Test Your Knowledge on Sidewalk Design

Sidewalk Design Characteristics: Grade, Cross-Slope, and Width

Grade:

• Running grade is the average grade along a contiguous grade, which should be consistent with the running grade of adjacent roadways.
• Maximum grade is a limited section of path that exceeds the typical running grade.
• Rate of change of grade is the change in grade over a given distance, measured over intervals (60cm).

Cross-Slope:

• Running cross-slope is the average cross-slope of a contiguous section of sidewalk.
• Maximum cross-slopes can occur within a typical running cross-slope.
• Rate of change of cross-slope is the change in cross-slope over a given distance, measured over intervals (60cm).
• Most sidewalks have some degree of cross-slope to prevent water from collecting on the path.

Width:

• Design width specifies the sidewalk's width, extending from the curb or planting strip to any buildings or plantings that form the opposite borders of the sidewalk.
• Minimum clearance width is the narrowest point on a sidewalk.
• Pedestrian travel tendencies affect sidewalk width, with pedestrians avoiding edges and the "shy distance."
• Effective width is the center of the sidewalk that pedestrians use for travel, typically (1.80 meters) of a (3.00-meter) sidewalk.