1. Greenways and Shared-Use Paths
Publication No. FHWA-HRT
Greenways and Shared-Use Paths
Lesson #: 19
Lesson Title: Greenways and Shared-Use Paths
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this lesson, students should be able to:
Explain why shared-use paths are an important component of walking and bicycling systems.
Describe the diverse types of users found on shared-use paths.
List four different types of shared-use paths and settings.
Describe two key path design guidelines in detail and list three important path planning and design resources.
Preinstruction:
In small groups, have students research a shared-use path in the area, including a visit to the path, phone interview with the path manager, and review of path website. Have students report on where the path begins and ends, how wide it is, what users are allowed, what the usage level is, and how it is or could be used for transportation trips, i.e., what origins and destinations it connects.
Student Participation:
Have the students design a new shared use path that would enhance transportation and recreation in your area, or plan an upgrade or extension of an existing path. Have the students discuss the reasons behind the selection of their route, and recommendations for path type, design users, path width, and other planning or design considerations.
Followup: Assign reading material for lesson 20.
Session Time: 60–90 minutes
Lesson 19

2. Lesson Outline Introduction to shared-use paths.
Users of shared- use paths.
Path types and planning issues.
Shared-use path design.
Key Message: Provide the students with an overview of the lesson.
Est. Presentation Time: 1 minute
Suggested Comments:
This slide is optional.

3. Introduction to Shared-Use Paths
Importance of shared-use paths as a component of the nonmotorized transportation system.
AASHTO definition of a shared-use path.
Literature review.
Key Message: Importance of shared-use paths as a component of the nonmotorized transportation system, as well as the park and recreation system.
Est. Presentation Time: 3–5 minutes
Suggested Comments:
Shared-use paths provide low-stress environments for bicycling and walking that are separate from motor vehicle traffic. They can be great places for novice and child bicyclists to try out their bicycling skills prior to taking trips on urban streets. Shared-use paths are frequently popular facilities that are in high demand among bicyclists, joggers, in-line skaters, people walking dogs, people with disabilities, and a variety of other users. Systems of shared-use paths in urban and suburban communities serve as the arterials of the bicycle and pedestrian transportation system. They serve as a complement to and extension of onstreet facilities (not as alternative to them) and offer the protection from motor vehicle traffic that many Americans seek when looking to leave their car behind in favor of bicycling, walking, or skating.
List and discuss the key planning and design documents published by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (the Access Board), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and leading trail organizations. Note that the diversity and topical depth of literature on this subject has increased significantly over the past ten years. Mention the most recent research published on this topic.

4. Users of Shared-Use Paths
Bicyclists:
Different equipment types.
Pedestrians:
Runners.
Persons with disabilities.
Others.
Skaters and others.
User conflict.
Key Message: Shared-use path users are diverse, as are the equipment that they use and the reasons why they use trails. Different users, equipment, and reasons for use introduce different user needs. Conflict is to be expected but can be minimized by good design and management.
Est. Presentation Time: 4–5 minutes
Suggested Comments:
Bicyclists include adults using traditional bicycles, but also child bicyclists, cyclists pulling trailers or trail-a-bikes, tandem bicycles, recumbent bicycles, hand cycles, tricycles, and a variety of four-wheeled human-powered vehicles.
Pedestrians include joggers, runners, people walking dogs and pushing strollers, as well as disabled people. Today, persons with disabilities have a wide variety of assistive devices available to aid in travel or enable participation in trail activities, including powered and manual wheelchairs, powered scooters, tricycles, hand cycles, and racing wheelchairs, as well as crutches, walkers, and canes.
Skaters include users as diverse as in-line skaters, kick scooters, skateboarders, and people using roller-skis.
In addition to diverse users and the variety of equipment used, shared-use paths are used for a wide variety of trip purposes. User behavior, such as travel speed and willingness to make stops varies considerably with different trip purposes. Most paths, especially in urban and suburban areas, serve people commuting to work or school, running errands, visiting friends, getting exercise, observing nature, and seeking recreation and enjoyment of the outdoors. User conflicts often emerge when user goals differ.
Note that some shared-use paths may be appropriate for equestrian use. Some States claim that Federal law or regulation prohibits equestrian use on shared-use paths that use transportation funds. This is not true: there is no such Federal law or regulation. While the projects must serve a transportation function, nothing prohibits recreational use, and nothing requires a prohibition of equestrian use. Various design options allow equestrian use, such as providing both a paved path and an unpaved path within the same right-of-way.

