Active Transportation Design Guide

Recommended policies, specifications, standards and guidelines to be followed in the development of active transportation infrastructure in British Columbia.

Core Documents

• British Columbia Active Transportation Design Guide (2019 Edition) (PDF, 77.2MB)
  This free design guide will help communities build safe, effective active transportation infrastructure.
  Download individual chapters
• Memo: Preferred Consultation and Design Approach for Bus Stops Adjacent to Cycling Infrastructure
  This memo provides guidance for practitioners emphasizing the preferred approach to determining the appropriate design for bus stops adjacent to cycling infrastructure.
• Supplement: Design Guide for Bus Stops Adjacent to Cycling Infrastructure (2024 Edition) (PDF, 14.1MB - Updated 2024/06/01)
  This supplement to the British Columbia Active Transportation Design Guide provides design guidance for island platform bus stops adjacent to cycling infrastructure.
• Supplement: British Columbia Active Transportation and Transit-Oriented Development Design Guide (2021 edition) (PDF, 23MB - Updated 2024/04/17)
  This supplement to the British Columbia Active Transportation Design Guide provides design guidance on the integration of active transportation into transit-oriented development across the province.

• Updates
  This document will be updated over time to reflect evolving best practices.

Active Transportation Guide - Individual Chapters

Individual chapters of the B.C. Active Transportation Design Guide are provided in PDF format for quicker download and to enable the replacement of updated individual sections as required.

Table of Contents

Intro

View (PDF 4.0 MB)  |  Download (PDF 32.7 MB)

A.  Overview + Context

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       A.1 What is the British Columbia Active Transportation Design Guide? 

B.  Setting the Context

View (PDF 8.2 MB)  |  Download (PDF 43.5 MB)

B.1 What is Active Transportation?
B.2 Planning for Active Transportation
B.3 Universal Design
B.4 Operational and Behavioral Characteristics 

C.  Pedestrian Facilities

View (PDF 11.9 MB)  |  Download (PDF 55.7 MB)

C.1 General Design Guidance
C.2 Pedestrian Through Zone
C.3 Frontage. Furnishing, and Ancillary Zones
C.4 Rural Pedestrian Design Considerations

D.  Cycling Facilities

View (PDF 16.1 MB)  |  Download (PDF 59.1 MB)

D.1 General Design Guidance
D.2 Neighborhood Bikeways
D.3 Protected Bicycle Lanes
D.4 Painted + Buffered Bicycle Lanes
D.5 Advisory Bicycle Lanes
D.6 Rural Cycling Design Considerations

E.  Multi-Use Facilities

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E.1 General Design Guidance
E.2 Multi-Use Pathways
E.3 Separated Bicycle + Pedestrian Pathways
E.4 Shared Spaces

F.  Context Specific Applications

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F.1 Current Practices for Highway Rights-of-Way

G.  Intersections + Crossings

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G.1 General Design Guidance
G.2 Signals + Other Traffic Devices
G.3 Pedestrian Crossings
G.4 On-Street Bikeway Crossings
G.5 Off-Street Pathway Crossings
G.6 Additional Crossings + Conflict Areas

H.  Amenities + Integration

View (PDF 16.7 MB)  |  Download (PDF 61.8 MB)

Supplement: Design Guide for Bus Stops Adjacent to Cycling Infrastructure (2024 Edition) (PDF, 14.1MB)
(See Update for more information)

H 1. Multi-Modal Integration
H.2 End-Point Facilities
H.3 Wayfinding
H.4 Lighting
H.5 New Mobility Integration

I.  Post Implementation

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I.1 Celebrating + Launching
I.2 Monitoring + Reporting
I.3 Maintenance

Appendices

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Acronyms
Glossary
References
A. Project Participants
B. Signage + Pavement Markings
C. Types of Traffic Calming Devices