Designing Transportation Facilities for Pedestrians and Bicycles - Complete Streets - Living Streets

Contents

• About Facilities for Pedestrians and Bicycles
• Planning for Bicycles and Pedestrians
• Designing  for  Pedestrians and Bicyclists and Complete Streets
• State Departments of Transportation Program Resources
• Design Resources Related to Safety
• Trails Design
• Promoting Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety
• Related MRSC Pages
  • Pedestrian Facilities - Sidewalks and Crosswalks
  • Bicycle Related Topics
  • Building Healthy Communities (Active Communities)
  • Park Planning, Design and Open Space (Includes Trails)

About Facilities for Pedestrians and Bicycles

Pedestrian and bicycle facilities are integral to a balanced transportation system and play a key role in developing healthy communities that support physical activity.  This page provides information on planning and designing safe facilities for walking and biking programs.  Companion pages include information on developing a sidewalk program, information about crosswalks, bicycle related topics include bicycle safety,  helmet requirements, and bike rack programs.  For information on Active Community Programs see MRSC's pages on Healthy Communities.  See also:

• Washington State Department of Transportation Walking in Washington and Bicycling in Washington
• Active Transportation for America: A Case for Increased Federal Investment in Bicycling and Walking -  Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, October 2008 - Report to Congress

Planning for Bicycles and Pedestrians and Complete Streets

• Local Programs, Plans and Policies - Washington
  • Bainbridge Island Non-Motorized Transportation Plan ( 4.47 MB), 2003
    • Non-Motorized Transportation Advisory Committee  
  • Burien Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Plan, June 2004
  • Issaquah Ordinance No. 2514 ( 18 KB) - Complete Streets
  • Kirkland
    • Kirkland Nonmotorized Transportation Plan,  Update March 2002
    • Kirkland Municipal Code Section 19.08.055 - Bicycle and Pedestrian Ways Along Transportation Facilities (Complete Streets)
  • Kitsap County Bicycle Facilities Plan ( 1.12 MB)
  • Olympia Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
  • Pierce County Nonmotorized Transportation
  • Puget Sound Regional Council Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning
  • Redmond
    • Redmond Transportation Master Plan
      • Pedestrian Program Plan ( 1 MB), Transportation Modes 5A.
      • Bicycle System Plan ( 1.15 MB), Transportation Modes 5B
    • Redmond Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee
  • Richland
    • Richland Pedestrian Plan ( 781 KB)- Ch. 5 in Citywide Transportation Plan, Draft November 2003
    • Richland Bicycle Plan ( 100 KB) - Ch 6 in Citywide Transportation Plan, Draft November 2003
  • Seattle
    • Seattle Pedestrian Program - Seattle Department of Transportation
    • Seattle Bicycle Program - Seattle Department of Transportation
    • Seattle Mayor News Release 3-27-07,  Legislative Advisory: Nickels Proposes ‘Complete Streets’ for Pedestrian Safety, Bikes and Busses
    • Council Bill Number: 115861 - Complete Streets policy, stating guiding principles and practices so that transportation improvements are planned, designed and constructed to encourage walking, bicycling and transit use while promoting safe operations for all users, Introduced 4-9-07
    • Seattle Resolution No. 30951 - Developing a Pedestrian Master Plan, 2-07
    • Seattle Bicycle Master Plan Draft 4-07
    • Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board
  • Tukwila Walk & Roll Program - The purpose of Walk and Roll is to come up with projects to improve streets and trails for pedestrians and bicyclists, and to plan for how and when these improvements should be constructed.  - includes draft plan
  • Walla Walla Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan ( 502 KB), Walla Walla Engineering Division, 2005
    • Walla Walla Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee
  • Whatcom County Bicycle Plan ( 254 KB), May 2003
    • Whatcom County Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee
  • Yakima
    • Yakima Urban Area Transportation Plan Update 2025, May 2006
      • Chapter 3, Pedestrians and the Walking Environment ( 5.34 MB)
      • Chapter 4, Wheeled Access – Bicycles and Other People Powered Vehicles ( 5.34 MB)
    • Yakima Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee
• Local Plans Other States
  • Denver City and County
    • Living Streets Initiative
    • Pedestrian Master Plan
  • Portland (Oregon) Pedestrian Master Plan
  • San Francisco
    • Better Streets Plan
    • Pedestrian Master Plan - San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority
• Living Streets Planning in Outside the United States
  • Kamloops, B.C. -  Pedestrian Plan
  • Living Streets  - United Kingdom
  • Streets for Living - European Community

