The Oxford Pathways Commission will serve in an advisory role to city staff in the considering Bicycle and Pedestrian accomodations in planning new construction and ongoing maintenance of city facilities. These guideines from the MDOT MULTI-plan may be helpful in drafting the ordinance.
Excerpted from CHAPTER 10 of the Mississippi Unified Long Range Transportation Infrastructure Plan (MULTIPLAN) http://www.mdotmultiplan.com/content.aspx?key=Bicycle
Transportation planners, highway engineers and bicycle and pedestrian advocacy groups are faced with the challenge of balancing competing interests in a limited amount of right-of-way, while developing a multimodal transportation infrastructure that provides access for all and safety in equal measure for each mode of travel. Mississippi’s transportation system must be balanced, accessible and safe for all citizens. A comprehensive analysis of various modal choices, including nonmotorized alternatives, is essential to reaching this balance.
TEA-21 states that, "Bicycle transportation facilities and pedestrian walkways shall be considered, where appropriate, in conjunction with all new construction and reconstruction of transportation projects, except where bicycle and pedestrian use are not permitted." (Section 1202)
U.S. DOT Policy Statement on Integrating Bicycling and Walking into Transportation Infrastructure
The Policy Statement, from which aspects relevant to Mississippi are highlighted below, was developed through collaborative input of FHWA, AASHTO, ITE, bicycle and pedestrian user groups, state and local agencies, the U.S. Access Board, and representatives of disability organizations. The following design guidance recommendations, drawn from a national best practices analysis, have been extracted from the Statement:
Bicycle and pedestrian ways shall be established in new construction and reconstruction projects in all urbanized areas unless one or more of three conditions are met:
Bicyclists and pedestrians are prohibited by law from using the roadway;
The cost of establishing bikeways or walkways would be excessively disproportionate to the need or probable use; and
Where scarcity of population or other factors indicate an absence of need.
In rural areas, paved shoulders should be included in all new construction and reconstruction projects on roadways used by more than 1,000 vehicles per day. Rumble strips are not recommended where shoulders are used by bicyclists unless there is a minimum clear path of four feet in which a bicycle may safely operate.
Sidewalks, shared use paths, street crossings (including over and under crossings), pedestrian signals, signs, street furniture, transit stops and facilities, and all connecting pathways shall be designed, constructed, operated and maintained so that all pedestrians, including people with disabilities, can travel safely and independently.
The design and development of the transportation infrastructure shall improve conditions for bicycling and walking through the following additional steps:
Planning projects for the long-term;
Addressing the need for bicyclists and pedestrians to cross corridors as well as travel along them; and
Designing facilities to the best currently available standards and guidelines.
As various situations require various solutions, state and local governments should encourage exercising judgment in the application of the range of available treatments, with the following as examples:
Collector and arterial streets shall typically have a minimum of a four-feet wide striped bicycle lane; however, wider lanes are often necessary in locations with parking, curb and gutter, and heavier and/or faster traffic.
Collector and arterial streets shall typically have a minimum of a five-feet wide sidewalk on both sides of the street; however, wider sidewalks and landscaped buffers are necessary in locations with higher pedestrian or traffic volumes, and/or higher vehicle speeds. At intersections, sidewalks may need to be wider to accommodate accessible curb ramps.
Rural arterials shall typically have a minimum of a four-feet paved shoulder; however, wider shoulders (or marked bike lanes) and accessible sidewalks and crosswalks are necessary within rural communities and where traffic volumes and speeds increase.
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