About Trail Building

North Idaho Bikeways (formerly Pathways) celebrated its first big milestone on Aug. 14, 1998 with the official opening of the Carlson-McConnaughey Sagle Community Trail. Since then we have learned a lot about the ins and outs of trail building, which we try to share with other groups. This page give you information about what's involved in constructing bike trails.

Trail Building Strategies

Right of Way

As one of the biggest costs of bike trail construction is obtaining ownership or access to the right of ways, whenever possible trail routes were planned along Idaho Transportation Department right of way as easements to these have been free. The only stipulation has been for the local jurisdiction or municipality to assume responsibility for maintenance of the trails.

Grants

It has been a priority of the Idaho Transportation Department to place bikeways along its arterials when possible. To this end, they have been extremely helpful in providing access to large grants through the Federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Enhancement Act. (ISTEA) These grants become available yearly. Smaller grants are also available through local service groups. Access to engineering expertise is important as paved trails tend to cost approximately $50,000.00 per mile to produce so that asking for adequate funds in grants is a key to success.

Construction

Projects have typically had the construction bid out by the Idaho Transportation Department, or the City of Sandpoint as part of individual grants. This has allowed the committee to spend more time in planning and development and thus has increased the number of project accomplished.

Maintenance

Because bike trails do not receive the same volume of heavy vehicles that affect regular roads, they do not require the same level of maintenance. However, maintenance is required and remains the key to their success or failure. Built of thinner asphalt layers than roads, trails are more susceptible to heaving and cracking from weather changes and adjacent tree roots and are constantly threatened by invading weeds and grass. They also require regular sweeping to maintain safety for bikes and rollerblades. Trails on Idaho Transportation Department right of way are required to have maintenance responsibility in the hands of whatever local municipality the trail passes through. This has led to a complex set of agreements to keep degradation of the trails at a minimum.

Types of Trails

One of the most important considerations in designing a bicycle facility is an understanding of the capabilities and needs of the bicycle user. In general, there are four types of cyclists that must be considered locally. These include commuters, school­children, recreational users, and cross-country bicyclists.

A. Commuters

The non-motorized commuter chooses to travel routinely between destination, by means other than the automobile. These commuters want direct routes with minima delay, just as automobile commuters. They bicycle or walk to places of employment, schools, shopping and other destination. As a result arterial and collector streets are most popular for these cyclists.

Needs:

• Safe and direct routes throughout the City.
• Speed and efficiency are of the essence.
• Secure bicycle storage facilities.
• Showers and changing rooms at work and school.
• Educational programs advising safe non-motorized travel in traffic.

B. School-Age Children

Bicycles are a primary mode of personal transportation for this age group, yet many have little or no training in bicycle and pedestrian safety. School children from elementary to high school age must be able to bicycle or walk to their schools and neighborhood destinations, such as parks, easily and safely,

Needs:

• Educational programs in schools are needed to teach children how to use non-motorized facilities correctly.
• Facilities which provide safe crossing of busy streets and intersections.

C. Recreational Users

These are people interested in enjoying the outdoors whether for a serious training run or for a casual stroll. Other recreational users include bicyclists roller bladders and wheelchair travelers.

Needs:

• A pleasant outdoor experience.
• Facilities for families with young children which allow them to avoid traffic.
• Trails and bikeways for exercise and fitness.
• Information systems including directional signs and maps showing trail and bike routes.

D. Cross- Country Cyclists

North Idaho is a popular area among Cross-Country Bicyclists. Ours is one of three major cross-country cycling routes crossing Bonner County from West to East. These bicyclists experience Idaho as part of their touring

Needs:

• Safe and contiguous routes.
• Tourist information.
• Signage
• Lodging and Restaurants.
• Sight seeing

Types of Bicycle Facilities and Design Standards

Bicycles are legally classified as vehicles and can be ridden on ail public roadways in Idaho. Therefore, bicycle facilities must be designed to allow bicyclists to ride in a manner consistent with motor vehicle operation. There are four basic types of facilities that accommodate bicycle travel.

