CTC clarifies design-standards guidance and Class 3 bikeway funding limits
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Summary
Commission staff reviewed proposed guideline language referencing applicable design standards and discussed statutory limits on funding for Class 3 bikeways, plus how applicants should justify deviations and deliverability checks by Caltrans.
Commission staff raised proposed clarifications to the ATP design standards section at the Oct. 16 central workshop, including a new explicit reference to Streets and Highways Code section 891.9 and guidance about Class 3 bikeways.
What staff presented: Anya Allenbaker, Active Transportation Program manager at the California Transportation Commission, said the revised guideline language would underscore that agencies should use applicable design standards (for example, Caltrans standards or local agency standards) when designing ATP-funded projects. The revisions call out Streets and Highways Code section 891.9 to reflect recently enacted law affecting Class 3 bikeways.
Statutory limit on Class 3 funding: Anya said the statute restricts ATP funding for Class 3 bikeways on higher-speed roadways and that the guidelines add the statutory language and carve-outs. “It is in statute that the ATP will not fund Class 3 with some specific exceptions,” Anya said, adding that eligible exceptions include roadways with posted speeds of 25 mph or less or designs that lower speeds to 25 mph or less, and that applications that propose a Class 3 on higher-speed streets must provide justification in the application.
Deliverability and deviations: Cirillo Solilikin, a program manager for Caltrans headquarters who handles districts 6, 9, 10 and 11, explained that agencies commonly use a deviation process when needed and that Caltrans performs a deliverability check during application review that looks at design standards and flags issues. Cirillo said agencies typically rely on engineers’ PSR-equivalent documentation to show how deviations are handled.
What this means for applicants: Staff said projects will continue to be assessed for deliverability and that Caltrans will work with applicants to ensure design standards are met or properly justified. The guidelines and application will be updated to ask applicants to provide justification where statute limits funding for certain bikeway classes.
Ending note: staff encouraged applicants to use the Dec. 4 PSR-equivalency workshop for more detail and to coordinate early with Caltrans about design deviations and deliverability checks.