5. Path Types and Planning Issues
Rail-trails.
Rails-with-trails.
Greenway trails.
Paths adjacent to roads.
Towpaths (canal trails).
Paths along utility corridors.
Paths in large developments.
Key Message: Shared-use paths take many forms in the United States, largely based on the right-of-way they occupy and the context created by the adjacent land forms and uses.
Est. Presentation Time: 5–7 minutes
Suggested Comments:
Shared-use paths are developed on a variety of rights-of-way and exist in many types of settings, including urban, suburban, exurban, and rural. Increasingly long paths use a variety of rights-of-way and pass through many diverse environments. Following is a list of the most common shared-use path types:
Rail-trails—Paths created on abandoned railroad corridors.
Rails-with-trails—Paths created adjacent to active rail lines, such as freight railroads, commuter rail lines, light rail, or other rail transit facilities.
Greenway trails—Paths incorporated into linear natural areas such as parks or conservation areas, along stream or river corridors, along waterfronts including beaches and shorelines, along flood control levees, etc.
Paths adjacent to highways, roads, and parkways (sometimes referred to as sidepaths).
Towpaths—Paths created along abandoned canals using the towpath or canal bed.
Paths using utility corridors for power, water, or sewer lines, or along irrigation canals or other utility lines.
Paths in developments such as those within university campuses, on other institutional properties, or within large residential and/or commercial developments.
See sections 19.7 through 19.9 for details about the most common shared-use path types.
The literature about paths in utility corridors or in large developments is very thin. However, these types of paths are not uncommon. In many growing suburban areas, paths are frequently included in large residential, commercial, and mixed-use development. If students are interested, investigation of the planning and design issues related to these types of paths would be a good research topic.

6. Path Types and Planning Issues
Planning and project development process.
Unique planning issues for unique trail types:
Converted rail and canal corridors.
Paths adjacent to railroads.
Greenway paths.
Paths adjacent to roads.
Common community issues (examples):
Personal security/fear of crime.
Adjacent land uses and access.
Traffic safety.
Paths serve both transportation and recreation.
Key Message: Introduce the typical shared-use path planning process and the terminology used to talk about it.
Est. Presentation Time: 5–8 minutes
Suggested Comments:
Too often, agencies charged with creating a shared-use path fail to understand or adopt a key pathway planning principle—that, by definition, shared-use paths serve both transportation and recreation functions. As such they must be planned and designed to be a part of two systems of community infrastructure—parks and recreation and transportation.
Brainstorm the possible problems that might result from failing to use a multistep planning and design process.
Discuss in more depth the unique planning and design issues associated with various trail types.
Brainstorm and discuss in more depth the common planning issues associated with various trail types.

7. Shared-Use Path Design
ADA accessibility.
Trail width and striping.
Traffic safety at trail/roadway intersections.
Key Message: There are several resources for shared-use path design.
Est. Presentation Time: 5–8 minutes
Suggested Comments:
Key design issues include designing for accessibility; designing trail width, surface type, and striping for planned uses and usage levels; and addressing safety and convenience at trail/roadway intersections. See details on these three topics in section
Two recent studies conducted by FHWA describe the most recent thinking regarding design for nontypical trail users and equipment and design for varying levels of volume and user mix. These are: Characteristics of Emerging Road and Trail Users and Their Safety, Federal Highway Administration, 2004, and Evaluation of Safety Design and Operation of Shared Use Paths: Users Guide and Final Report, Federal Highway Administration, These resources include detailed summaries of the research, new automated design tools, user’s guides to the research, and technical briefs to ensure that the findings of the research can be made accessible in various educational settings and with various audiences.

8. Trail Design Issues Path surface and treadway design.
Geometric design.
Access and restrictions.
Safety adjacent to roads.
Environmental impacts.
Aesthetics.
Amenities.
Signs.
Structures.
Key Message: Many trail design issues benefit from an interdisciplinary approach.
Est. Presentation Time: 5–8 minutes
Suggested Comments:
Quality shared-use path design requires a melding of skills from the fields of transportation engineering and landscape architecture. Guidance about basic engineering such as pavement structure, bridge loading, geometric design, and traffic safety must be combined with aesthetic, environmental, and cultural considerations such as attention to diverse human needs, sensitivity to surrounding environmental and climatic conditions, and integration with a community’s identity and history. A wide variety of additional design issues are addressed in one or more of the design resources provided in section or can be researched on the Internet for case examples and guidance from documents developed by regional, State, or local agencies.
Discuss the variety of other design issues that are important to consider when designing shared use paths. These topics can be candidates for student investigation, case studies, and further research. For additional information, see section

9. Lesson Summary
Shared-use paths provide car-free arterials in the pedestrian and bicycle network.
Path users are diverse.
Different path types present different planning challenges.
Trail design must serve both transportation and recreation needs.
Key Message: Summarize the lesson and discuss any questions or issues with students.
Est. Presentation Time: 3–5 minutes
Suggested Comments:
Summarize the lesson and discuss any questions or issues with students.
Encourage students to recognize that shared use path facilities require students in certain fields such as traffic engineering, landscape architecture, and recreation to think outside of the typical sphere defined by their professional discipline.