There is significant flexibility in the AASHTO guidelines regarding the provision for and/or design of pedestrian and bicycle facilities. Designers in some instances may choose not to provide separate facilities, or to do so in only one direction of travel or on one side of the roadway. Bicycle lanes or paths may be integral with the highway or on separate alignment, and may be combined with or separated from pedestrian facilities.
Unless specifically prohibited, bicycles and pedestrians should be considered in the design of any highway facility. This consideration may vary from use of highway shoulders to shared lane use for bicycles to separate facilities. AASHTO’s Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities provides guidelines and design criteria for bicycle facilities, while AASHTO’s Guide for the Planning, Design, and Operation of Pedestrian Facilities provides further guidance regarding pedestrians.
The AASHTO guidelines emphasize the importance of designers identifying non-motorized transportation needs and addressing these in a manner similar to that employed for traditional highway solutions.
Source: A Guide for Achieving Flexibility in Highway Design p. 86
Published: 2004
From A Guide for Achieving Flexibility in Highway Design, 2004, by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, D.C. Used by permission. AASHTO publications may be purchased from that organization’s bookstore at 1-800-231-3475 or online at https://bookstore.transportation.org.
