Visually Impaired Pedestrians and Protected Intersections with Bike Lanes

Ensuring pedestrian facilities are accessible to people with vision impairments is required under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). However, protected intersections with separated bicycle lanes present accessibility and safety challenges. Some examples include the difficulty of knowing when a bicyclist is present because of the low audibility of bicycles and the limited availability of nonvisual communication devices to help navigate these facilities. Additionally, these intersections often have serial crossings, which makes it difficult to orient oneself and identify safe travel paths and crossing points. Moreover, it can be challenging to distinguish between traffic lanes and refuge areas. Research is needed to identify and address the needs of pedestrians with vision impairments, as well as to develop consistent and clear design guidelines for protected intersections with separated bike lanes. Note: According to FHWA-HRT-23-052 published in May 2023, a protected intersection is defined as an intersection that includes features to separate bicyclists from motor vehicle traffic for a portion of the intersection using physical elements (e.g., raised curbs, bollards, pylons). The objective of this research is to develop a guide that identifies and evaluates treatments and tools to enhance safety, orientation, and wayfinding for pedestrians—particularly those with vision impairments—at crossings within protected intersections. The research shall focus on the needs of pedestrians with vision impairments and the treatments that support safe navigation across separated bicycle lanes—also known as protected bicycle lanes or cycle tracks.

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5870
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $700,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 15-89

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

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

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Project Managers:

  Nasri, Arefeh

• Start Date: 20261001
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bicycle lanes; Guidelines; Intersections; Pedestrian safety; Pedestrians; Visually impaired persons; Wayfinding
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01956571
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 15-89
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: May 28 2025 10:21AM