Sidewalks and Bike Lanes

A lot of useful information can be integrated into a sidewalk’s infrastructure. Wayfinding cues can be incorporated into the surface to assist pedestrians, including directional changes, nodes to indicate decision-making areas, entrances to key facilities and buildings, sidewalk/road boundaries and more.

Information can be communicated through the use of textural and/or colour changes in the sidewalk’s infrastructure. In some cases, information such as street names is being integrated into sidewalks that approach intersections. Nodes can indicate to pedestrians that multiple routes of travel are in the area.

Wherever possible, bike lanes should be located on the road to discourage cyclists from using sidewalks. Wider dedicated cycling lanes that are well demarcated will further increase the likelihood of their use. Protected bike lanes (i.e., where the bike lane is separated from traffic by vertical posts, medians or a well-marked buffer zone) are not only more likely to be used but also more visible to pedestrians.

Further information on multi-use pathways is provided in the section Multi-Use Trails.