Sidewalk design on curbed roadways includes designing three sidewalk zones: the pedestrian zone, the buffer furniture zone, and the frontage zone.

The pedestrian zone, which is also known as the “walking zone” or pedestrian circulation path, incorporates the PAR. The PAR is the portion of the pedestrian zone dedicated to ADA accessible pedestrian movement which must meet specific grading requirements and be free from obstructions or protruding objects.

The pedestrian zone should be wide enough to accommodate the volume and type of pedestrian traffic expected in the area. The minimum pedestrian zone width is 5-ft. In areas of higher expected pedestrian volumes, such as near schools, parks, in suburbanizing areas, and along transit routes, a pedestrian zone of 6-ft or more is desired to provide for side-by-side walking and passing. Pedestrian zone widths of 8-ft or more may be appropriate in downtown commercial areas and in other areas with concentrated pedestrian traffic.

Where necessary to avoid an obstruction or to cross a driveway while maintaining the maximum 2.0 percent cross slope, the pedestrian zone may be reduced to 4-ft for short distances. Sidewalks less than 5-ft in width must include passing sections of 5-ft x 5- ft no more than every 200-ft, though more frequent passing areas should be prioritized.

While sidewalks do not need to be perfectly straight, the pedestrian zone should not weave back and forth in the ROW for no other reason than to introduce curves. Meandering sidewalks create navigational difficulties for pedestrian with vision disabilities.

Where a sidewalk is placed immediately adjacent to the back of curb with no buffer, a minimum pedestrian zone width of 6-ft is desirable and 7-ft preferred to allow additional space for street and highway hardware and allow for the proximity of moving traffic. A minimum of 8-ft of width is needed at all transit stops to accommodate boarding and alighting. Where the curb-adjacent sidewalk is in a commercial district, a minimum of 8-ft is preferred to accommodate pedestrian volumes and passenger access from parked vehicles on street.

The same width requirements for the pedestrian zone apply to sidewalks on uncurbed roadways. In these cases, sidewalk should typically be placed between the ditch and the ROW line, not between the ditch and edge of the vehicular travelway. See .

For pedestrian comfort, especially adjacent to high-speed traffic, it is desirable to provide a buffer (commonly called a furniture zone in urbanized areas), between the vehicular travelway and the pedestrian zone.

On curbed roadways, the buffer is the space between face of curb and the edge of the pedestrian zone. Pedestrian zone placement immediately adjacent to the curb should be avoided where at all possible. Buffers provide space for other operational needs in the ROW, including sign posts, bus stops, parking meters, utility connections, light poles, and other appurtenances. They also provide space for plantings and other landscape development which enhance pedestrian comfort through providing shade and a greater sense of buffering and protection from adjacent traffic. Refer to TXDOT’s for appropriate plant selection and application. Buffers can also allow the pedestrian zone to continue at a constant grade across driveways as described in and provide for much better curb ramp designs at intersections.

While wider clear zones are appropriate for freeways and high-speed roadways, the recognizes that there are practical limitations to clear zones on lower-speed curbed streets. See for clear zone guidance. In urban, urban core, suburban, and small-town rural settings where pedestrian activity is expected, traffic speed is generally lower, and, depending on the context, roadway design may incorporate street furniture and/or plantings to create a sense of enclosure. This provides a traffic calming effect, which may increase comfort and safety for vulnerable road users. For curb and gutter sections, the buffer zone should be at least 4-ft wide measured from face of curb, although wider buffer space is preferable. For roadways with higher speed traffic, particularly those with speeds over 35mph, designs should consider providing additional buffer width to protect pedestrians from vehicle traffic and provide a more comfortable walking environment. The respective desirable clear zones from would be the desirable buffer width.

On uncurbed roadways, the buffer zone is defined as the space between the edge of the vehicular travel-way pavement and the edge of pedestrian zone sidewalk pavement. The minimum buffer zone is 10-ft for both low- and high-speed conditions. The desirable buffer would be the respective desirable clear zone values from in the RDM.

This space is often the location of drainage ditches. If the ditch has a backslope of 3:1 or steeper, a separation of at least 2-ft should be provided between the top of slope and the edge of pedestrian zone pavement.

At driveways, bus stops, mid-block crossings, and anywhere else where a pedestrian or bicyclist would need to access the sidewalk/sidepath, an at-grade crossing of the ditch is required and may be provided through use of a sidewalk bridge, culvert, trench drain, or other means.

The frontage zone is the area between the pedestrian zone and the property line, typically applicable in areas with buildings directly adjacent to the ROW line.

Frontage zone width may vary between 1-ft and 2.5-ft depending on building setback requirements and adjacent land uses. A 1-ft frontage zone (resulting in the pedestrian zone being 1-ft off the property/ROW line) provides room for maintenance space. With the 1-ft space, a construction easement will not be necessary if sidewalk maintenance needs to occur. In downtown areas, wider frontage zones may be considered for accommodation of commercial uses such as product displays and outdoor dining seating.

Typical land use context for non-curbed roadways would not necessitate a frontage zone other than for providing maintenance space. Setbacks may effectively function as frontage zones in these areas, separating the paved pedestrian zone from adjacent structures on private property.

A shared use path is defined as a multi-use path designed for use by bicyclists and pedestrians, including pedestrians with disabilities. Shared use paths are physically separated from motor vehicle traffic by an open space or barrier and are either within the highway ROW (commonly referred to as sidepaths) or within an independent ROW.

Shared use paths are used by pedestrians and must meet the accessibility requirements of the ADA and be designed to conform to the . Where pedestrian and bicycle travel are accommodated on separate pathways, only the pedestrian pathway must meet the requirements of the above guidelines. See , for more information on shared use paths.

See for information regarding the accessibility requirements related to cross slope.

See for information regarding the accessibility requirements related to grade. Shared use paths (on an independent alignment from the roadway) may only exceed 5 percent maximum grade at overpasses and underpasses, where the grade may be designed with a series of ramps and landings. See .

If the path is at or approaching 5 percent for a significant length (1000-ft or more), this sustained grade would be quite noticeable for a bicyclists or wheelchair user and maximum grade of 3 to 4 percent should be considered. At locations with sustained lengths of grades of 5 percent or more, level landings within the shared use path can be provided to provide periodic resting spaces for pedestrians. These should be designed to:

Spacing of level landings should consider the sustained length of the grade and the steepness of the grade. Engineering judgement will be required to determine landing spacing, but consideration should be given to travel time between landings with landings located at evenly spaced intervals.

Alternately or in addition to a lower sustained grade, level-graded pull-outs (or rest areas) could be provided at strategic locations for users to get out of the travel path to pause or rest, or resting intervals of flatter grades may be provided. Where level pull outs are provided, they should be designed to:

Designers may also consider the provision of accessible pedestrian handrails located at the edge of the path to assist pedestrians in traversing steeper grades. See for guidance regarding protective rails adjacent to steep slopes.

Provision of a handrail may impact shared use path width. See for information regarding the impact of handrails on path width.

More information on shared use paths can also be found in .

shows design criteria for linear pedestrian facilities. These design values may be adjusted based on the performance based practical design evaluation as discussed in . The previous and subsequent subsections in this chapter provide detailed discussions for each design element and factors that can influence these values.