APBP Comments on Proposed AASHTO Guide Revisions

In a letter dated June 14 to AASHTO Executive Director John Horsley, the APBP Board of Directors urged the inclusion of enhanced discussion of many innovative bicycle facilities in the revised AASHTO Guide to the Development of Bicycle Facilities.

The letter states in part, "As a document that must hold its value and relevance for another ten years, the forthcoming guide must expand on the next generation of bikeway designs that are presently in practice across the United States. While the Guide must be grounded in research, it must also include the latest and best observations and guidance on innovative designs. We hope that the Guide will highlight the need for funded research, but we recognize that some level of guidance is appropriate as the research catches up to the state of the practice."

The list of facilites includes buffered bike lanes, contra-flow bike lanes, left-side bike lanes, bike lanes with reverse angled parking, bike lanes at freeway interchanges, bike lanes at roundabout approaches, bike boulevards, shared lane markings in a variety of settings, climbing bike lanes, signalized intersections designed to meet bicyclists' needs, two-way paths adjacent to roads (under certain conditions), and path/roadway intersections.

On the subject of sidepaths, the letter states, "During the nationwide pre-Guide survey, practitioners expressed the need to provide more direction to designers on pathway design adjacent to roads. There are many agencies throughout the U.S. that are considering paths adjacent to roads. Guidance is imperative to ensure that these facilities are chosen only for the proper context and then designed well."

"As the organization representing pedestrian and bicycle professionals throughout the U.S., APBP's position is that the current draft of the AASHTO Guide provides the appropriate level of detail for this topic based on the somewhat limited available research on the issue. While continuing to contain appropriate cautionary statements regarding shared use paths adjacent to roadways, the Guide should present the challenges associated with intersections of parallel paths and roadways and detail the toolbox of potential countermeasures. Guidance on the design of intersections of parallel paths and roadways is an important topic to include in the Guide."

Click here to read the full text of the letter.