Signs for the U.S. Bicycle Route System

The vision for the U.S. Bicycle Route System is to have one day a connected multi-state route network that is accessible to everyone.

And yeah, that goal is pretty ambitious. First you have to choose which route to work on, then which roads and trails to use, decide how to map that information for the public, and learn to collaborate with other agencies, states, and organizations, and so on.

Then there is putting up signs on the routes once they're chosen. While this is probably one of the last steps involved in developing a U.S. Bicycle Route, it is by far the most visible step, and one that can be costly -- consider sign production, the manpower and planning required for placing signs, and then sign maintenance over time.

This is one reason why AASHTO decided not to "require" that U.S. Bicycle Routes have signs. The associated costs could simply challenge a state's ability to pursue designation of a route. "Bummer," you might think, but trust me, there are enough barriers already. If allowing signage to be optional keeps states in the game, then good, I say, all in due time. Signage can likely come later. After all, why go to all this work to make a national bike route network and not make it visible?

And because the system is being leveraged by partnering state agencies with bicycling advocates, we can pay for those costs in innovative ways; think fundraisers, community grants, enhancement funding, etc. Also, considering that our transportation leaders in Washington D.C. have shown great interest in supporting the development of the system, I am confident that the vision will eventually include signs across the country.

There are some technical items to address when we talk about placing signs on the U.S. Bicycle Route System. The sign shown above is the U.S. Bicycle Route M1-9 sign from the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) released this winter by AASHTO.

And below, we have the revised M1-9 U.S. Bicycle Route sign that the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (NCUTCD) just approved.

This sign is nice. It's green for one thing -- like bike transportation. The color also makes it consistent with the state bike route signs (M1-8) which are also green, and it adds the "US" which helps recognition of the route as part of a national system. However this sign didn't make it into the recently adopted MUTCD, therefore Federal Highways hasn't officially approved it.

But don't dismay. There is a solution. When a state transportation agency reaches the final step of signing a U.S. Bicycle Route, they may ask Federal Highways for interim approval to use the new green M1-9 sign. And, when the next version of the MUTCD is released, the new sign will be standard.

images courtesy of Richard Moeur

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THE U.S. BICYCLE ROUTE SYSTEM is posted twice per month by Ginny Sullivan, USBRS coordinator at Adventure Cycling, and features news and updates related to the emerging U.S. Bicycle Route System. The USBRS project is a collaborative effort, spearheaded by a task force under the auspices of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Members of the task force include officials and staff from state DOTs, the Federal Highway Administration, and nonprofits like the East Coast Greenway Alliance, and Mississippi River Trail, Inc.