SHARED-USE PATHS: CREATING BIKE-PED DESIGNATED TRAILS AND BRIDGES GOAL

To create a public pathway away from vehicular traffic dedicated to pedestrians and bicyclists and allow for alternative safe travel and recreational options for people.

WHAT IS IT?

Designated trails and bridges that are located away from the roadway to allow for a safer means of travel not only create safer travel for pedestrians and bicyclists but increase quality of life for surrounding areas. Creating a space and travel lanes that are not meant for vehicular traffic can greatly reduce the chances of collisions and fatalities.

Bridges are particularly useful in these situations because they can create a whole space that avoids potential collision with vehicles. They are designed to cross perpendicularly to the street and still connect pedestrians and bicyclists to amenities or other access points. These bridges are also used to navigate other obstacles that would be otherwise difficult, such as rivers, next to vehicular traffic.

Trails and bridges work best when they connect to existing bikeped infrastructure, future bike-ped development, are near parks, public transit stops, schools, job centers, and neighborhoods. This encourages people to use them while also providing access to multiple amenities and places. Retrofitting can be useful –especially if there are unused railroad tracks or bridges than be used as a trail for public use. This strategy can improve quality of life for all people and encourage better physical and mental health for those who use it.

Potential Conflicts

While designing or retrofitting bridges and trails for public use, safety is the most important aspect both for people using it and the need for emergency services to be able to access people in case of an accident or other emergency. Despite being a nonvehicle friendly amenity, vehicles should still be able to get through without many problems.

Convenience for a person to use a pedestrian bridge specifically could play a factor into the possibility of it not being used. Studies have been done that show people favor convenience over safety when it comes to wanting to take the shortest distance. One way to combat this would be to invest in beautification of a pedestrian bridge or by redirecting trails to make navigating to roadways more difficult.

Some bridges will ultimately not have an easy way of getting up them – some are designed with stairs or ramps that cause pedestrians and bicyclists to avoid the bridge all together and take a path that is at grade-level instead. This can result in putting a person in the way of traffic decreasing the usefulness of the bridge.

One of the most common argument for public use trails is that people will not use them. Like sidewalks, when provided they will be used and the ultimately can increase property values and bring in more income to retail services located along a trail.

Cost

/ Bridges: high cost

/ Trails: low-high cost depending on plan