An evaluation of bike lanes adjacent to motor vehicle parking. Study Prepared for the Florida Department of Transportation Pedestrian/Bicycle Safety Section.

Bike lanes (BLs) have become increasingly popular in recent years and sometimes are retrofitted to existing roadways. This often requires re-striping of the existing traffic lanes, particularly if the roadway has on-street parking. The Pedestrian/Bicycle Safety section of the Florida Department of Transportation (FLDOT) has received inquiries from local pedestrian/bicycle coordinators about how well a BL next to on-street motor vehicle parking operates when the adjacent motor vehicle traffic lane is narrowed. These inquiries prompted this study by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center for the FLDOT. This evaluation compares roadways in Ft. Lauderdale and Hollywood, Florida, that have BLs next to motor vehicle parking. The BLs are nominally 5 ft in width. The primary difference in the locations is the width of the motor vehicle traffic lane next to the BL. In order to retrofit the BL on route A1A in Ft. Lauderdale, the traffic lane next to the BL was striped to be 10.5 ft wide. In contrast, Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Florida, has a standard 12-ft traffic lane next to the BL. (Author/publisher)