Abstract Manager

Bicycle lane design has been a fast-evolving practice over the last ten years with the primary focus of providing safe cycling facilities for all ages and abilities. While the focus has been on cyclist safety, there is still work to be done to when it comes to accessibility to ensure that our bicycle lanes do not create unintended barriers for those with accessible needs. When we think about accessibility, it is essential that we are aware of both the visible (architectural barriers) and invisible barriers (systemic barriers). Architectural barriers include elements in the built environment (i.e. a raised curb barrier to separate the bike lane from the parking lane), while systemic barriers include policies, procedures, programs, and practices, which do not consider the needs of persons with accessible needs (i.e., policies that dictate where and when accessible loading/parking zones should be provided adjacent to a bike lane).

The City of Winnipeg has recognized this issue and has been actively working with transportation professionals and members of the accessibility community to develop context-sensitive accessible loading zone designs that have recently been incorporated into protected bicycle lane designs and constructed in Winnipeg.

This presentation will provide an overview of the accessibility barriers that exist for people with accessible needs (as it relates to bicycle lane design) and how bicycle lane design has evolved over the past decade to create these barriers. The presentation will also highlight what is being done to address these barriers, including accessible parking/loading design guidance, and three distinct design examples of recently constructed accessible parking/loading zones adjacent to protected bicycle lanes in Winnipeg.