Bike accessible shoulders are one-way facilities on a roadway that carry bicycle traffic in the same direction as adjacent motor vehicle traffic. A bike accessible shoulder is one that is at least as wide or wider than a bike lane to accommodate bicyclists and paved to provide a smooth, solid surface across its width. While the bike accessible shoulder distinguishes areas for bicyclist and automobile movement, bicyclists may leave the shoulder to pass other cyclists or avoid debris and other traffic conflicts.

See for guidance on recommended shoulder width. In rural environments, see for guidance on desirable shoulders widths.

For any given roadway, the determination of the appropriate paved shoulder width should be based on the roadway’s context and traffic conditions following the guidance in for shoulder requirements on new location and reconstruction projects. However, it should be noted that the shoulders in the RDM may consist of graded (soft) and paved (hard) surfaces. To ensure accommodation of bicyclists, it is desirable for paved shoulders to conform to the widths in .

Some shoulders should be up to 10-ft wide adjacent to higher speed roadways as indicated in to allow bicyclists to operate with more separation to the high-speed traffic. Roadways indicated in TxDOT’s Bicycle Tourism Trails Study should be designed with a 10-ft shoulder (8-ft minimum) shoulder, a shared use path, or another locally preferred facility type should be available. Contact TxDOT’s Public Transportation Division (PTN) for more information. The minimum widths for a bike accessible shoulder are defined below.

The width of the bike accessible shoulder does not include rumble strips. See below for more information on rumble strip considerations.

A solid white edge line (6-in wide) should be placed between the shoulder and travel lane.

Bike accessible shoulders typically do not have bike lane markings, but they may include signage indicating the presence of bicyclists.

A bike accessible shoulder may transition to a bike lane with signage and markings at intersections to communicate the exclusive use of the space by bicyclists.

Not applicable as the roadway will be designed to accommodate motorist target design speeds which will exceed bicyclists.

Cross slopes of 1 percent are more comfortable for people with disabilities and people bicycling with more than two wheels (e.g., cargo bike, adult tricycles, or trailers) while allowing adequate conveyance of drainage; however, cross slope may match existing roadway conditions without a maximum where necessary.

Rumble strips are used to warn the driver that they are leaving the travel way and therefore may have a beneficial effect on the safety of bicycles using the shoulder. If rumble strips are to be used, or are anticipated in the future, allowances should be made in the shoulder to provide an adequate width for bike accommodations beyond the rumble strip.

Profile pavement markings serve a similar function as milled rumble strips and can be considered as an option to avoid a reduction in the width of the accessible shoulder. Where bicycle traffic is expected, rumble strips should be designed as follows to minimize crash risk for bicyclists (see ). Refer to the latest RS Standards for additional guidance on rumble strips.

Periodic gaps ( ) should be provided to allow bicyclists to safely enter or exit a shoulder as needed (e.g., to avoid debris, pass other bicyclists or disabled vehicles, make left turns, etc.) without having to ride over the rumble strips.