190 | SAFETY
Safe and pleasant cycle paths Protected bicycle lanes are a simple concept: they’re sidewalks for bikes. They make riding a bike a pleasant and practical means of transportation. But getting the design right, including choosing the right barriers, is essential for maximizing safety and aesthetics Words | Irina Mella Burlacu, Vita International, Italy
Over the past 20 years, much attention has been paid to the use of bicycles in Europe and North America. It is an environmentally friendly, low-cost and healthy means of transportation. Typically, though, cycle traffic flows directly alongside motorized vehicles, thus dictating the need to carefully regulate the space used by different road users. In North America, bike culture may seem more like a sub- or even counter-culture, popular among groups that differentiate themselves from the mainstream by touting healthier and more sustainable lifestyles. In Europe, the culture is quite different, as cycling is more pervasive, and sometimes even constitutes the norm. Pick up any American cycling magazine and you’ll see page after page of designer gear and accessory equipment championed by sponsored athletes. However, as the BBC’s online news magazine notes about Amsterdam riders, “The bike is an integral part of everyday life, rather than a specialist’s accessory or a symbol of a minority lifestyle, so Dutch people don’t concern themselves with having the very latest model of bike or high-tech gadgets.” But although the American and European approaches to cycling are very different, safety is a common element that is certainly not in dispute. Vita International focuses on making cycling safer, paying particular attention to infrastructure.
Defining ideal cycle lane design The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has
Intertraffic World | Annual Showcase 2018
published a Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, which defines a bike lane as “a portion of a roadway that has been designated by striping, signing and pavement markings for the preferential or exclusive use of bicyclists.” Bike lanes are a preferred facility type in European countries and nearly every major city has made an effort in recent years to install cycle lanes. Cycle lanes serve the needs of all types of cyclists in urban and suburban areas, providing them with their own travel lane. The minimum width of a bike lane should be 5ft (1.5m) against a curb or adjacent to a parking lane. Width measurements are taken from the curb face to the bicycle lane stripe. Since cyclists usually tend to ride a distance of 2.5-3.5ft (0.8-1.1m) from the curb face, it is very important that the pavement surface in this zone be smooth and free of structures. Where the minimum widths listed above cannot be met, it may be possible to provide an unmarked lane. Studies have shown that a cyclist’s perceived level of comfort is higher when a striped area is provided; thus this method can raise the level of service for cyclists on a particular street. An unmarked lane is a striped area of 2ft (0.6m) wide or more that contains no additional markings or signage that would denote it as a bike lane. Particularly on busy streets, narrow unmarked lanes will not adequately serve the needs of the majority of cyclists.
Grade separation Where it is not possible to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists with at-grade crossings (crossings at the same level),
