East Mountain Trails & Bikeways Master Plan - Bernalillo County

Section B. Guidelines for Trail and
Bikeway Facility Types
Many roads in the East Mountain Area began as
trails, prior to the development of motorized
travel and local, state and federal road systems.
These roads continue to be critical for nonmotorized,
as well as motorized travel, both for
local connections and for regional transportation.
All new projects or major reconstruction projects
shall accommodate travel by pedestrians and
bicyclists, except where pedestrians and
bicyclists are prohibited by law from using a
given facility or where the costs of including
bikeways and walkways would be excessively
disproportionate to the need or probable use.
Where potential trails are near acequias,
coordination with the Acequia Association is
required. Equestrians will be accommodated in
those corridors where there is current or
projected equestrian use and where sufficient
separation from vehicular traffic can be achieved.
Facilities for pedestrian, bicycle and equestrian
use shall be designed to the best currently
available standards and guidelines, such as
AASHTO's Guide for the Development of Bicycle
Facilities (1999) and Guide for the Planning,
Design, and operation of Pedestrian Facilities
(2004) and the Manual for Uniform Traffic Control
Devices (MUTCD) for signing and marking of
road crossings, bikeways, walkways and
equestrian trails.
In the rural East Mountain Area of Bernalillo
County, appropriate accommodations may range
from shared roads or shoulders to sidewalks
and/or separate multi-use trails, either paved or
soft surface. Major bike corridors will be
designated with Bike Route signs.
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
(ADA), a federal law prohibiting discrimination
against people with disabilities, requires public
entities to provide accessible accommodations
for people with disabilities. Regulations provide
that when new pedestrian facilities (or projects
that alter existing facilities) are planned, those
facilities must be designed and constructed to be
accessible to and usable by people with
disabilities. Trail design criteria are provided in
the U.S. Access Board draft Guidelines for
Outdoor Developed Areas. Draft guidelines for
public rights-of-way can be found in the U.S.
Access Board Accessible Rights-of-Way: a
Design Guide (1999).
The following cross-sections (page 45-48)
illustrate the critical dimensions and relationships
between various types of accommodations. The
combination of facilities and users will vary for
individual road and trail corridors and subsequent
design will be tailored for each section.
1. Rural Roads
Many existing rural roads with low traffic volumes
and speeds serve motorized vehicles, bicyclists,
pedestrians and equestrians well, either within
the travel lane or on shoulders. Shoulder width
and treatment become more important as traffic
volumes and speeds increase and in areas with
steep grades or where visibility is limited.
• Narrow, low speed, dirt or gravel roads, with low
volumes and good sight distances can accommodate
non-motorized users with few improvements.
• Paved locals - Though not ideal, if less than 1000
Average Daily Traffic, paved locals with slow speeds
and good sight distances may accommodate
bicyclists and pedestrians even with shoulders less
than 4'.
• If existing paved roads are too narrow to
accommodate other users safely and existing right of
way isn’t adequate to provide safe accommodations,
acquisition of additional right of way is recommended.
For new development, adequate right of way will be
secured at time of development to accommodate
future bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
• Issues: As more roads are paved to reduce
"fugitive dust" and comply with Air Quality
regulations, or at the request of residents,
special provisions for non-motorized travelers
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EAST MOUNTAIN TRAILS AND BIKEWAYS MASTER PLAN