Dictionary

A 20 mph zone includes design features aimed at keeping vehicle speeds below 20 mph, such as humps, speed tables, rough surfaces, tight geometry, road narrowings, and so on.

An 'absolute minimum' value is a design paremeter used when there is an existing constraint on a proposed or existing cycle facility. 

An 'access-only' road or street is that has a ban on motor traffic using it, except for access. Typically this signed with Diagram 620 'Except for Access' in conjunction with Diagram 619, 'motor vehicles prohibited'.

The lack of separation from motor traffic limits the appeal of cycling to those who are sufficiently fast and brave.

The Active Mode Appraisal Toolkit (AMAT) is a model produced by the Department for Transport, which uses a spreadsheet to assess the overal benefits and costs of proposed cycling and walking interventions, ranging from capital investments to behaviour

Sometimes called a bike box or a cycle reservoir, Advanced Stop Lines (ASLs) are stop lines for cyclists at traffic signals, which are marked beyond the stop line for general traffic.

A cycle lane bounded by a broken white line, which enables motor traffic to enter the cycle lane when legal to do so.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition – camera system designed to recognise number plates and therefore exclude or fine all unrecognised users (while allowing buses, deliveries and/or residents vehicles etc. through).

Small dividers bolted onto road surface to give degree of protection to cycle lanes from the roadway. Also referred to, confusingly, as ‘zebras’. Approved for use in the UK by the DfT in 2013.

'Aspect' refers to the lights in traffic signals. 

For instance, conventional traffic signals (below) have three aspects; a red aspect, an amber aspect, and a green aspect. 

One of the five main demands used to measure the quality of cycling infrastructure (the others are cohesion, safety

A measure of the total annual volume of motor traffic on a road or street over the course of a year, divided by 365 - giving the volume of motor traffic expected along it on one day.

A term used to describe the obstacles to the uptake of cycling as a mode of transport. Essentially, the reason why people choose not to cycle for trips that could easily be cycled.

Named for Leslie Hoare Belisha, the Minister for Transport from 1934-37, this is the black and white pole, with yellow flashing bulb, that stands each side of a zebra crossing.

'Beyond the Bicycle' is a term used by the Beyond the Bicycle Coalition, to highlight the need to take into consideration types of cycle beyond the standard two-wheeled bicycle.

Another way to describe tactile paving.

A platform onto which bus passengers alight. Can be used in isolation, as a build-out from a footway, or as part of a floating bus stop arrangement.

In transport planning and campaigning, the term "bus gate" can mean one of two street design features:

In highway engineering, capacity refers to the ability of a road or street to carry motor vehicles (or, more importantly, people).

A catch-all term for a wide variety of adapted cycles, designed for carrying heavy or bulky loads, or passengers, including children. They can come in either two-wheeled, three-wheeled, or four-wheeled form, with or without e-assistance.

A form of design used to encourage slower traffic and to provide better (usually wider) pavement facilities for pedestrians, and indeed cycling infrastructure.

A chaincase is a device that encloses the chain on a bicycle. It's a practical feature that is ubiquitous on bicycles ridden for transport in the Netherlands and Denmark. 

A manufacturer of cargo bikes in Denmark - most often seen as tricycles, and popular with businesses. 

The "Community Infrastructure Levy".

A coaster brake is a back pedal brake, typically found on bicycles ridden for transport in the Netherlands and Denmark. 

Also called 'Coherence'. One of the five main demands used to measure the quality of cycling infrastructure (the others are safety, 

A term used to refer to cycles and motor traffic being 'combined' on the carriageway, i.e. without any separate cycle provision. 'Combined traffic' should only occur in low speed, low traffic environments.

Also known as a Contiental Roundabout, this describes the concept of a reduced radius in the centre of a roundabout creating a layout in which motor vehicles traversing the design experience a need to slow down given by the need to take a series of cor

In the context of transport and highways, consultation is the process by which highway authorities discuss changes with local residents and transport users.

