Curbs, but no gutter please



Many streets and roads have an unprotected bike lane, defined by a white line, typically 3 or so feet wide as measured from the curb. Most of these have a 14-16" gutter attached to the curb, so that there is a seam between the concrete and the asphalt.

In the example shown here, the seam is in good condition, but in most places, this seam is the place where the asphalt crumbles first, and on some streets, when the asphalt was repaved, there can be a 1-2" height difference between the asphalt and the gutter.

Cyclists have to avoid these seams, and are therefore forced to ride further away from the curb, closer to passing traffic.



The solution is of course not rocket science:

On the next block, you can see that the gutter part can be eliminated, extending the asphalt right up to the curb. Here you can ride closer to the curb, away from passing trucks.

The question is, where in the chain from planning to construction is the decision made to build one or the other, and can we make the no-gutter design the default construction?

If there is a seam, weeds will find it.
Here is a typical example from the Oct 10 2024 BPAC meeting. The only function of the curb-and-gutter appears to be to collect debris and to endanger bikers.

The goal is to ensure that when engineering drawings get made, the default should be curb-no-gutter.

This is low-hanging fruit, and costs nothing.


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