Active Transportation: Bicycle and Pedestrian Glossary
Since after the Industrial Revolution, people have been concerned about air pollution, and a major contributor to air pollution is motor vehicle use. One way to create healthier and more sustainable urban environments is to promote cycling and walking instead of driving our own individual cars wherever we want to go. The shift toward more bike- and pedestrian-friendly cities has been a gradual one, but efforts to improve infrastructure are gaining traction globally. Understanding the language used in the area of pedestrian and bike transportation can help to give you a deeper appreciation of the strides being made and the work still to be done.
Accessible Pedestrian Signal (APS): A device that informs visually impaired people to walk or not walk across a street at a crosswalk
Bicycle Facility: Any piece of infrastructure designed to promote bicycling, including bike racks and designated bike lanes
Bike Box: A designated area at an intersection that allows bike riders to move to the front of stopped traffic, making the bicyclists more visible and less likely to be hit by a turning car
Bike Lane: A part of the road set aside for riding bikes, separating cyclists from car and truck traffic to keep them safer
Bike Sharing: Bike-sharing systems promote cycling by providing short-term bike rentals, allowing people who don’t own bikes to explore the city without using a car
Bollards: Short posts that act like visual and physical barriers to guide traffic and keep motorized vehicles out of areas set aside for pedestrians or bikes. They’re often made from stainless steel, aluminum, or concrete.
Complete Streets: Complete streets are designed to keep all users safe, including pedestrians, cyclists, users of mass transit, and drivers of motorized vehicles. Common features found on complete streets include wide sidewalks, bike lanes, accessible crosswalks, and safe public transit stops.
Complete Streets Policy: A complete streets policy guides urban planning, mandating consideration of all transportation modes, not just cars and trucks. It encourages or requires a comfortable, safe, integrated transport network for any road user, regardless of their age, income, ability, or mode of transportation.
Crosswalks: Denoted by white stripes on pavements, crosswalks are paths where pedestrians should cross the street. Often, pedestrians in a crosswalk will have the right of way, meaning that motorized traffic should yield to them.
Detectable Warning: A feature added to walking paths to alert visually impaired pedestrians of a hazard ahead
Pedestrian Priority Zone: Pedestrian priority zones are areas planned to keep pedestrians safe and comfortable. They’re characterized by lower speed limits and wider sidewalks, and they may also restrict or forbid access for motorized vehicles.
Pedestrian Signals: Signal lights that indicate when a pedestrian should cross the street and when they should wait. The most common form displays a red hand for “stop” and a white icon of a walking person for “go.”
Pedestrian Overpass: A pedestrian overpass is a footbridge that separates pedestrians from automobile traffic, allowing them to cross the road safely.
Protected Intersection: An intersection designed to separate pedestrians and cyclists from motor vehicles and keep them safe. Protected intersections give pedestrians and cyclists their own space and make it easier for vehicles to see them.
Shared-Use Path: A path meant to be used by both cyclists and pedestrians but not motorized vehicles
Wayfinding Signs: Signs that help people to navigate their environment. These signs may be directional, pointing the way to a specific place; informational, offering details about points of interest, amenities, or rules; or for identification, like signs that indicate the name of a town or a business.
Additional Resources
- Evolution of Bikes and Bike Lanes
- Safety Benefits of Raised Medians and Pedestrian Refuge Areas
- Complete Streets
- Understanding Wayfinding Signs
- What Are Bike Boxes?
- Facts About Accessible Pedestrian Signals
- Understanding Protected Intersections
- Pedestrian-Priority Spaces
- Making Intersections Safer for Pedestrians and Cyclists
- Making Cities Safer for Pedestrians and Bikers
This page was last updated by Marc Gregory
