The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), an association of 100 North American cities and transit agencies, recently updated its Urban Bikeway Design Guide for the first time in a decade.
The guide will be available for purchase on Jan. 14.
The guide features economically strong local business districts, safe streets, and vibrant streetscapes and outlines how effective leadership strategies can change city streets. The latest edition, its third, includes community engagement, design context, network planning, project delivery, and maintenance needs; addresses inequities caused by the transportation system and building collaborative partnerships with historically marginalized groups of residents; and details policy, planning, and project development guidance to ensure connected bikeable streets become standard practice.
More detailed technical guidance is provided compared to earlier editions, providing methods for planning and implementing bike networks.
The new edition also includes best practices to integrate more types of bikeway users into the design process including cargo bikes, e-bikes and scooters.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has endorsed the guide and it is recognized in federal law. The guide has been used by regional agencies, municipalities, and departments of transportation throughout the United States and Canada to design streets that are safe and accessible for bicyclists.