Standard bicycle facilities terminology

If you read newspaper articles or attend public meetings about bicycle facilities, you know that terms like "bike lane", "bike trail", and "bike path" are used very loosely and sometimes interchangeably.

This makes it difficult to understand and communicate with leaders and planners.

The Kansas City American Public Works Association (Design Criteria Section 5302) has adopted the following standard definitions. These terms are used across the country in a standard way.

This list can be shared with local planners, government officials, bicycle advocates, and members of the media to encourage clear communication.
The coordination of a regional bikeway system is simplified by using standardized terminology. Often terms such as "bicycle lane" and "bicycle path" may be used interchangeably, when in fact they are not synonymous. It is difficult to coordinate regionally when inconsistencies in the use and meaning of terms exist. Therefore, as local jurisdictions are developing and updating their own plans and policies, they are encouraged to use the following terms consistently with the definitions that follow. The following terms are listed in alphabetical order and shall be defined as follows when used in this section.

A. Bicycle or Bike - any vehicle propelled solely by human power upon which any person may ride, having two tandem wheels, except scooters and similar devices. The term bicycle for this section also includes three and four wheeled human powered vehicles, but not tricycles for children. (AASHTO p. 2)

B. Bicycle Facilities - a general term denoting improvements and provisions made by public agencies to accommodate and encourage bicycling, including designated bikeways, share the road signs, paved shoulders, wide-curb lanes, bicycle parking and storage and other supporting infrastructure. (AASHTO p.2)

C. Bicycle Route - see Signed Shared Roadway. In addition, the bicycle route sign designates preferred routes for bicycles. Bicycle and motor traffic share the roadway, so the preferred location is usually a secondary through street and is clearly marked as a bikeway according to MUTCD sign standards.

D. Bicycle Lane - A portion of a roadway that has been designated by striping, signing and pavement markings for the exclusive use of bicyclists. The bicycle lane may be as narrow as 4 ft or as wide as 6 ft depending on roadway characteristics. The bicycle lane is a regulatory bikeway because it restricts other uses. Bicycle lanes are appropriate on arterial and collector roadways. (AASHTO p.2)

E. Bicycle Path or Bicycle Trail - see Shared Use Path.

F. Bicycle User Types - A 1994 report by the Federal Highway Administration, Selecting Roadway Design Treatments to Accommodation Bicycles used the following general categories of bicycle user types (A, B, and C) to assist transportation planners and engineers in determining the impact of different facility types and roadway conditions on bicycles:

1. Advanced (experienced) cyclists are generally using their bicycles as they would a motor vehicle. They are riding for convenience and speed and want direct access to destinations with a minimum of detour and delay. They are typically comfortable riding with motor vehicle traffic; however, they need sufficient operation space on the traveled way or shoulder to eliminate the need for them or a passing motor vehicle to shift position.

2. Basic (novice) or less confident adult cyclists may also use their bicycles for transportation purposes, e.g., to go to the store or to visit friends, but prefer to avoid roads with fast busy motor vehicle traffic unless there is ample roadway width to allow easy overtaking by faster motor vehicles. Thus, basic riders are comfortable riding on a neighborhood street, shared use paths and prefer designated facilities such as bike lanes or wide curb lanes on busier streets.

3. Children riding on their own or with their parents, may not travel as fast as their adult counterparts but still require access to key destinations in their community, such as schools, convenience stores, and recreational facilities. Residential streets with low motor vehicle speeds, well-defined bike lanes or shared used paths can accommodate children without encouraging them to ride in the travel lane of the busy roadways. (FHWA p. 1-2)

NOTE: The type B and C bicyclists benefit from a designated bikeway system because bikeways serve to "host" or encourage bicycling by increasing the comfort level of the rider.
G. Bikeway - AASHTO defines "bikeway" as a generic term for any road, street, path or way that is specifically designated (with appropriate MUTCD signing & pavement markings) for bicycle travel, regardless of whether such facilities are designated for the exclusive use of bicycles or are to be shared with other transportation modes. Appropriate design treatments to accommodate bicyclists are based on roadway characteristics, motor vehicle traffic volumes and speeds or in the case of shared use paths, other users. Bikeways include the shared use path, bicycle lane, and bicycle route. The FHWA categorizes bikeways into three classes listed below:
1. Class I Bikeway - see Shared Use Path.

