AASHTO GBF-5

Includes December 2024 Errata

AASHTO has released the fifth edition of the Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities (the AASHTO “Bicycle Guide”), which supersedes the fourth edition, published in 2012.

Developed by the AASHTO Committee on Design and the Technical Committee on Non-Motorized Transportation and based on extensive research, this new edition provides the preeminent engineering design guidance on the physical infrastructure needed to support bicycling.

Designed for use by engineers, designers, and planners, the Bicycle Guide provides information on the planning, design, and operation of bikeways along streets, roads, and highways, and on paths along independent alignments, in urban, suburban, and rural settings. The Guide encourages a flexible approach to design bikeways, emphasizing the role of the engineer, planner, and designer in determining appropriate bikeway types and design dimensions, based on project-specific conditions and existing and future performance. It provides information to assist in choosing the appropriate combination of features, design values, and materials to create the design, while considering the context of the project area and surrounding environment.

This fifth edition of the Bicycle Guide has undergone significant revisions and updates since the 2012 fourth edition. It contains a total of 16 chapters, including seven (7) revised chapters and nine (9) new chapters. In addition to the Introduction, the revised chapters include those on bicyclist operation and safety; bicycle planning; design of shared use paths; design of shared lanes and bike lanes; maintenance and operations; and bicycle parking, bike share siting, and end-of-trip facilities.

The new chapters include those on guidance for choosing a bikeway type; elements of design for all bikeway types; design of shared use paths; design of separated bike lanes and side paths; bicycle boulevard planning and design; design of shared lanes and bike lanes; traffic signals and pedestrian hybrid beacons; bicycle facility design at interchanges, alternative intersections, and roundabouts; rural area bikeways and roadways; structures; and wayfinding systems for bicyclists.