A one-way street for motor vehicles with provision for two-way cycling. Avoids forcing cyclists into detours, but can be intimidating to ride in. This is typically a low-quality solution compared to modal filters.

An area where parking is generally reserved for permit holders. These can be done many different ways, but typically the restrictions will be by time and location.

This layout is obviously found (a lot) in the Danish city of Copenhagen which is rather more cycle-friendly than London. The arrangement has a footway, then a cycle track and buses stopping next to the cycle track.

A shorthand term for the Design Manual for Bicycle Traffic.

'Cycle' -

A cycle-specific crossing of a road carrying motor traffic, at grade. This type of crossing can either give cycling priority, or give motor traffic priority. 

A 'cycle gate' is a design used to separate the movements of cycle traffic and motor traffic at busy junctions.

Defined as

A cycle street is one designed to handle large volumes of cycling, but very low volumes of motor traffic.

'Cycle time' is the length of a cycle, in traffic signal control.

Legislation aimed at converting public footpaths (which are paths away from roads, not footways, which run along roads) int

'Cycle training' refers to any programme of instruction in cycling proficiency, be it simply learning to ride and handle a cycle, learning road rules and behaviour, or attempting to deal with more complex road environments.

A simple, catch-all term to describe a route for cycling, analogous to footway for pedestrians and roadway for motor vehicles.

Cycling Level of Service (or CLoS for short) is an audit tool developed by Transport for London. It is designed to assess the quality of cycling provision in existing (and proposed) schemes, with a final score out of 100. 

An information sign (white lettering on blue rectangle), rather than a 'no cycling' sign, meaning it does not require you to dismount unless it is already illegal to cycle (for instance on entering a pedestrian area or to use a pelican or zebra

A manual produced by the Dutch CROW organisation, focused specifically on cycling infrastructure design, and general cycle design principles. 

'Design Speed' refers to the assumed speed of users of a particular route, and therefore determines the way that route should be designed, to accommodate that speed. 

A desire line represents the shortest and most obvious path between A and B.

A detector loop, or induction loop, is an electro-magnetic loop built in a road surface that provides traffic data, or alerts a traffic signal system to the presence of a vehicle or bicycle.

One of the five main demands used to measure the quality of cycling infrastructure (the others are safety, cohesion

A distributor road is a road that links up access roads and through roads.

The 'door zone' is an area next to parked vehicles where a door can suddenly open into the path of an unwitting bike user.

Road furniture that can have a significant impact on the quality of cycle provision. 

An entrance to a property. Where a footway or a cycleway crosses a driveway, both should continue across it without interruption, with a smooth, level, continuous surface.

An example of a footway crossing a driveway -

The dual network is a concept which provides two types of cycling infrastructure. The theory is that experienced and confident cyclists will use the roads, while those less experienced or confident will use off-road facilities.

A 1999 document, produced by the Fietsberaad, that documents the history of cycling in the Netherlands from 1890 up until 1999. 

A dynamo is a small electrical generator which uses the motion of the wheels to generate electricity.

European Cyclists Federation

A term used to describe a series of square road markings, which delineate cycle crossings of carriageways.

An 'entrance kerb' (called 'inritband' in Dutch) is a type of ramped kerb that allows footways and cycleways to run at a continuous, raised flat level across side roads and minor junctions.

An erf (literally meaning 'yard') is a Dutch term for a street where walking, cycling and recreation is formally prioritised over the flow of motor traffic. The plural is 'erven'.

A road sign that can be added below other road signs to indicate exemptions to a rule, or information - for instance, No Entry except cycles, or the 'Dead End' sign.

A form of Traffic Order, which traffic authorities have the power to impose without consultation.

'Fatality rate' refers to the number of fatalities, by exposure - be that distance travelled by a particular mode, or time spent travelling by that particular mode.

The Fietsersbond is the Dutch Cyclists Union, a campaigning group for better cycling conditions. It has around 35,000 members, and is a partner in the Dutch Cycling Embassy.

A filter is infrastructure which permits one mode of transport through but prevents another.

An example of this would be a bollard which prevents motor vehicles from passing but allows bicycles.

