Three-Point Turn
The AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities (pp. 35-36) recommends a minimum paved width of 300 cm (120 inches) for a two-way shared use path.(2) Table 18 shows that the mean three-point turn width required by bicyclists was 287 cm (113 inches). The 85th percentile turn width was 350 cm (138 inches). Consequently, the AASHTO paved width value accommodates fewer than 85 percent of bicyclists.
2. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC, 1999.
Table 18. Three-point turn widths.
| USER TYPE | N | MEAN (cm) | STD DEV (cm) | 85TH PER (cm) | 95TH PER (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult tricycle | 2 | 267 | 75 | 265 | 315 |
| Bicycle | 50 | 287 | 84 | 350 | 371 |
| Hand cycle | 30 | 457 | 86 | 541 | 596 |
| Inline skates | 16 | 160 | 71 | 241 | 262 |
| Kick scooter | 12 | 178 | 61 | 210 | 273 |
| Manual wheelchair | 7 | 113 | 30 | 146 | 155 |
| Power scooter | 1 | 145 | NA | 145 | 145 |
| Power wheelchair | 8 | 138 | 20 | 152 | 167 |
| Recumbent bicycle | 6 | 306 | 36 | 339 | 357 |
| Segway | 3 | 98 | 3 | 100 | 101 |
| Stroller | 2 | 286 | 214 | 392 | 422 |
| Other | 7 | 471 | 221 | 681 | 787 |
NOTES:
1.This table includes only active participants.
2.NA = Not applicable because N=1.
Among user types with five or more users, hand cyclists had the highest mean (457 cm (180 inches)) and 85th percentile (541 cm (213 inches)). The 85th percentile of recumbent bicyclists also exceeded 300 cm (120 inches). In fact, 29 out of the 30 observed hand cyclists had three-point turn widths in excess of 300 cm (120 inches). Two of the six observed recumbent bicyclists also had three-point turn widths in excess of 300 cm (120 inches).
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