The National Association of City Transportation Officials, representing fifteen major American cities, released the second edition of its Urban Bikeway Design Guide on Sept. 6. It includes a new chapter on bicycle boulevards.
Streetsblog's Tanya Snyder gives the design guide high marks - evaluating it as "far ahead" of other manuals on bicycle facilities.
"NACTO's guide is far ahead of the industry standard, old-guard manuals: the Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials' design guidelines. NACTO's Urban Bikeway Design Guide was the first to provide engineering guidance for protected bike lanes."
NACTO's first edition was released March 9, 2011, "[A] comprehensive overview of the latest developments in bicycle infrastructure that is intended to advance state and national policy", wrote Streetsblog's Angie Schmitt at that time.
"Meanwhile, AASHTO just published its first update in 13 years and is still not ready to embrace protected bike lanes, though (b)oulevards do get a mention, writes Snyder. She did offer some positive words, though, upon its release on June 19.
"Transportation engineers know that the entire system works more efficiently when we build streets, bridges, and highways that can accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians in the safest way possible," AASHTO Director John Horsley said in a statement.
"About NACTO" provides the history of the organization:
"NACTO was founded in 1996 by then Commissioner Elliot Sander of New York City's Department of Transportation after concluding that, unlike the nation's States which often interact with each other and through the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the large central cities had virtually no meaningful political or technical relationships with each other."
NAACTO's president is none other than the Transportation Commissioner of New York City, Janette Sadik-Khan.
According to the NAACTO press release, "The Urban Bikeway Design Guide is an interactive document that can be found online at http://www.c4cguide.org and www.citiesforcycling.org. The print edition of the NACTO Guide may be ordered for $46."
AASHTO's guide can be downloaded for $144 or $120 for members.
Thanks to John Holtzclaw
FULL STORY: NACTO Beats the Clock With Quick Update of Bike Guide
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.