Bicycle Railing Height Report - AASHTO - Subcommittee on Design

DETERMINATION OF APPROPRIATE RAILING HEIGHTS FOR BICYCLISTS
NCHRP 20-7 (168)
Chapter 2 - History of <strong>Railing</strong> <strong>Height</strong> Guidelines
Through interviews with state and federal transportation officials and data collection, the
history of the establishment of railing height guidelines was reviewed. As shown in
Figure 1, the process began in the early 1970s and continues today.
YEAR
Year and
<strong>AASHTO</strong>
Committee
1974
<strong>AASHTO</strong>
Standing
Committee on
Engineering
Operations
1981
<strong>AASHTO</strong>
1991
<strong>AASHTO</strong> Task
Force on
Geometric
Design
1999
<strong>AASHTO</strong> Task
Force on
Geometric
Design
RAILING
HEIGHT
YEAR
No
Recommendation
54-inch with
42-inch rub rail
54-inch with
42-inch rub rail
42-inch
2004
NCHRP
Study
Figure 1 - Timeline of <strong>Bicycle</strong> <strong>Railing</strong> <strong>Height</strong>s Guidelines
In 1974, the Standing Committee on Engineering Operations prepared the first <strong>AASHTO</strong>
“Guide for <strong>Bicycle</strong> Routes.” The guide’s purpose was to outline steps and technical
details for development of bicycle facilities on public roadways. However, the guide
failed to recommend a specific railing height for bicyclists. During this same time
period, the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) developed state bicycle
guidelines. A member of the State <strong>Bicycle</strong> Guide Committee, John Forester,
recommended railing heights between 1.1 meters (42 inches) and 1.4 meters (54 inches).
As a result, CalTrans conservatively adopted the higher railing height of 1.4 meters (54
inches) for safety purposes. 2
In 1981, <strong>AASHTO</strong> updated the 1974 “Guide for <strong>Bicycle</strong> Routes” to include
recommendations for railing heights, and changed the document’s name to “Guide for
Development of New <strong>Bicycle</strong> Facilities.” The 1981 guide referenced the CalTrans
bicycle guide for railing height specifications, and adopted the minimum railing height of
1.4 meters (54 inches). The 1981 guide also introduced the use of smooth rub rails at a
height of 1.1 meters (42 inches). Smooth rub rails are horizontal rails, which prevent a
bicyclist’s handlebar from coming into contact with a fence or barrier.
2 Conversation and correspondence with John LaPlante, Chair of Committee on Geometric Design for the
1999 <strong>AASHTO</strong> Guide for the Development of <strong>Bicycle</strong> Facilities.
5