Also known as a 'bus stop bypass', this is an arrangement that involves a cycleway running behind the passenger boarding area at a bus stop, between an island and the footway.

'Fly parking' describes informally parking bicycles by (and locking them to) street furniture.

Typically it is symptomatic of a lack of adequate designated cycle parking, and/or space to park bicycles.

A path away from a carriageway (or, in other words, a path away from a road).

'Forgiving kerbs' are angled, or splayed, kerbs that can be easily traversed by cycles, while still presenting a clear physical height difference between a cycleway and a footw

Any road crossing, whether signalised or not, that is clearly marked as such.

Gradient is a measure of the degree of slope. While gradients on naturally occurring features (hills!) can be hard to avoid, they can (and should) be mitigated, particularly by extending routes. An example is shown below.

Term used to describe the dense network of safe, pleasant cycle routes which is required to enable mass cycling.

A bus that is fitted with special steering equipment to allow it to be driven along a narrow busway without the driver needing to steer.

In traffic signal control, a head refers to the cluster of signals, on a signal pole.

Healthy Streets is a policy approach adopted by Transport for London, which aims to improve public health by enabling more people to walk, cyc

HEAT stands for Health Economic Assessment Tool.

The Hierarchy of Provision is a list of traffic interventions which was intended to help highways designers create better conditions for cycling.

A 'highway authority' is a body that has a duty of care to maintain the safety and usability of highways (including roads) that are kept at public expense.

Formerly the Highway Agency, Highways England is a government-owned company with responsibilty for the operation, maintenance and improvement of the motorways and trunk road net

'Homogeneity' is one of the principles of the Dutch system of Sustainable Safety.

A hub is the central part of a (bicycle) wheel that contains the axle.

A 'hybrid cycle track' is a British description for a stepped cycle track, a cycleway that is built higher than the carriageway, but lower than the footway - at an intermediate height, between the two.

A bicycle adapted in one way or another to accommodate its user's disability. This could be a tricycle, tandem, handcycle, or a wide variety of other types. 

The principle that design for cycling should not exclude any particular user, be it because it is too hostile, too intimidating, or cannot accommodate their type of cycle.

A term used by the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain, and coined by Sally Hinchcliffe, to describe organised visits to particular areas to look at and understand cycling provision in a particular area. 

'Intervisibility' is a technical term used in highway engineering, which in plain language simply means users being able to (mutually) see each other.

High quality and modern child-carrying tricycle (similar to the Bakfiets or Bullit) made by Danish company Winthur.

Abbreviation of "Killed or Seriously Injured".

The "Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan".

Cycling purely for pleasure, without any other purpose.

The opposite of utility cycling.

Also referred to as light segregation, this is a method for separating a cycle lane from the carriageway by means of (typically temporary, or easily installed) physical objec

A 'link' is a road or a street that connects between junctions.

Another term for Low Traffic Neighbourhood.

Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are

joint local authority-business bodies brought forward by local authorities themselves to promote local economic development – to replace Regional Development Agencies (RDAs)

Low-level signals are small repeater lights that mirror what is displayed by the larger, conventional, traffic signals at junctions. They make it easier for people cycling to see signals that apply to them, without having to crane their necks back.

An abbrevation, either for

The DfT’s cycling infrastructure design guidance.

A cycle lane marked by a solid (unbroken) white line. It is 'mandatory' in the sense that drivers of motor vehicles are not permitted to enter it, rather than being mandatory for cyclists to use it.

'Mesh density' describes whether a cycle network is 'dense' or 'loose'.

A good, dense cycle network will have parallel routes close to each other - a high mesh density. 

A side road carrying only small amounts of motor traffic; typically only a small number of residential properties.

A modal filter is a feature used to limit through-journeys along a street by certain modes of transport. Modal filters are used to achieve fil

"Mayor's Transport Strategy". Around every 10 years, the Mayor prepares a long-term document laying out the transport strategy and key associated targets that reaches far beyond the current term.

