REPORT TO BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE
SUBJECT
Title
City Lane Width Standard, Review & Implementation (Chan)
Report
BACKGROUND
In July 2024, Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) Member Kratz requested a discussion related to creating a City lane width standard of 10 feet wide on City streets (Attachment 1).
DISCUSSION
The city roadway network enables the movement of people and goods. These roadways accommodate a mix of industrial, office, commercial, retail, and residential land uses, facilitating both local and regional auto, transit, truck, and emergency vehicle traffic, as well as pedestrian and bicyclist travel.
The City has over 590 lane miles of roadways, which are classified as principal arterials, minor arterials, collector streets, and local streets. The roadway functional classification system categorizes roads into different classes based on the type of service they provide. Each class of roadway follows specific guidelines established by federal and state regulations regarding aspects such as lane widths, shoulder widths, curve radii, and other design features. There is no one-size-fits-all lane width standard for all roadways. While the City does not have lane width standards, existing lane widths typically range from 10 to 12 feet, with some exceeding 12 feet.
The City evaluates vehicle lane widths primarily on a case-by-case basis, considering the dimensions that best support mobility, circulation, and the needs of the surrounding land uses. Below are examples of the City's practices for establishing new lane widths or modifying existing ones.
With the city's annual pavement rehabilitation projects, staff investigates opportunities to reallocate existing roadway space to create new bike facilities and/or implement narrower travel lanes for traffic calming purposes without negatively impacting roadway access, circulation, or capacity.
Additionally, various bikeway planning studies are conducted to support the city's...
Click here for full text