New York City Street Design Manual
Last month, New York City released a huge manual on how to design their city streets and sidewalks.
It’s purpose is to “serve as a comprehensive resource for promoting higher quality street designs and more efficient project implementation.”
And by the looks of it, this manual is a great resource for promoting better bicycle facilities and policies.
Street Design Policy
Included in the manual is a street design policy which lists the overall goals. The first four goals include references to bicycling, which is very impressive. New York City is clearly aiming to be much more bicycle-friendly.
“Design for Safety: Prioritize safety for all street users, particularly more vulnerable groups (children, the elderly, those with disabilities) and more vulnerable modes (walking, bicycling).”
“Design for Access and Mobility: Prioritize walking, bicycling, and transit by providing safe, accessible, convenient, and comfortable facilities for these modes, particularly on designated routes and at critical network connections.”
“Design for Context: Design local streets to be green, traffic calmed environments that encourage walking, bicycling, and recreational activities.”
“Design for Livability: Design streets to encourage physical activity for all ages and populations by making walking, bicycling, and transit attractive and convenient.”
Road Geometry
Chapter 2 of the manual covers road geometry and gives many great examples of bike lanes and paths.
One particular bike lane design is shown in the above photo. The design provides additional painted buffering between the vehicular travel lane and the bike lane. Though the buffering wouldn’t stop a car from encroaching in the bike lane, they increase the perceived safety for cyclists.
Buffered bike lanes seem like a great option for city of Detroit roads since they are often overbuilt and have the spare width needed for this implementation.
For more non-motorized transportation advocacy information from New York City, visit Streetsblog.
Link: New York City Street Design Manual
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Tags: bike lanes, design policy, New York City, street design manual