Much derided by cycle campaigners as a joke ("Notional Cycling Network" or "National Cycling Not-work" for example), the NCN is a bold attempt at creating a network of cycle routes across Britain. 

A document that sets out the government's planning policy for England, and how its policies on planning are expected to be applied.

Relevant passages on cycling include 

Paragraph 17 -

Used to describe a number of connected cycle routes. In Britain this word has been used to describe very weak networks, such as the National Cycle Network.

A more well-defined concept is the Grid, which is a network with specified density.

A 'non-motorised user' (or NMU) is someone walking or cycling, or a horse rider. 

Obesity is a term used to describe somebody who is very overweight with a high degree of body fat.

The classic Dutch bike design.

Easily recognisable by the relaxed, upright posture of the rider and the curved bar on the frame.

An overrun area is a portion of road surface that is designed to accommodate the turning circles of large vehicles, while ensuring tight geometry (to slow down speeds) for conventional vehicles.

A Passenger Car Unit is a measure used primarily to assess highway capacity, for modelling purposes. Different vehicles are assigned different values, according to the space they take up.

Pedestrian path alongside a highway. This is the colloquial term for footway, which is the precise term in legislation.

A 'pedestrianised street' is one that prohibits motor traffic, for either the whole day, or a large proportion of it. 

PEdestrian LIght CoNtrolled (yes, that is where the name comes from) crossing is an example of a controlled crossing where pedestrians push a button to indicate they wish to cross.

In traffic control a phase refers to an indication shown to motor traffic, cycle traffic, or pedestrians.

An element of road design which narrows the carriageway artifically - often at pedestrian junctions - with the intent of slowing and calming traffic.

Land, and buildings, are worth a lot more on the open market with planning permission for development than without planning permission.

A point closure is another term for a modal filter.

'Predictability' is one of the principles of the Dutch system of Sustainable Safety.

The National Propensity to Cycle Tool (PCT) is an online and interactive planning support tool to provide an evidence base to inform investment in cycling.

It is available at pct.bike.

"Public Transport Access Level". This is a way of measuring the overall level of public transport access which places have. 

A type of pedestrian crossing, the name “puffin” deriving from “Pedestrian User-Friendly INtelligent crossing”.

The Rapid Cycleway Prioritisation Tool (RCPT) provides an interactive map for every transport authority in England.

The Road Danger Reduction Forum. A group of transport officials and professionals who work on cycling walking, transport planning and other related areas.

A cycle route planned and maintained by a local authority or other regional body.

Revenue (spending), in reference to cycling, applies to the immediate use of cash on projects, usually day-to-day running, or maintenance. 

A 'road hierarchy' refers to a system of classifying all the roads and streets in a given area, according to their function. Typically this will involve 

This is an incorrect term for Vehicle Excise Duty or vehicle tax - a tax on vehicles emissions.

The Road Traffic Regulation Act is a piece of primary legislation that allows highway authorities to lawfully restrict and manage traffic (including cycling and walking - both con

"Road traffic collision" is the official Police phrase used to describe a crash. 

S4C or "Space for Cycling" was the 2014 London election campaign run by London Cycling Campaign.

One of the five main demands used to measure the quality of cycling infrastructure (the others are cohesion, dire

Saturation flow is the (maximum) flow across a stop line, during green from a discharging queue, typically expressed in Passenger Car Units per hour.

A mechanism of planning gain whereby developers make a financial contribution towards infrastructure needed to support their development. Infrastructure can include transport, schools, etc.

This refers to S38 of the Highways Act 1980 (as amended) and is essentially a formal agreement for a highway authority to adopt (take over responsibility for) roads.

When used in a standard, 'shall' is a requirement.

A term used to describe a footway that legally allows cycling.

A term used to describe the Dutch (and indeed European) equivalent of the British painted  'Give Way' marking. 

When used in a standard, 'should' is a recommendation. 

'Simultaneous green' junctions (or 'all-ways' green, or 'scramble', junctions) give people cycling and walking a combined dedicated green phase, while motor traffic is stopped in all directions, which allows both types of road u

The 'Slow' marking is a painted marking on the road surface, which has the intention of encouraging road users to slow down. 

