FHWA COURSE ON BICYCLE
AND PEDESTRIAN TRANSPORTATION
FHWA
13 - 3
WALKWAYS, SIDEWALKS, AND
PUBLIC SPACES
downtown areas, nature strips are also a convenient
location for the swing-width of a door, for place-
ment of parking meters, hydrants, lampposts, and
other furniture.
Another way to achieve border width and the needed
buffer from traffic is to provide bike lanes. This 5-foot
space creates a minimal safe width to the sidewalk,
even when at the back of the curb; reduces the
effects of noise and splashing; and provides a higher
level of general comfort to the pedestrian.
On-street parking has two distinct advantages for the
pedestrian. First, it creates the needed physical
separation from the motorist. Second, on-street
parking has been shown to reduce motorist travel
speeds. This creates an environment for safer street
crossings.
On the back side of sidewalks, a minimum width
buffer of 1to 3 feet is essential. Without such a
buffer, vegetation, walls, buildings, and other objects
encroach on the usable sidewalk space. With just
several months of growth, many shrubs will dominate a
sidewalk space. This setback is essential, not only to
the walking comfort of a pedestrian, but to ensure
essential sight lines at each residential and commer-
cial driveway.
Placement of Street Furniture/Shy Distances
Pedestrians require a shy distance from fixed objects,
such as walls, fences, shrubs, buildings, parked cars,
and other features. The desired shy distance for a
however, the long life of concrete,
and the distinct pattern and lighter
color are preferred. Paver stones
can also be used, and in some
applications, they have distinct
advantages (see section later in
this lesson).
Border Areas and Buffers
A border area should be provided
along streets for the safety of
motorists and pedestrians as well
as for aesthetic reasons. The
border area between the roadway
and the right-of-way line should be
wide enough to serve several
purposes, including provision of a
buffer space between pedestrians
and vehicular traffic, sidewalk space, snow storage,
an area for placement of underground utilities, and an
area for maintainable esthetic features such as grass
or other landscaping. The border width may be a
minimum of 5 feet, but desirably, it should be 10 feet
or wider. Wherever practical, an additional obstacle-
free buffer width of 12 feet or more should be
provided between the curb and the sidewalk for
safety and environmental enhancement. In residential
areas, wider building setback controls can be used to
attain these features. (AASHTO, A Policy on
Geometric Design of Highways & Streets, 1990)
The preferred minimum width for a nature strip is 5 to
7 feet. A nature strip this wide provides ample
storage room for many utilities. The width provides:
• An essential buffer between an out-of-control
motorist and a pedestrian.
• Improved sight distances at driveways.
• Adequate width for landscaping and street trees.
A tree set back from the roadway 4.0 feet meets
minimum AASHTO standards for fixed objects when
a barrier curb is used (30 mph or less), and is ad-
equate for most species. The area is ample for most
snow storage. When this preferred minimum cannot
be achieved, any width, down to 4.0 feet or even 2.0
feet, is still beneficial.
Nature strips, especially in downtown areas, may be a
good location to use paver stones for easy and
affordable access to underground utilities. In
The width of a natural buffer provides the essential space needed for situations such
as protecting pedestrians from out-of-control vehicles.