November 30, 2021
At what types of intersections are bike boxes most appropriate? How much do separated bicycle lanes typically cost? What are the benefits of a protected intersection? The answers to these questions and many others can be found on Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)’s new Bicycle and Pedestrian Treatments website.
VDOT is demonstrating their commitment to multimodal and holistic transportation design through a new website that provides comprehensive guidance around pedestrian and bicycle design treatments. While the website was created to support the implementation of these design treatments in Virginia (citing local policies and regulations), the majority of the information is broadly applicable and could serve as an informative resource for practitioners in other states. Similar to VDOT’s Innovative Intersections and Interchanges website, it is also meant as a public resource to help residents understand new projects being implemented and what benefits they will bring.
The website lays out 18 design treatments with a host of resources that explain what the treatments are, how they can be applied, and what best practices to consider when implementing these treatments in a project. These resources include:
- A text description including context, benefits, policy and design guidance, and examples. The descriptions are high level to keep the information relevant and readable to a broad audience, with design details linked as needed.
- A brochure that can be uploaded to a project website, brought to a public meeting, or shared in another setting that calls for a one-page overview.
- Graphics and, in some cases, videos to help the website user visualize the treatment.
Kittelson collaborated with VHB in support of this project. We enjoyed the opportunity to let our visualization team’s talents shine through the production of several animated videos. Special recognition goes to Mateo van Thienen for his work creating the static 3D background models for nine of the videos on the new site, and Steve Rhyne for bringing the models to life through animation. Here’s an example:
Protected Intersections
Congrats to VDOT on the launch of this website! We look forward to seeing how it will benefit practitioners and the general public in Virginia and beyond.