Global Street Design Guide

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Table of Contents

Global Street Design Guide

Existing Conditions


The above illustration depicts a two-way street with one travel lane in each direction, with mixed traffic and parking on both sides.


Frequent destinations on both sides of the street invite parking, stopping and loading that result in weaving traffic and turning conflicts.


A lack of cycle facilities encourages cyclists to ride on sidewalks, creating safety concerns for pedestrians.


Partially concealed drainage channels on both sides of the street present hazards to pedestrians and cyclists.



Bandung, Indonesia

Design Guidance


 When constrained two-way operation does not safely accommodate all users, consider conversion to one-way operation, allocating excess road width for pedestrians and cyclists.


 Reduce travel lane width to 3 m in order to avoid speeding. Add raised crossings at intersections to prioritize pedestrians and ensure slow traffic speed. See: Traffic Calming Strategies.


Widen sidewalks to accommodate commercial activity while maintaining the pedestrian clear path. See: Sidewalks.


 Repurpose the opposing travel lane as an exclusive, raised contraflow cycle track. Contraflow cycle paths are especially important where the cycling network would otherwise require cyclists to significantly detour. See: Cycle Networks.


 Create a shared travel lane with vehicles and cycles in the same direction, with a maximum travel speed of 30 km/h.


 Add green infrastructure such as permeable paving under parking spaces, rain gardens, and trees along the sidewalk to help  manage stormwater and make the street more appealing.


Parklets should be encouraged to provide additional public space.



Chennai, India


Adapted by Global Street Design Guide published by Island Press.

Example 2: 25 m

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Example 2: 25 m