2. Class II Bikeway - see Bicycle Lane.

3. Class III Bikeway - see Signed Shared Roadway.
H. Bicycle Signing - The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) defines the appropriate use of all bicycle-related signs. Bicycle signs are categorized by type: regulatory, warning, marker, and guide.

I. Bikeway System - consists of a combination of specific roads, streets, paths or ways designated by the appropriate jurisdiction having authority with appropriate direction and information route markers, with or without specific bicycle route numbers. The system uses a combination of bikeway types to create a continuous and connected system.

NOTE: AASHTO uses the term "Bicycle Route System" (AASHTO p.3) instead of "Bikeway System."

J. Off-Road Bicycle Facility - See Shared Use Path. In addition, an off-road bicycle facility may be designated for exclusive bicycle use in areas where heavy use is expected and facilities for other shared use path users are available.

K. On-Road Bicycle Facility - Any bikeway that has either exclusive use or shares the traveled way and/or shoulder of a roadway with motor vehicle traffic.

L. Rail-Trail - a shared use path, either paved or unpaved, built within the right-of-way of an existing or former railroad. "Rails with Trails" facilities refer to dual-purpose corridors and "Rails to Trails" facilities refer to single purpose corridors. The Kansas City Area Transit Authority (KCATA) Trolley Track Trail is an example of a local rail-trail facility. (AASHTO p.3)

M. Shared Roadway - any roadway that is open to both bicycle and motor vehicle travel. This may be an existing standard street (i.e. standard 12 foot lanes), a street with wide-curb lanes or paved shoulders. On a shared roadway, bicyclists and motorists share the same travel lanes. A motorist may have to cross into the adjacent travel lane to pass a bicyclist. Shared roadways carry the majority of bicycle trips. (AASHTO p.3)

N. Shared Use Path -a bikeway that is physically separated from motorized vehicular traffic by an open space or barrier and either within the highway right-of-way or within an independent right-of-way. Shared use paths may also be used by pedestrians, skaters, wheelchair users, joggers and other non-motorized users. (AASHTO p.3)

NOTE: Other terms that are often used in place of a shared use path are multi-use trail or multi-use path. Any trail or path that is designed to be used by more than one mode of transportation is by definition multi-use. The term trail is more commonly associated with recreational and nature oriented facilities. The regional greenway plan, MetroG reen, uses the term trail.

O. Paved Shoulder - the portion of the roadway contiguous with the traveled way for accommodation of stopped vehicles for emergency use and for lateral support of sub-base, base and surface courses. Paved roadway shoulders on rural roadways provide a suitable area for bicycling, with few conflicts with faster moving motor vehicle traffic. Care should be given to the application of "rumble strips" which impair bicycle movement. (AASHTO p.3)

P. Sidewalk - "the portion of a street or highway right-of-way designed for preferential or exclusive use by pedestrians." Generally, bicycle use of sidewalks is not prohibited except in commercial districts. (AASHTO p.3)

Q. Signed Shared Roadway (signed bicycle route) - Signed shared roadways are designated by bike route signs to designated a preferred route for bicycle use. (AASHTO p. 7) The MUTCD defines appropriate markings and sign placement.

R. Traveled Way - The portion of the roadway for the movement of vehicles, exclusive of shoulders. (AASHTO p.3)

S. Wide-Curb Lane - AASHTO describes the wide-curb lane as "the lane nearest the curb having a width that is wider than a standard lane 12 feet (3.6 m) providing extra space so that the lane may be shared by motor vehicles and bicycles." In general, 14 feet (4.2 m) of usable lane width is the recommended width for shared use in a wide curb lane; however, additional space is needed where grades are steep or sight line distance poor. Any width that is less than 14 feet (4.2 m) but wider than 12 feet (3.6 m), can be beneficial for shared use by bicyclists and motorists. Like paved shoulders or bike lanes, the wide-curb lane provides additional space for bicycle travel. (AASHTO p.17) The MoDOT General Pedestrian and Bicycle Guide uses the term "Wide Shared Lane" to define a 14 foot wide travel lane.

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