Plan Overview
It’s important that designers understand how bicyclists operate in order to provide high-quality facilities and minimize safety risks to people who use them. There are multiple types of bikeways.
These are located in rights-of-way separate from roads, with few road crossings. They can be used by both cyclists and pedestrians.
These are low-speed, low-volume shared roadways that create a high comfort bicycling environment. Shared lane markings and wayfinding
signs are often used to help the user navigate the route and raise awareness that bicyclists are present.
This bikeway type combines the user experience of a separated path with the on-street infrastructure of bike lanes. They may be one-way or two-way, level with the travel lane or raised above the level of the adjacent travel lane.
These provide a greater sense of comfort for bicyclists than conventional bike lanes by way of a lateral painted buffer between the bike lane and either the travel lane or parked cars (or both).
This bikeway type uses signage and striping to allocate dedicated roadway space to bicyclists. Bike lanes encourage predictable movements by bicyclists and motorists.
Where 4-foot or wider paved shoulders exist, it is acceptable or even desirable to mark them as bike lanes in various circumstances, such as to provide continuity between other bikeways.
If paved shoulders are marked as bike lanes, they need to also be designed as bike lanes at intersections.
On this type of bikeway, bicyclists and cars operate within the same travel lane, either side-by-side or in single file depending on the roadway configuration, outside lane width, and presence (or absence) of shoulder space.