The Active Travel Framework includes many abbreviations that are impossible to remember – unless we understand the system from which they are derived. This article is not an introduction to active travel but serves to clarify the taxonomy of route types.
Taxonomy of Active Travel
Active travel is a break from the way cities have been planned. Here are the traditional urban infrastructure types. Without much consideration of paths, roads are graded into a hierarchy.
- Motorway
- Trunk
- Primary
- Secondary
- Tertiary
- Standard (local street)
source: Cyclosm highway infrastructure
In the ACT roads have a similar hierarchy, but now active travel infrastructure does too. Figure 2 shows the system by which “paths” are designated by a function and placed in a hierarchy. There is a now standardised system for naming active travel infrastructure (nomenclature) which is part of the Active Travel Framework. The hierarchy and divisions is typical of the taxonomy found in the natural sciences. It is not frivolous but serves to create a specific language that can be then linked to specific standards. The standards are defined to create good infrastructure that satisfies the needs of the different active travel user groups. These standards are codified into statutory documents such as the Estate Development Code (EDC). The quality and consistency of our city is dependent on standards and the practitioners that apply them.
Active Travel Route (ATR) nomenclature and abbreviations are introduced in figure 2. For the purpose of this introduction, the figure has a narrow focus on just cyclists. The Active Travel Route (ATR) nomenclature covers all user groups.
Nomenclature and abbreviations are found in section 2.3.1 of Active Travel Facilities Design – Municipal Infrastructure Standards 05 (MIS05).
“22.3 Interpretations
2.3.1 Abbreviations used in this document
CR – Community Route
LCR – Local Community Routes
LORCR – Local On-road Cycling Route
MCR – Main Community Route
MORCR – Main On-Road Cycling Route
ORCR – On-Road Cycling Route
PCRR – Principal Cycle Racing Route (a type of Recreational Route)
PCTR – Principal Cycle Training Route (a type of Recreational Route)
PRT – Principal Recreation Trail (a type of Recreational Route)
RR – Recreational Route”
Active Travel Facilities Design – Municipal Infrastructure Standards 05 (MIS05) (ACT Government, April 2019) on page 12 (shortened)
| Traditional Road | Road | Cycle separated path (off-road) | Cycle exclusive bike lane (on-road) | Cycle recreation (off-road) | Cycle training (on-road) | Cycle racing (on-road) |
| Motorway | Highway | PCR | PRT, PRR | PCTR | PCRR | |
| Trunk | Arterial Road | MCR | MORCR | RR | ||
| Primary | Major Collector | LCR | LORCR | |||
| Secondary | Minor Collector | ACR | AORCR | |||
| Local | Local access street | Mixed Street | Mixed Street |
The active travel hierarchy applies to for other active travel types. This is illustrated in table 2, but I will only discuss cycling for the rest of this document.
| Type | Location to roads | Cycle | Equestrian | Walking |
| Verge | off-road | PCR, MCR, LCR, ACR | ER | ACR, APR |
| Exclusive cycle lane | on-road | MORCR, LORCR, ORCR | ||
| Cycle training, racing | on-road | PCTR, PCRR | ||
| Recreation | off-road | RR, PRT | ET, PRT | RR, PRT |