A. Shared Lanes

On a shared facility, bicyclists and motorists share the same travel lanes. Shared facilities are common on city street systems and roads with limited right-of-way. It can be considered an acceptable solution when there is inadequate width to provide bike lanes or shoulder bikeways.

A lane with 14 feet of usable width is desired in an urban setting, which allows a motor vehicle and a bicycle to operate side by side. Usable width would normally be from curb face to lane stripe, but adjustments need to be made for drainage grates, parking, and longitudinal ridges between pavement and gutter sections. Widths greater than 14 feet may encourage the undesirable operation of two motor vehicles in one lane. In this situation, consideration should be given to striping a bicycle lane or shoulder bikeway. Where bicycle travel is significant, these roadways may be signed as bicycle routes.

B. Shoulder Bikeway

Smooth, paved roadway shoulders provide a suitable area for bicycling conflicting little with faster-moving motor vehicle traffic. The majority of rural cycle travel on the state highway system is accommodated on shoulder bikeways. Roadway shoulders for bikeways should be at least 6 feet wide. This provides ample width for bicycle traffic. if there are severe physical width limitations, a minimum 5-foot shoulder maybe adequate. Shoulder areas against an ordinary curb face, guard rail should have a 5-foot minimum width. Adding or improving shoulders can often be the best way to accommodate bicyclists in rural areas, and they are also a benefit to motor vehicle traffic.

Rumble-strips are not recommended for roadway shoulders because they create an extremely rough and unsafe surface for bicycles. Chip sealing of shoulder bikeways should be avoided whenever possible.

C Bicycle Lanes

Where bicycle travel and demand are substantial, a portion of the roadway is designated for preferential use by bicyclists. Bike lanes are very common in urban areas. Bike lanes must always be well marked and sieved to call attention to their preferential use by bicyclists (refer to Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices).

Bike lanes are established on urban arterial and major collector streets. Tae minimum width for a bike lane is 4 feet or 5 feet from the face of a curb or guardrail. There should be a clear riding zone of 4 feet if there is a longitudinal joint between the pavement and the monolithic curb-and-gutter section. Refer to the Traffic Manual or the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices for detailed specifications for pavement striping, stencils, and signing of bicycle lanes.

If parking is permitted, the bike lane must be placed between the parking area and the travel lane and have a minimum width of 5 feet.

Bike lanes must always be one-way facilities and carry bicycle traffic in the same direction as adjacent motor vehicle traffic. Bike lanes on one-way streets should be on the right side of the roadway, except in areas where a bike lane on the left will decrease the number of conflicts (e.g., those caused by heavy bus traffic or dual right-turn lanes, etc.)

D. Separated, Multiple-Use Path

A multiple-use path is a bicycle facility that is physically separated from motor vehicle traffic by an open space or barrier, and it may be within the roadway or independent right-of-way. Separated paths are normally two-way facilities. They may be appropriate in corridors not served by other bikeways, if there are few intersecting roadways.

Where a separated path must be parallel and near to a roadway, there must be a 5­foot minimum •width separating them, or a physical barrier of sufficient height (usually 4.5 feet minimum is adequate) must be installed.

Ten feet is the standard width for a separated, multiple-use path. Paths should be feet wide in areas with high bicycle volumes or when used by a combination of bicyclists, pedestrians, skaters, and joggers. A minimum 2-foot graded area should be maintained adjacent to both sides of the pavement to provide clearance (shy distance) from poles, trees, fences, and other obstructions.

Multiple-use paths provide excellent bicycle transportation, especially where the path is truly isolated from motor vehicles, such as along greenbelts or within abandoned railroad corridors. Special care must be taken to limit the number of at-grade crossings with streets or driveways.

Paths with two-way bicycle traffic should not be placed on or adjacent to roadways. Otherwise, a portion of the cyclists ride against the normal flow of motor vehicle traffic, which is contrary to the rules of the road.