Priorities and Guidelines for Providing Places for Pedestrians to Walk Along Streets and Highways: Draft

1999DraftPDFTech ReportPedestriansWalkingClear zonesRoadsideSidewalksGuidelinesStreetsHighway safetyPavement designPedestrian areasPedestrian safetySafety and human factorsHighwaysStreetsPavementsUnited StatesNorth CarolinaUniversity of North Carolina (System). Highway Safety Research CenterZegeer, Charles V.Lagerwey, Peter A.Cynecki, MikeRoss, ArthurRonkin, MichaelUniversity of North Carolina (System). Highway Safety Research CenterUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationUS Transportation CollectionThe Uniform Vehicle Code defines a \u2018sidewalk\u2019 as that portion of a street between the curb lines, or the lateral lines of a roadway, and the adjacent property lines, intended for use by pedestrians. A sidewalk need not be a paved surface, but in accordance with the Federal ADA law, new sidewalks that are constructed must be fully accessible to people in wheelchairs. Governments at the state, regional and local level are being called on to develop regulations and provide funding for installing and retrofitting sidewalks. The problem, of course, is that while there are tremendous needs, there are also limited resources. As a result, governments are faced with the task of making tough choices on priorities related to when and where to install sidewalks. The purpose of this document is to provide government agencies at the state, regional and local level with the tools they need to develop their own guidelines for creating places for pedestrians to walk. This is done with the recognition that a \u2018one set of guidelines fits all approach\u2019 will not work due to regional and jurisdictional differences as well as differences between urban, suburban and rural areas.77