36 CFR Part 1190, Proposed Accessibility Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way; Shared Use Paths: Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNPRM)

R302.3 Continuous Width

The SNPRM would revise R302.3 to read as follows:

R302.3 Continuous Width. Except as provided in R302.3.1 and R302.3.2, the continuous clear width of pedestrian access routes shall be 1.2 m (4.0 ft) minimum, exclusive of the width of the curb.

R302.3.1 Medians and Pedestrian Refuge Islands. The clear width of pedestrian access routes within medians and pedestrian refuge islands shall be 1.5 m (5.0 ft) minimum.

R302.3.2 Shared Use Paths. A pedestrian access route shall be provided for the full width of a shared use path.

As proposed in the NPRM, R302.3 would require pedestrian access routes to be 4 feet wide minimum, except R302.3.1 would require pedestrian access routes within medians and pedestrian refuge islands to be 5 feet wide minimum to allow for passing space.

The SNPRM would add a new provision at R302.3.2 that would require a pedestrian access route to be provided for the full width of a shared use path since shared use paths are typically two-directional and path users travel in each direction on the right hand side of the path, except to pass. The AASHTO Guide recommends that two-directional shared use paths should be 10 feet wide minimum. Where shared use paths are anticipated to serve a high percentage of pedestrians and high user volumes, the AASHTO Guide recommends that the paths should be 11 to 14 feet wide to enable a bicyclist to pass another path user travelling in the same direction, at the same time a path user is approaching from the opposite direction. In certain very rare circumstances, the AASHTO Guide permits the width of shared use paths to be reduced to 8 feet. See AASHTO Guide, 5.2.1 Width and Clearance.