Designing for Pedestrians and Bicyclists

• Accessible Public Rights-of-Way Planning and Design for Alterations, Access Board - This report and its recommendations are the work of a subcommittee of the Public Rights-of-Way Access Advisory Committee (PROWAAC)
• Benefit-Cost Analysis of Bicycle Facilities - Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (U.S. Department of Transportation and Center for Disease Control)
• The Bicycle Compatibility Index: A Level of Service Concept, Implementation Manual, University of North Carolina Safety Research Center, FHWA-RD-98-095 - This document demonstrates the application of the Bicycle Compatibility Index (BCI) to evaluate the capability of urban and suburban roadway sections to accommodate both motorists and bicyclists - posted on National Transportation Library Web
• Complete Streets - Smart Growth Online - Weekly E-News, August 10, 2008
• Complete the Streets - Complete Streets Coalition  - Streets designed and operated to enable safe access for all users: pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and bus riders of all ages and abilities
• Design Guidance: Accommodating Bicycle and Pedestrian Travel: A Recommended Approach: A US DOT Policy Statement Integrating Bicycling and Walking into Transportation Infrastructure, Federal Highway Administration
• Designing for Pedestrians: Information and Resources, Washington State Department of Transportation
• Designing Sidewalks and Trails for Access, Federal Highway Administration, 1999
  • Part I of II:  Review of Existing Guidelines and Practices
  • Part II of II: Best Practices Design Guide
• Engineer Bicycle Facilities - Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (U.S. Department of Transportation and Center for Disease Control and others)
• Engineer Pedestrian Facilities -  Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (U.S. Department of Transportation and Center for Disease Control and others)
• Engineering Resources and Research - Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (U.S. Department of Transportation and Center for Disease Control and others)
• National Bicycle and Walking Study: 10 Year Status Report - U.S.Department of Transportation (2004)
• Non-Motorized Transportation Service Standards in Level of Service Standards: Measures for Maintaining the Quality of Community Life, Susan C. Enger, MRSC Report No. 31, 1994 (see  pp. 52-57)
• Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning: A Guide to Best Practices (Word), by Todd Litman et al., Victoria Transport Policy Institute,  2008 
• Pedestrian Design Manual ( 3.06 MB) in San Diego Street Design Manual
• Pedestrian Facilities Guide Book: (18.28 MB) Incorporating Pedestrians into Washington's Transportation Network, prepared by OTAK, 1997, linked from National Transportation Library
• PedSheds (Walkable Catchment Calculations) - Transportation Tech Sheet, Congress for the New Urbanism 
• Public Rights-of-Way Access Guidelines (includes sidewalks, crosswalks) - Access Board
• Special Report: Accessible Public Rights-of-Way Planning and Design for Alterations, Public Rights-of-Way Access Advisory Committee (PROWAAC), August 2007

State Departments of Transportation Program Resources

• Delaware Statewide Pedestrian Action Plan - Delaware Department of Transportation
• Georgia Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Program - Georgia Department of Transportation
• Maryland's Bicycle and Pedestrian Access Plan  -  Maryland Department of Transportation
• New Jersey Pedestrian Compatible Planning and Design Guidelines ( 302 KB) - New Jersey Department of Transportation
• Oregon Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan - Oregon Department of Transportation
• Washington - Walking in Washington - Washington State Department of Transportation

Design Resources Related to Safety

• Design and Safety of Pedestrian Facilities, A Recommended Practice ( 39 MB) - Institute of Transportation Engineers, 1998
• Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Research - Federal Highway Administration
• Pedestrian Safety Programs - NHTSA
• Traffic Safety Research - Center for Research and Safety Education (Canada private)

Trails Design

• Designing Sidewalks and Trails for Access, Federal Highway Administration, 1999
  • Part I of II:  Review of Existing Guidelines and Practices
  • Part II of II: Best Practices Design Guide
• Iowa Trails 2000 -   Iowa Department of Transportation - Provides an array of resources which can be used by state (Iowa) agencies and local and regional governments during trail planning and implementation
• Professional Trail Builders Association
• Recreational Trail Design and Construction -  David M. Rathke and Melvin J. Baughman University of Minnesota Extension
• Seattle Lake Union to Elliott Bay Trail (formerly Potlatch Trail)- Seattle Parks and Recreation
• Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
• Shared Use Trails - Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center

Promoting Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety

• Statutes
  • RCW 46.61.750 through .780 - Rules of the Road - Operation of Nonmotorized Vehicles
  • RCW 46.61.230 through .269 - Rules of the Road - Pedestrian's Rights and Duties
• Bicycle Safety -  Federal Highway Administration 
• Mean Streets 2004, The Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP), 12-04 (recommends specific actions that governments can take to increase pedestrian safety)
• Bikeability Checklist - Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center
• Kids Walk to School Program - Centers for Disease Control
• Kirkland's Experience with In-Pavement Flashing Lights at Crosswalks - Kirkland Public Works
• National Strategies for Advancing Child Pedestrian Safety - National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC)
• Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety - Washington State Traffic Commission
• Pedestrian Safety - Federal Highway Administration
• Walkable America Checklist: How Walkable Is Your Community? ( 196 KB)  - National Safety Council
• Local Government Safety Pages
  • Seattle Mayor's Office Pedestrian Safety
  • Spokane County Traffic Safety Commission
  • Vancouver Pedestrian Safety