AASHTO creates design guide to help improve transit, roadway planning

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has published a guide to help transportation planners integrate transit facilities into the roadway environment.

The "Guide for Geometric Design of Transit Facilities on Highways and Streets" provides a single, comprehensive reference of current best-practices for a wide range of transit facilities, including buses, high occupancy vehicle lanes, streetcars and light-rail transit systems, AASHTO officials said in a press release.

The need for a single resource that documents and builds upon industry best practices drove the development of the guide, they said. In the past, transportation planners needed to develop their own standards focused on specific modes, such as bus stops, rapid transit, and light-rail transit in response to specific agency needs, AASHTO officials said.

No matter where transit facilities are constructed, they intersect with streets and highways. The guide provides planners the information needed to keep people, vehicles, and bicycles moving safely on and around roads, rails and pedestrian walkways, said AASHTO Executive Director Bud Wright.

For more information about the guide, log onto bookstore.transportation.org.