Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 01/12/1995

Home

I I Feb. 8, 1983 BIKEWAYS -3- I. INTRODUCTION In order to increase !the mileaqe of public roads that provide an acceptable level of set'ace Vath available funds and to maximize fully ~e value of existing roadways for bicyclists. Mn/DOT has ~dopted bikeway design standards. Because more flexibilit~ is provided, these standards will permit improvements t~ be made which will result in greater uniformity of ~highway qeometrics over major lengths of roadway. Th~se standards are based on the re- lationship between the r'charactedstics of the road design (bicycle driving area)ilo the average daily motorized traffic. Although these [bikeway standards have been de- veloped and should be u~d to the mayamum extent possi- ble, as with most enqine use engineering judgeme dards. II. DEFINITIONS Bring projects, the designer should mt in the application of the start- The definition of each, of these standards is as follow~: A, RURAL DESIGN I~IKEWAY Rural design refer, to any section of public road that has shoulders and '~,~,iitches. The relationship between the road design and t~e traffic volume is particularly critical. Shoulder surfa~p and width (in addition to lane width and the numbef~ of lanes) are significant factors because shoulders may ~ the operational area for cyclists by preference (if paved!and clear of debris) or serve as an emergency e~cape lane. B. MUNICIPAL DESIGN BIKEWAY Municipal design ~fcrs to all other public road sec- lions within corporate ~mits. A municipal design roadway generally has curb and/o~ gutter on one or both sides of the road. Bicyclists usually !do not have shoulders to ride on and parked vehicles pre~nt obstacles. Parking maneuvers, open car doors and the ~bstruction to vision that a parked car presents, have a negative influence on urban cycling. Therefore, the relatio~hip of the bicycle driving area to traffic takes into acct~unt the road design and the design of the parking area (~agonal, parallel, no parking and various combinations). C. OFF.ROAD BIKE{NAYS An off-road bikeway refers to a travel corridor sep- arated from the road structure, and specifically designed for non-motorized tran~)ortation. Bikeways of this design are often times tmplermmted when a roadway cannot be enhanced to an acceptable level: and when a suitable par- allel route is not avalla!)le. Also, this design is often used as a recreational corridor through public lands. The de- signer should be aware )f off-road bikeways in his project study area so as to provide for safe access to and from such facilities relative to his project. I!1. DETERMINATION OF APPROPRIATE STANDARD Determination of the appropriate standard to use on a project, require~ three basic evaluations. First. the major section of the route that the proposed project lies within must be identified and evaluated to determine what prob- able improvements will be made within the foreseeable future. Secondly, the project must take into account the current and anticipated travel needs of the cyclist, land use data and system continuity. Thirdly, the project stan- dards are selected to be compatible with the rest of the major bikeway section. A. MAJOR BIKEWAY SECTION IDENTIFICATION A major bikeway section is defined as a principal travel route used by cyclists. A route of this stature is the "backbone" of a bicycling network, which may encompa.~ all three bikeway designs along its length and may serve a significant portion of a community, county, region or have a s/grdficant influence on long dist~ce travel. Ideally the design selected could vary mimmally to avoid surprising the motoring and cycling public by a change in standards that could result in accidents. It is not possible to specify the length of a major bikeway section, nor would it serve any beneficial purpose. The length varies depending on the service area of the route and the presence (or lack thereof) of suitable alter- hate routes. It is critical, however, to understand fully the principal destination of cyclists, and the road design at either end of the project termini, so as to provide a total picture of the travel options available and the impact of project design. B. EVALUATION OF ROADWAY FOR BICYCLE TRAVEL NEEDS Once the project termini of the bikeway section have been determined, existing and anticipated conditions may be analyzed. The road under study must be rated (uving the appropriate design table) to determine whether or not it is currently providing a safe level of service to the cycling population. If the road is rated "unsatisfactory" or "poor". a similar analysis of parallel routes should be conducted. If there are no suitable parallel routes, it is necessary for the designer to study the options for upgrading this particular section to a "fair" or "good" level. The second level of study involves transportation planning with the respective agency to determine land use proposals, principal travel trends and the population served by the proposed project. Project termini should