Designing for Vehicles

Lanes

Lanes are one of the fundamental building blocks of street geometry, defining space for vehicles, buses, and micromobility users.

Curbs

Curbs define the edge of the roadway and play a critical role in managing vehicular, pedestrian, and drainage conditions.

Curb Cuts

Curb cuts provide for vehicular access between the street and adjacent properties, for purposes of accommodating vehicular connections to driveways, loading berths, and parking facilities.

Raised Median

A raised area separating different lanes, traffic directions, or roadways within a street.

Lane Narrowing & Lane Removal

Lane narrowings remove excess width from existing traffic lanes without changing the number of lanes. Lane removals, also known as "road diets," reassign underused traffic lanes to other functions.

Raised Speed Reducer

A raised area of a roadway that deflects both the wheels and frame of a traversing vehicle with the purpose of reducing vehicle speeds.

Gateway

A combination of traffic calming and visual measures used at the entrance to a low-speed street to slow entering vehicles and discourage through traffic.

Chicane

A series of narrowings or curb extensions that alternate from one side of the street to the other forming S-shaped curves to slow traffic.

Neighborhood Traffic Circle

A round traffic island in the center of a traditional intersection. Primarily applicable to lower-traffic intersections as a horizontal speed reduction method for through traffic.

Roundabouts

An intersection with circular, one-way (counter-clockwise) traffic around a central circle in which entering traffic yields to traffic already in the roundabout.