Originally Posted by
jputnam
AASHTO says the average, non-enthusiast adult riding an upright bike goes 15 mph on level ground; they recommend an 18 mph design speed to accommodate typical adults on upright bikes. That doesn't mean all adults always ride 18 mph, of course. Remember, if you're designing for the average speed, you're designing a facility that's intentionally unsafe for half its users.
You can say that about streets too, most of todays cars and many drivers can go faster than what most roads will accomidate, but going the maximum possible speed isn't what public roads are for.
If the goal of bicycling infrastructure is to make cycling a more attractive and practical transportation option for non enthusiasts, does all infrastructure really need to be built to accommodate those who ride faster than average as long as there isn't any mandatory use laws?