Defining Appropriate Design and Accommodation Thresholds for Active Transportation in a Context-Driven Approach

A common approach used in transportation design is to set minimum accommodations or guidelines, such as a minimum width, for a sidewalk or bikeway. Such guidelines provide for a basic level of infrastructure quality in cases where they are applied. The concept is also used at the planning level; for example, some Complete Streets policies specify minimum accommodations for pedestrians and bicycles. However, the minimum accommodations are frequently used as the default or preferred width in all cases, even though these widths often do not provide a level and quality that will significantly increase the use of walking, bicycling, and rolling, particularly among all types of users and in areas where greater walking, bicycling, and rolling activity is possible. Research is needed on the design flexibility and the different levels of accommodation recommended for different contexts and roadway types. The objective of this research is to develop an active transportation guide and tool (or tools) that provide a decision-making framework for the adoption and implementation of supportive active transportation infrastructure and design ranges that provide better safety, comfort, and accessibility while still serving all surface transportation users and functions.

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5316
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $550000
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 08-163

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Weeks, Jennifer

• Start Date: 20230327
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; Bicycle lanes; Bicycling; Comfort; Complete streets; Context sensitive design; Design; Guidelines; Highway design; Intersections; Multimodal transportation; Safety; Sidewalks; Walking
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Policy; Safety and Human Factors; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01846131
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 08-163
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: May 23 2022 4:37PM