A model that recognises that disability isn't caused by someone's impairment or physical conditions - instead disability results from inaccessible environments, pre-conceived ideas of what people can and can't do, and lack of support systems.

'Soft measures' refer to methods of reducing car use through the use of promotion, marketing, personalised travel planning, training, and so on.

A large road hump across the width of a carriageway (or a cycle track). Has a flat top and can either run kerb to kerb or stop short to leave a channel for water to pass.

In traffic control, a stage is a series of phases that run together - for instance, a green for motor traffic and cycle traffic to proceed ahead, while left-turning mo

A staging diagram is a way of visually demonstrating the permitted phase movements in a series of stages, making up one compl

Stopping Sight Distance (or SSD for short) is is the distance required for a highway user to perceive, react and stop safely, before encountering a hazard or potential collision. It is measured in a straight line between two points at the cen

In England, the Strategic Road Network (or SRN) is made up of motorways and trunk roads (the most significant 'A' roads).

A term used to describe Barcelona's approach to modal filtering.

'Sustainable Safety' is the Dutch principle of design which makes roads and streets easy to use, self-explanatory and safe by default, preventing crashes from occurring. A better English expression is 'Intrinsic Safety'.

The calculation and analyis (now performed with software) of the movement and path of the wheels (and body parts) of a vehicle, when that vehicle is turning. 

Tactile paving (or surface) is a textured surface which gives different information to blind and partially-sighted people.

A Temporary Traffic Order (TTO) is a form of legal instrument used by highway authorities to implement traffic management controls on their roads - the power to do so lies with 

A through road is for fast traffic, travelling longer distances, in large volumes. Motorways, trunk roads, bypasses, and so on.

A London-specific term, standing for the "Transport for London Road Network" (alternatively, the "Transport for London Route Network").

Two CAN cross (sigh!). A crossing for use by pedestrians and cycle-users at once.

An Act introduced by government, intended

A traffic order is a legal document which formalises a highway authority's ability to regulate or manage traffic - 'traffic' will include cycles and pedestrians. 

Traffic stress is caused by safety issues (both perceived and real), as well as extended travel distance and difficulties in negotiating parts of the network.

A measure of the efficiency of travel, expressed as calories, per gram, per distance travelled. 

Abbreviation of Trip Rate Information Computer System.

A convex mirror attached to traffic signals to help drivers (especially HGVs) to see down the side of their vehicle for the presence of people on cycles, especially before turning left.

'Uniformity of provision' is a design philosophy that means cycling infrastructure is suitable for all potential users, whether they are young or old, fast or slow, experienced or inexperienced. One design approach is employed for all potential users.

'Unravelling' (or 'unbundling') refers to the deliberate separation of main cycling routes from driving routes, at a network level.

The act of using a bike for a day-to-day task, such as shopping, commuting, going to the cinema, visiting friends, etc. Any cycling done simply as a means of transport rather than as a sport or leisure activity.

A term coined by John Forester to describe riding a bicycle as if it were a motor vehicle.

'Visual looming' refers to changes in optical size as an object approaches. It allows us to perceive the speed at which an object is approaching us.

Abbreviation for Vulnerable Road User

A term used to describe pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and motorcyclists, abbreviated to VRU. The term reflects the fact that these users are not surrounded by the protective shell of a motor vehicle and are therefore at greater risk of harm

The Walking, Cycling and Horse Riding Assessment & Review (WCHAR) has, since 2017, replaced the previous HD 42/05 NMU (Non-Motorised User) Audit as part of

Also referred to as a wheelchair tandem, this is a three-wheeled cycle, designed to accommodate a wheelchair between the front axle.

Typically this cycle is up to 2.3m long, and 1.2m wide. 

The woonerf (plural woonerven) is a type of Dutch residential street that was developed in the 1970s, designed to be safe, and quiet, with no through-traffic except walking. The name literally means 'living courtyard'.

A measurement involved in visibility splays.