Design Guides

There is a variety of Design Guides for cycle facilities available.

Cycling by Design was published by Transport Scotland in 2010,  and updated it in 2011. This is the guide that, according to Glasgow’s Strategic Plan for Cycling 2016 – 2025, Glasgow City Council refer to. We believe it needs improved, and that its minimum standards are not fit for purpose.

Sustrans have published a Design Manual broken down into 16 chapters all of which can be found on their Design Guidance page.

Handbook for Cycle-friendly Design published by Sustrans in 2014.

Shortly followed was the Principles and Processes for Cycle-Friendly Design draft also from Sustrans (Nov 2014)

Road Safety Audits – Technical Information Note No 23 Sustrans Sept 2011

London Cycling Design Standards published by Transport for London in 2014.

The Crow Manual is the quintessential design manual used in the Netherlands.

Making Space for Cycling was written by the Cambridge Cycle Campaign as a guide for designers of new developments and street renewals from a cycling perspective.

Making Streets Better: A Guide To Filtered Permeability‘ (2018) City Infinity

Bee a Champion‘ (2018) The training course from Urban Movement

Contraflow Cycling: we have constant concerns about the lack of contraflow cycling, hence a drop in permeability, that is included when streets are made one-way, for the purpose of allowing on-road storage of cars. Here’s a briefing on Contraflow Cycling from the EU that supports our argument.

Separated Bike Lane Planning and Design Guide. is another one we have been made aware of from the US Federal Highways.

Designing for Cycle Traffic – International Principles and Practice is an essential read for traffic designers that we recently reviewed in our blog.

Inclusive Streets: Design principles for blind and partially sighted people‘ Guide Dogs

Inclusive Mobility – Making transport accessible for passengers and pedestrians Department for Transport Dec 2015

Safety at Streetworks and Roadworks – A Code of Practice is the document the council issue to works contractors. It has only one page devoted to consideration for cyclists so we have suggested they also issue the TfL Appendix on Cyclists at Roadworks from their London Cycling Design Standards.

The Traffic Signs Manual published by the Department of Transport covers cycle facilities in chapter 3, starting on page 146.

The Highway Code gives instruction and guidance for cycling.

How the Dutch design intersections, from Mobycon‘s Lennart Nout and Eveline de Jong