I receved a request from Paul, asking if I had any knowledge of a mid-1980s document called ” The State/Federal Highway Planning Survey.” I told Paul I didn’t recall the document, and a Google search
on the name didn’t bring up anything except for a few state documents that mention the survey. I suggested that it might be difficult to find because it may never have been digitized.

Then I mentioned that a while back, I used our local library to do an interlibrary search for a report on some bike safety workshops that I participated in for NHTSA in the ’70s. I was able to locate a copy at a college library in Idaho, and they sent it to our library. I took it to Kinkos and got it copied.

If you’re looking for a hard-to-find item, an interlibrary loan might be the answer.

John Williams

I received a question from the physical activing coordinator, Corey Wright, at the Oklahoma State Dept of Health.  Corey was consulting some partners on a Safe Routes to Schools/Community Walking Trail Project:

The community is building a 3 mile trail (4-sided rectangular). It’s an interior (never crosses a road) trail parallel to 3 roads and crossing through a pasture. The entire area inside the
trail is existing pasture with cattle and other livestock.

 They’ve planned for an 8-foot trail with a 10 to 12 foot buffer between the trail and the road, and an 8-foot buffer between is going to be removed in order to allow for this buffer space and will be replaced at the mentioned distance. The problem they’re having regards what type of fence to use.  They want to minimize the potential injury if a pedestrian/cyclist were to
contact the fence, but they also want to use something that will keep the cattle on the other side of the fence.  They are concerned not only for safety, but also for liability because some of the the trail is being constructed (with permission) on private land.  Some of the owners have expressed concern, and according to their agreement they will have a say in what type of fence material to use. Do you have any thoughts or recommendations?

 I responded that If there will be 8 feet between the fence and the edge of the trail, there shouldn’t be any problem. The design guidance available around the country varies somewhat, but those states without their own bikeway design guide use that of the American Assn. of State Hwy & Transportation Officials
(AASHTO). However, even those states with their own guides tend to agree with AASHTO’s guide for the most part.  Most guides suggest a 3 foot minimum between a path and any kind of obstruction.

With this amount of spacing, I don’t think it really matters what the fence is constructed of, although something other than barbed wire would be nice.

I also suggested widening the path itself  to 10 feet. These days, that’s considered the standard width;  8
feet is recommended in constrained circumstances. An example would be limited right-of-way, as you might see in an urban area. Even so, an 8 foot path wouldn’t be the preferred width.

John Williams

I’ve lived in Missoula, Montana, for two-and-a-half decades, so I take a big interest in what’s going on that can affect bicycling and walking in this community. I wrote the note below to Linda McCarthy, head of the Missoula Downtown Association, encouraging her group to get behind the notion of adding some back-in diagonal parking. Maybe you’ll find portions of this letter that you can take to your own community leaders and get them to consider this parking innovation:

Dear Ms. McCarthy:

During my 26 years in Missoula, I’ve considered the Downtown the city’s best place to shop, eat, and attend events. I also worked downtown for 20 years until health problems dictated my working at home. Even so, I drive downtown frequently and my wife works downtown. We often meet for lunch or I drop her off in the morning before going off on an errand.

 

As a result, I’ve found myself using the diagonal parking spaces frequently, especially those on Main and Spruce. And I hate them. Historically, I hadn’t had a big problem with diagonal parking. It gives merchants more on-street parking for customers and that’s vital to the Downtown’s survival. However, the problem I encounter more and more frequently is this:

 

I end up having to park on the downstream side of a large SUV or pickup. Or, I find a space with a shorter car upstream but that car leaves and is replaced by one of the behemoths. For this reason, backing out of a space is often like flying blind. Since I drive a modest sized Subaru wagon, my view typically consists of the passenger side door handle of an adjacent SUV.

 

I back out very very slowly, inching my way along until I can actually see oncoming traffic, at which time I stop and wait until it’s clear. I suppose I could ask a pedestrian to help me get out of a space but that’s just a burden on those of us who want to patronize Downtown — without buying and driving a big gas hog.

 

Oddly enough, many drivers seem oblivious to the potential danger of such a situation. They whiz past the rear end of my car at 25-30mph. Unfortunately, a backing-out motorist who collides with — or is hit by — an oncoming car is generally considered at fault.

 

Since many Missoulians and (lots of our town’s visitors) drive smaller cars, it behooves the City and the Downtown Association to do something about this. As it is, one could assume the City and Downtown Assn. give preference to people who arrive in 10-foot tall Gas Guzzlers.

 

What’s the solution? Well, walking and biking downtown is certainly a good option. I’ve often done that over the years. However, it doesn’t always work for me and there are folks who need to drive their smaller cars downtown.

 

One fairly simple solution would be to join the 21st Century and start putting in “back-in” diagonal parking. I know there are plenty of parochial folks in town who will say “You can’t do that! It’s <dangerous>!” Or maybe “That’s one of those kooky West Coast ideas.” Or something equally stupid. These comments are especially easy to make if someone has no direct experience with such parking. The bottom line is this: back-in spaces give the motorist — even one in a shorter car — a better view of what’s coming down the road than do traditional back-in spaces. And that’s good for everyone’s safety.

 

Having seen some of the early drawings of a Higgins Ave. improvement project, I was thrilled to see back-in diagonal parking spaces in the perspective illustrations. However, I have also been told that the City is backing away from this design because of potential controversy. I have one thing to say to that: Those involved in downtown projects like this need to stand up and do the safe thing for the community. Install back-in diagonal parking and give those of  us with short cars a break!

Sincerely,

John Williams

Below are links to two additional resources on back-in diagonal parking, the first done by John Nawn, P.E., PTOE as well as an item from Salt Lake City.

http://www.pspe.org/delco/nawn.pdf

http://www.slcgov.com/transportation/Parking/RAP.htm

JW

H.T. Siewers, the Greenways Coordinator for Bowling Green, Kentucky, wrote with a question
concerning shared-use path development:

We are developing a 5-mile shared-use path originating in downtown Bowling Green.  The shared-use path concept works well, mostly. Some of the route is over-land or in City parks, with very few vehicle conflict points.

However, we are unable to avoid a sidepath situation  in two 1/4 mile segments, where we plan to upgrade the existing sidewalk. We have encountered two pinch points where putting in an 8-10′ wide path is proving to be difficult.  Each of these segments is about 90′ long, and we no R/W beyond the existing 5′ sidewalk.  I cannot find any guidance in AASHTO to indicate whether such a narrowing would be acceptable. Do you have any advice on where I might seek clarification on this?

First, I questioned whther it was possible to acquire additional right-of-way, and noted that if possible it would be good to plan for such an addition so that folks don’t get the idea that the 5-ft width is permanent.

I also suggested using the League of Illinois Bicyclists’ sidepath tool, which can offer some useful guidance. It can help you determine how much a problem there will be AND what kinds of measures you can consider to reduce problems and eliminate hazards. Check it out: it’s at http://www.bikelib.org/roads/blos/sidepathform.htm

John Williams