29.8 Seperated Bicycle Lanes

Separated bicycle lanes parallel roads but are physically separated from vehicle traffic. Common barriers used for this purpose include curb separations, landscaped medians, flexible delineators, bollards, or other vertical structures. When determining if a facility warrants separated bicycle lanes it is important to balance tradeoffs related to traffic flow against bicyclists safety benefits. Table 29.1 lists design guidelines for separated bicycle lanes.

Table 29.1 Design Guidelines for Separated Bicycle Lanes
Design Element	Guideline
Bicycle Lane Width	One-way separated bike lanes — at least 5 – 7 ft. Two-way lanes — at least 12 ft. (8 ft. in constrained locations)
Combined Parking Lane and Buffer Width	At least 11 ft. to discourage vehicle encroachment and bicycle lanes.
Width of Barriers Between Bicycle Lane and Vehicle Traffic	Minimum 3 ft. If a mountable or vertical curb face is present, minimum 1 ft.
Markings	Use dashed yellow lines to separate two-way bicycle traffic and distinguish the bicycle lane from adjacent pedestrian areas. At the beginning of a cycle track, place MUTCD-recommended bicycle lane word, symbol, and/or arrow markings. Repeat these at periodic intervals.
Signs	Post a Do Not Enter sign (R5-1) with an Except Bikes plaque. For two-way separated bicycle lanes on one-way streets, post a One Way sign (R6-1, R6-2) with an Except Bikes plaque.
Vehicle Sight Triangles	Where vehicles may cross a separated bicycle lane from a side street or driveway, side furnishing and features need to accommodate a 20 ft. sight triangle from minor street crossings and 10 ft. sight triangle from driveway crossings.
Landscaping	Consider using landscaped barriers to establish a natural separation between vehicle lanes and bicycle lanes Consider establishing bicycle-preferred or bicycle-only facilities through traffic calming on streets parallel to a main arterial.

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Chris VanDyke

Research Scientist | Program Manager

chrisvandyke@uky.edu