Characteristics of Emerging Road and Trail Users and Their Safety

Other Road and Shared Use Path Users

Although the above summary of user groups is long, other devices and vehicles are occasionally used on roads and streets that have not been listed above. A full evaluation of these devices and vehicles as part of this study was either not possible or unnecessary for one of the following reasons:

• They are used very infrequently so a reasonable sample size could not be obtained.

• They are so small or are used at such slow speeds that their operational characteristics are less important because roads, shared use paths, and other public ways will necessarily be designed for the critical operational characteristics of larger and/or faster users.

Although these user groups will not be described in detail, it is important to mention their existence, in the event that their use grows significantly and results in the need for evaluation as part of a future study:

• Unicycles-Devices with a single wheel, pedals, and a seat.

• Bicycle rickshaws and pedal carriages-Pedal vehicles with three or four wheels that are intended to carry one or more passengers in addition to the person pedaling the vehicle.

• Electric toys for children-Small electric devices, usually with four wheels, often designed to emulate full size adult motor vehicles.

• Child tricycles-Small, three-wheeled pedal devices used by small children.

• Bicycles with training wheels.

• "Low rider" bicycles- Bicycles that have been customized for aesthetics to be low to the ground and often longer than standard bicycles.

In addition, mopeds and small motorcycles (scooters) are used on roads and in some places on shared use paths. However, these vehicles have been in use on public rights-of-way for a long time and most States specifically regulate them as motorized vehicles. As regulations already exist and this study was conducted on shared use paths that are closed to these vehicles, they were not evaluated as part of this study.