copyright 1996, Tracy-Williams Consulting

Bikeway Design Guides, Reports, and Resources

The following are some of the currently available design guides and related reports.


AASHTO Maintenance Manual, 1987, Includes a better discussion of trail maintenance than does the Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities; $18 from AASHTO, 444 N Capitol St, NW, Suite 225, Washington DC 20001

An Investigation of the Potential for Pathways Shared by Pedestrians and Bicyclists, 1978, by RTKL Associates for the Federal Highway Administration; early study showing problems of shared bike/walk paths; available for $5.00 from Bicycle Forum, PO Box 8311, Missoula MT 59807.

Arizona Bicycle Facilities Planning & Design Guidelines, 1988; expands significantly on AASHTO Guide, adding information on bike trail railings, signal actuation, and detailed sign templates; a revision is in the works; from AZDOT Engineering Records, 1655 W. Jackson, Room 211 F, Phoenix, AZ 85007; $5.

Bicycle Transportation, 1983, John Forester, THE book from the champion of vehicular-style cycling; $20 from MIT Press, MIT, Cambridge MA 02142

Bicycle Facilities Planning and Design Manual, 1995 The Florida Department of Transportation Pedestrian/Bicycle Program plans to go to press in the very near future with this new full-color manual. To obtain a copy, contact the Florida Bicycle Program, Florida Department of Transportation, 605 S. Suwannee Street MS 82, Tallahassee, FL 32301 (904) 487-1200.

Bikeway Planning and Design Standards, 1987, California's standards formed much of the basis for the AASHTO Guide; free from Rick Blunden, CalTrans, 1120 N St, Sacramento CA 95814 For an online version, point your browser at: http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/oppd/hdm/chapters/t1001.htm

Converting Rails to Trails; $19.95; from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 1400 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20036

Dan Burden's 700 Best: bicycle and pedestrian facility design standard slides on CD-Rom; The discs come with a color catalog and the images can be used in many formats-e.g. slides, black and white photos etc. 7 CDs @ $50 each. Call Dan Burden at (904)487-1200 or fax (904)922-2935 for info.

Facility Design Liability, 1987 interview with Alex Sorton; Bicycle Forum Tech Note F1, $1.00 from Adventure Cycling Association, PO Box 8308, Missoula MT 59807

Greenways: A Guide to Planning, Design and Development; 1993; by Charles A. Flink and Robert M. Searns; a how-to for greenway planners; $29.95 Paperback/$45.00 Hardcover, plus $4.24 for shipping and handling from Urban Edges, Inc., 1401 Blake Street # 301, Denver, CO 80202

Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities; 1991; the basic design guide for bicycle facilities in the United States; currently under revision; $11.00 from AASHTO, 444 N Capitol St, NW, Suite 225, Washington DC 20001

Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 1988, U.S. D.O.T., approx. $22.00 from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC 20402

North Carolina Bicycle Facilities Planning and Design Guidelines 1992; expands on current AASHTO guidelines. Cost: $5. Accompanying 22-minute video explains well-designed bicycle accommodations, and good and bad facilities. Cost: $15. To order a copy of the manual and/or the video, contact the Office of Bicycle and pedestrian Transportation, P.O. Box 25201, Raleigh, NC 27611.

Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan; provides goals and objectives related to facility funding, planning, design, and maintenance and education, recommended practices, statewide design criteria for facilities, signing, and striping. Much expanded and improved over the years. From Michael Ronkin, Oregon Bikeway Program, Technical Services Branch, Oregon DOT, Transportation Building, Rm. 210, Salem, OR 97310 (503) 986-3555; email: michael.p.ronkin@state.or.us available in printed or electronic format.

The Planning and Design of Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail Crossings 1994, This study reports the findings of research conducted by Darren J. Torbic, a former graduate student at Penn State University's School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Torbic's research concentrates on the increase in both the number and popularity of bicycle and pedestrian facilities nationwide. In light of these trends, Torbic suggests that special attention must be given to the design of these facilities, especially with regards to intersections and road crossings. This report focuses specifically on appropriate crossing types (e.g. at-grade, grade-separated, signalized ), sight distance requirements, proper location of crossings, design of grade-separated structures, and several additional safety measures. For a copy of the study, contact Darren Torbic or Dr. Walter Kilareski at the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute. Tel: (814) 865-1891. No price given. 81 pp.

Policy & Procedure for Bicycle Projects, 1988, free from the Ohio Department of Transportation Office of Bicycle Transportation, Rm. 418, 25 S. Front St., Columbus OH 43215

Sign up for the Bike: Design Manual for a Cycle Friendly Infrastructure;325-page design and planning manual detailing the Dutch approach to accommodating bicyclists; Price is Dfl 50,-- from the Centre for Research and Contract Standardization in Civil and Traffic Engineering (C.R.O.W.), PO Box 37, NL-6710 BA EDE, Netherlands; Phone (+) 31.8380-20410 fax (+) 31.8380-21112

Technical Handbook of Bikeway Design; comprehensive guide to planning and implementation of bicycle facilities in Canada. 169 pages with 142 illustrations. Also available in French. From Vélo Québec, 3575, St-Laurent Blvd., Suite 310, Montreal, Québec H2X 2T7. $55 (Canadian) plus P+H.

Tool of the Trail: a bibliography on planning, advocating, designing, building, maintaining and managing trails throughout America; edited by Paula Ward, published by American Hiking Society under a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service. $5 from American Hiking Society, P.O.Box 20160, Washington, D.C. 20041-2160

Wisconsin Bicycle Planning Guidance The purpose of this document is to provide assistance in the form of a general set of guidelines that can be used by Metropolitan Planning Organizatons, communities, and counties as they plan and develop bicycle facilities. While the emphasis of this publication is on planning for bicycle transportation, additional design information on the different types of bicycle facilities is also provided. Contact Tom Huber, Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator, Div. Of Highways & Transp. Services, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, PO Box 7913, Madison, WI 53707-7913 (608) 267-7757 email: HUBERT@MAIL.STATE.WI.US

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