LTN 1/20 cycle infrastructure design.
Cycle infrastructure designed to LTN 1/20, the national standard, so routes are safe and attractive for people of all ages and abilities.
Also known as: LTN 1/20, LTN1/20, cycle infrastructure design, cycle lane design, segregated cycle track
What’s included.
LTN 1/20 is the Department for Transport’s guidance on cycle infrastructure design. Highway authorities and Active Travel England expect new routes to meet it. Its core principles are that routes should be coherent, direct, safe, comfortable and attractive.
- Route options and level of service
- Segregated tracks, stepped tracks and shared routes
- Junction and side-road treatments
- Cycle parking numbers and design
- Cycling Level of Service and Junction Assessment Tool
- Preliminary design drawings
Straightforward, proportionate, agreed early.
Design to the standard
Widths, separation and junction treatments in line with LTN 1/20 from the outset.
Justify the exceptions
Where constraints mean the full standard cannot be met, we explain why and show the best achievable design.
Link it up
Routes that connect to the wider network, not cycle lanes that stop at the site boundary.
Questions we get asked
Is LTN 1/20 mandatory?
It is guidance, but councils and Active Travel England expect schemes to follow it, and departures need to be justified.
When is shared use acceptable?
LTN 1/20 limits shared footways mainly to locations with low numbers of pedestrians and cyclists, or where there is no practical alternative.
Do you assess cycle parking?
Yes, against LTN 1/20 and local standards, including space for adapted and cargo bikes.
Often needed alongside.
Last reviewed October 2026 by Ripple Development Planning. Policy and guidance change; for advice on a specific site, send us the details.
From our insights.
Need help with LTN 1/20 cycle design?
Send us the location and what's proposed. We'll tell you what it needs, with a fixed fee.