AASHTO Journal - RIDOT Putting ‘Kid-Friendly Signage’ on Bike Paths

As part of its ongoing efforts to make roadways safer for all users, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation is installing what it calls “kid-friendly signage” along some of the state’s most popular bike paths.

[Above photo by RIDOT]

The signs depict images of smiling woodland creatures – such as skunks, raccoons, squirrels, and rabbits – holding stop signs. They are being placed near the current stop signs where bike paths cross streets, but on separate posts and lower so they are more eye-level for young riders.

The agency said it initially installed the new signs on the South County Bike Path in South Kingstown, with new signs currently being installed on the East Bay Bike Path, the Ten Mile River Greenway, and sections of the Blackstone River Bikeway in Lincoln and Cumberland. In total, RIDOT will install kid-friendly signs at 55 bike path crossings on those four bike paths by the end of the year.

“Immediately after we installed these on the South County Bike Path, we began receiving positive feedback on them,” noted RIDOT Director Peter Alviti, Jr., in a statement. “People appreciate the kid-friendly and kid-oriented signs. They are a welcome addition to help teach children on the bike path about stopping whenever they come upon a road crossing. This is a practice all path users should follow on each and every ride.”

He added that RIDOT thanks state and local agencies that manage the bike paths for their assistance during this project, including the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and the cities and towns that manage sections of bike paths in their communities.

Other state departments of transportation are currently working to support related active transportation initiatives in their respective regions of the country.

For example, the Vermont Agency of Transportation – known as VTrans – recently reopened a 5.5-mile segment of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail in St. Johnsbury that had been closed due to flood damage since 2024.

In November, the Hawaii Department of Transportation unveiled a new “Priority Multimodal Network” – a collection of 113 projects on the state highway system that will fill accessibility gaps for pedestrian, transit, and bicycle users across the Hawaiian island chain.

The agency said those projects include shared-use paths, protected bike lanes, sidewalks, and transit facilities – with the program focusing resources and accelerating implementation timelines sooner than originally planned. Together, those projects will provide affordable transportation options and improve connections between Hawaiian communities, Hawaii DOT emphasized.

And in September, the Maryland Department of Transportation issued a new Statewide Transportation Trails Strategic Plan that will help map out a “safe, accessible, and connected trail network” for communities across the state.

The agency said this strategic trail plan reflects on its “broader commitment” to safety, equity, and multimodal transportation in support of both its Complete Streets Policy and Serious About Safety initiative; all part of a larger effort to link people to jobs, schools, parks, transit, and each other while enhancing safety, sustainability, and quality of life.