How to Integrate On-Street Bikeway Maintenance Planning Policies into Pavement Management Practices

As more on-road bikeways are built, the timely application of maintenance treatments becomes critical to ensure safe and comfortable conditions for bicyclists. Longitudinal and transverse cracks that evolve to potholes, rough cut utility patching, raveling, and weathering are flexible pavement distresses that pose safety threats to bicyclists. Faulting and spalling are also safety hazards to bicyclists on rigid pavements. Despite of the need to adopt preventive maintenance policies to preserve on-street bikeways in good condition, bikeway maintenance practices are mostly reactive. The main contribution of this paper is to integrate bikeways maintenance criteria into a policy planning approach for pavement management practices. This planning approach articulates inventory data, condition assessment, maintenance treatment selection, budget needs, funding prioritization, and reports for the implementation of enhanced pavement management systems. Information Technology Systems (ITS) should also support data collection and analysis in the implementation of an integrated maintenance approach. With the adoption of ITS tools, traffic flow, space occupancy and congestion information can be registered in real-time for efficient management. As a result, transportation agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, and cities should make better-informed maintenance decisions for the benefit of all road users.