Lesson 13: Selecting Bicycle Facility Types and Evaluating Roadways
![1) This photograph shows a bicyclist riding in the right third of a vehicle lane, and a vehicle has crossed the roadway centerline in order to pass the bicyclist.](images/fig131.jpg)
| ![2) Bicyclists in a wide curb lane. This photograph shows two bicyclists riding single file in a wide curb lane. Vehicles are passing the bicyclists in the same lane but are not crossing the road centerline.](images/fig132.jpg)
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![3) This photograph shows a bicyclist riding in a bike lane, which is separated from the vehicle travel lane by a solid white tranverse pavement marking. A bike symbol pavement marking is also visible in the bike lane.](images/fig133.jpg)
| ![4) This photograph shows a shared use path that has a pedestrian area separated from a bicyclist area by a solid white line. The bicyclist area on the path is divided into two opposing directions by a white dashed line.](images/fig134.jpg)
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(Some of these pictures show bicyclists not wearing helmets. FHWA strongly recommends that all bicyclists wear helmets.) |
Lesson Outline
- Bicycle facility type selection.
– Comparison of approaches. |
– AASHTO guidance. |
- Roadway evaluation.
– Bicycle compatibility index. |
– Bicycle level of service. |
Bicycle Facility Types
- Shared road with regular lane width.
– Most existing roads. - Wide curb lane.
– Shared outside lane.
| ![1) This photograph shows a bicyclist riding in the right third of a vehicle lane, and a vehicle has crossed the roadway centerline in order to pass the bicyclist.](images/fig131.jpg)
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![2) Bicyclists in a wide curb lane. This photograph shows two bicyclists riding single file in a wide curb lane. Vehicles are passing the bicyclists in the same lane but are not crossing the road centerline.](images/fig132.jpg)
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(This picture shows bicyclists not wearing helmets. FHWA strongly recommends that all bicyclists wear helmets.) |
Bicycle Facility Types
(This picture shows bicyclists not wearing helmets. FHWA strongly recommends that all bicyclists wear helmets.) |
How to Select Facility Type
- No national standards.
- Different State and local guidelines.
- Common factors:
– Vehicle traffic volumes. |
– Vehicle traffic speeds. |
– Other road cross section or traffic variables. |
Comparison of Approaches
- 2002 Review of North American and European guidelines.
- Shared roads: low volumes/speeds.
- Wide curb lanes: moderate volumes/speeds.
- Bike lanes: higher volumes/speeds.
- Separate path: special case.
![This bar chart shows the trend that bike lanes or shoulders are used more often for high speed roadways (30 mi/h and above) and at lower traffic volume thresholds. The chart also indicates that for roads with lower speeds (25 mi/h and less), normal or wide lanes are used more often than bike lanes.](images/fig135.gif)
AASHTO Guidance on Facilities
- Facility selection is essentially a State/local policy decision.
- It may be based on several factors:
– Specific corridor conditions. |
– Facility costs. |
– Bicyclist skill level. |
Advanced | Basic | Children |
![The picture on the left shows an advanced bicyclist, or Type A bicyclist.](images/les13fig6.jpg)
| ![The picture in the middle shows a Type B, or basic, bicyclist.](images/les13fig7.jpg)
| ![The picture on the right shows several Type C (children) bicyclists.](images/les13fig8.jpg)
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| Source: PBIC (Dan Burden), www.pedbikeimages.org |
Roadway Evaluation
- Integral to planning: an inventory of existing conditions.
- How suitable are certain roads for bicycling?
– Bicycle compatibility. |
– Bicycle level of service. |
– Bicycle suitability. |
– Bicycle stress level. |
– Other names. |
Bicycle Compatibility Index
- Product of 1998 FHWA study.
- Empirical model that uses:
– Presence and width of shoulder or bike lane. |
– Vehicle traffic volume and speed. |
– Presence of vehicle parking. |
– Type of roadside development. |
Bicycle Level of Service
- Product of 1997 study in Florida, with subsequent testing and validation.
- Empirical model that uses:
– Road width. |
– Presence and width of shoulder or bike lane. |
– Vehicle traffic volume, speed, and type. |
– Pavement surface condition. |
– Presence of vehicle parking. |
Applications for Evaluation Tools
- Documenting existing conditions.
- Comparing alternatives.
- Identifying design configurations for improvements to existing roads.
- Prioritizing/programming improvements.
- Creating bicycle maps.
Lesson Summary
- No national standards for facility selection:
– Use State/local guidelines. |
– General principles. |
- Roadway evaluation tools:
– Two commonly used models. |
– Numerous applications. |
FHWA-HRT-05-110
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