Bicycle Railing Height Report - AASHTO - Subcommittee on Design

DETERMINATION OF APPROPRIATE RAILING HEIGHTS FOR BICYCLISTS
NCHRP 20-7 (168)
Orr, David W. A Study on the Required <strong>Height</strong> of a Bridge <strong>Railing</strong> to Accommodate
<strong>Bicycle</strong> Impacts: A Master of Engineering Paper. Texas A&M University, Texas
Transportation Institute.- Provides an analysis for determining the appropriate railing
height for bicyclists using such variables as anthropometrics, center of gravity, and
bicycle frame sizes. The paper concludes that the <strong>AASHTO</strong> adopted height of 54” is not
sufficient.
Portland, Oregon. Bikeway Design and Engineering Guidelines.
http://www.trans.ci.portland.or.us/designreferences/bicycle/appenda.htm - Warns against
adding too high (6 ft.) of a chain link fence on top of a concrete barrier. This creates a
“cattle chute” effect, where the bicyclist experiences a confined environment.
RS Means, Heavy Construction Cost Data, 18 th Annual Edition. 2004.
San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. San Francisco Bay
Conservation and Development Commission permit for San Francisco-Oakland Bay
Bridge East Span Seismic Safety Project. November 2001.-Includes brief history of how
54-inch railing height came about. (i.e. Cal DOT)
Transportation Alternatives. http:// www.transalt.org -
Similar to chain link fence guidelines in Portland, OR, Transportation Alternatives
recommends minimal impact to a view shed, and is currently challenging the placement
of a 7’ chain link fence along the Queensboro Bridge. They believe the 7’ fence will
affect the bridges historic aesthetics, and decrease usage of the bicycle path due to an
intimidating experience for cyclists (i.e. cattle chute effect).
USDOT Federal Highway Administration. Implementing <strong>Bicycle</strong> Improvements at the
Local Level. USDOT Federal Highway Administration Publication No. FHWA-98-105
1998- Recommends bridge railings to be a minimum of 1.4m (4.5 ft) high to keep
bicyclists from pitching over the top in case of a crash.
USDOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Transportation Statistics Annual <strong>Report</strong>
2000. – General information regarding national bicycle crashes and fatalities.
USDOT Federal Highway Administration. Injury to Pedestrians and Bicyclists: An
Analysis based on emergency department data. FHWA-RD-99-078- Provides
information of pedestrian and bicycle injuries based on emergency department data.
Limited as to railing height induced injuries.
W.W. Hunter, W.E. Pein and J.C. Stutts, <strong>Bicycle</strong> Crash Types: A 1990’s Informational
Guide, Tech. <strong>Report</strong> FHWA-RD-96-104, FHWA, 1997 – A study of various crash types
for bicyclists. No railing information available.
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