.

Interstate Highway Bridge

Woodrow Wilson Bridge: I-95 VA, MD, DC

• No previous nonmotorized connection.
• Connects to streets and trails.
• 1.1 mile, 12-foot wide.
• Barrier separated.
• Three "bump-out" areas.
• Displays, telescopes.
• Many awards.

Photo source: www.wilsonbridge.com/index.php/project-history/completed-activities/pedestrian-bike-path-update

Bridge Retrofit

Steel Bridge, Portland OR

• Lift Bridge: Connects downtown Portland with the east side of the Willamette River.
• Highway on top
• Railroad below
• Trail connection added below.
• Gates for lift section.

Photo: Mia Birk, Alta Planning + Design. From USDOT Report: Rails-with-Trails: Lessons Learned.

Old Railroad Bridges

Osage Prairie Trail Tulsa, OK

Soo Line "S" Bridge Eau Claire WI

Photos from the National Transportation Enhancements Clearinghouse.

Trail Bridges

Farmington Canal Linear Park, Cheshire CT

• If there is good emergency access, you don't need to design for heavy emergency vehicles.

Photo from the National Transportation Enhancements Clearinghouse.
Farmington Canal, Cheshire CT

Trail Bridges

Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, Akron OH

• Bridge to extend the trail over the canal and under an active railroad track (hauling stone).
• Length: 130 feet.
• Metal-pitched roof protects trail users from debris.

Trail Bridges

Rail Bridge to Trail Bridge
Walkway Over the Hudson
Poughkeepsie - Highland NY

You might want to make sure this can hold tractor trailers!
Photo source: Stuart Macdonald, American Trails
See more at www.americantrails.org/photoGalleries/cool/16-Hudson-Poughkeepsie-rail-trail-bridge-photos.html

Tunnels and Underpasses

• Design for the tallest likely user:
  • Maintenance vehicles?
  • Equestrians?

Clear Creek Trail crossing under Burlington Northern Railroad embankment,
Jefferson County, CO;
photo by Stuart Macdonald, August 1, 2009.

Tunnels and Underpasses

• Design for Perception of Security
  • Good visibility through the underpass
  • Lighting if needed.

Photo from the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center.
Boulder, Colorado. Taken in 2006 by Dan Burden.

Traffic Control Devices

• The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices applies to nonmotorized transportation facilities:
• https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/
• See MUTCD Part 9 - Traffic Control for Bicycle Facilities (PDF 1.25MB)
• Avoid motorist and bicyclist confusion.
• MUTCD has bicyclist guide signs.

Maintenance and Operations

• If it is transportation, it should be:
  • Open for use just like local streets.
  • Open with no restricted hours of operation.
  • Open with no closures except for rare events (similar to local streets).
  • Maintained for use just like local streets.
  • YES, this includes snow and debris removal.
• If you build it: maintain it.

Questions, Comments, etc.???