Small Town and Rural Multimodal Networks

FHWA-HEP-17-024

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Publication Number: FHWA-HEP-17-024

This document is intended to be a resource for transportation practitioners in small towns and rural communities. It applies existing national design guidelines in a rural setting and highlights small town and rural case studies. It addresses challenges specific to rural areas, recognizes how many rural roadways are operating today, and focuses on opportunities to make incremental improvements despite the geographic, fiscal, and other challenges that many rural communities face.

It provides information on maintaining accessibility and MUTCD compliance, while at the same time encouraging innovation. For example, this document highlights two innovative facility types: Yield Roadways and Advisory Shoulders. Regarding Yield Roadways, this document references AASHTO resources such as the Guidelines for Very Low-volume Local Roads 2001, which includes discussion of Two- Way Single-Lane Roads, and the A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, which notes that "on residential streets the level of user inconvenience occasioned by the lack of two moving lanes is remarkably low". It also notes that when faced with two-way traffic in a single lane "opposing conflicting traffic will yield and pause on the parking lane area until there is sufficient width to pass" (2011, p. 5-13). This document notes that Yield Roadways are a common form for low-volume local rural and urban roads, but recognizes that additional research on this facility type will be helpful. It will also be helpful to learn from the experience of states such as Oregon that recommend similar street types in their Oregon Neighborhood Street Design Guidelines.

Similarly, the document notes that as of 2016, an approved Request to Experiment is required to implement Advisory Shoulders. Called "dashed bicycle lanes" in the FHWA experimentation process, at least five such experiments are currently ongoing. Beyond local experimentation, the guidance in this document incorporates lessons learned from installations in the UK, where speed and crash reduction benefits were noted after facility implementation. Refer to FHWA's Bicycle and Pedestrian Program website for the current approval status of these and other treatments before implementation.

By including these facilities in this document, FHWA is fostering innovation and encouraging participation in the formal experimentation process. This will help to ensure that conversations about design flexibility and multimodal networks also address rural conditions and meet the needs of everyone. In doing so, this document is intended to foster an ongoing dialogue about multimodal transportation infrastructure needs in small towns and rural areas.