An important milestone in bicycle facility design was reached in January, 1994 with the publication of The North Carolina Bicycle Facilities Planning and Design Guidelines. These guidelines were developed by the Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation in coordination with pertinent branches of the North Carolina Division of Highways. Adopted by the North Carolina Board of Transportation, they are a significant contribution to the design and construction of safe bicycle facilities.
"Probably the most comprehensive and technically detailed of all documents reviewed, the North Carolina Bicycle Facilities Planning and Design Guidelines is representative of the direction in which bicycle facility planning and design is headed…" - National Bicycling and Walking Study, Case Study No. 24
The comprehensive 95-page manual provides engineers, planners, and transportation officials with detailed planning and design considerations available for safe and effective bicycle facilities development, construction, and maintenance. It provides guidelines, contains information specific to North Carolina and includes many illustrations, photographs, engineering specifications and references to supplemental documentation. The manual covers issues like drainage grate design, railroad crossings, traffic control devices for bicycle detection, accommodating bicycles on bridges, and bicycle parking.
As a companion to The North Carolina Bicycle Facilities Planning and Design Guidelines, the Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation developed a 22-minute video in 1995 to explain critical aspects of well-designed bicycle accommodations. The viewer is able to see a number of operating characteristics of both good and bad facilities. The design guidelines and companion videocassette together provide an important technical resource for communities involved in the construction of bicycle facilities.
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