Cyclists staying safe with pavement marking plans and signs in multi-modal communities
GuideSIGN
September 2024
Created by
For communities and neighbourhoods to be attractive to live in and accessible to all road users, an effective transportation system must cater to all users, including cyclists. The provision of dedicated cyclists and shared user paths not only seeks equitable access to transportation and leisure for cyclists but also achieves the added effect of taking the demand for vehicles off the road, thus decreasing vehicle emissions and reducing traffic congestion. As urban planners, community leaders, environmentalists, and residents of high-density urban areas, your role in advocating for and implementing bike paths and walking paths is crucial to creating a healthy and active community.
Providing a road network that offers equity and access to all users is vital, as various road users have competing interests and demands and limited space on the network. The proper use of pavement markings for pedestrians and cyclists, in addition to traffic signs, plays a crucial role in providing order and structure in urban areas where various transportation modes effectively utilise the network.
In this two-part series, we will be discussing how pavement markings and traffic signs work together to make communities both safe and accessible for pedestrians and cyclists.
Right now, let's look at how pavement markings and signage make an impact on cyclists and how they can make their lives safer.
A comfortable shared use of environment for all users
Local and state governments have embraced the need for change regarding equitable access to road and transportation networks, including providing dedicated cycle paths and adding shared-use paths for all road users—the provision of adequate and legible pavement marking and including signage. Engineers and planners at all levels can provide safe and effective transportation networks by implementing and including adequate and legible pavement markings and signage. The goal is a safe and effective road user experience, especially for vulnerable users.
Adequately designed and constructed shared-use paths (SUPs) provide users with a safer and more efficient mode of transportation. Cycling paths allow for a safer experience for cyclists due to lateral separation from vehicular-lateral separation from vehicular traffic. Using signage, line, and pavement marking helps reinforce speed conformity and improve driver awareness of vulnerable road users, including cyclists.
Therefore, a correct implementation of both signage and marking lessens the likelihood of accidents and creates a comfortable shared-use environment for all users.
Designating bicycle boulevards encourages new cyclists
As mentioned in the previous paragraphs, pavement marking, when combined with the effective use of signage, may help create a safer road network for all users. Shared-use paths (SUPs) and dedicated cycle paths are great ways to improve road safety for all users, including cyclists, through separation from vehicular traffic.
The designation as a cycle path not only provides a safe space for cyclists but also encourages new users. Cycling is not only a solution for congested roads but also has the potential to mitigate climate change. When the number of cars reduces, the use of bicycles increases, and so does the sustainability and health within the given community, highlighting the community's role in promoting cycling.
Wayfinding: Using Signs to Navigate toward a Destination
Wayfinding signs work along with pavement markings to improve the confidence of cyclists by guiding them to their intended destinations along safe and comfortable routes, such as those with bike lanes or other cycling facilities.
Good and accurately placed signage connects neighbourhoods to recreational areas like parks and beaches, which allows users to discover new explorations. By showing the direction and distances to key destinations, wayfinding signs especially help new cyclists improve their navigational skills and explore their new form of transportation within their community by learning local roads and places.
When city planners and transportation engineers transition projects into the planning and designing stages, it is useful to use software applications like GuideSIGN that help design traffic signage within the CAD platform.
GuideSIGN supports various guidelines, including state, federal/national guidelines from Australia, Canada and USA. Additionally, with many locations named in diverse languages, GuideSIGN includes accent marks to accurately spell out the destinations. Utilising these features can create an inclusive community and encourage cyclists from all backgrounds to partake in the great outdoors. Communities appear to bemore attractive when they are interconnected with a variety of activities for new or existing members to explore.
Signage and pavement markings are some of the many tools for road and bicycle safety, even as they augment other operational functions on the road with traffic calming measures such as geometric design and changes to create safe and efficient facilities.
The next time you are travelling within your city, take note of how every signage and marking impacts your end-to-end journey, and maybe consider a cycling adventure.