BICYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE 101

BICYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE 101

Bicycling infrastructure 101 presents the two basic components required which enable safe, comfortable, expeditious movement in built up areas:  (1) street segments with cycle track; (2) bikepaths or multi-user paths at intersections, always to the extent possible at roundabout intersections.

Note that purely local residential streets with very light traffic may function well with traffic calming elements so cycle track is not needed, and in these contexts bicycles share the street (or may be the dominating mode and motor vehicles required to yield).  Again, at lightly traveled residential area intersections with traffic calming elements or residential roundabouts, a separate path for bicycles is not required.  Finally, there will be cases of sign control of local streets intersection with busier streets, but designs need to be T-intersections and cross-intersections except for roundabouts to be avoided.  At these locations the bicyclist will be accessing a cycle track.