---
title: "Scenic Highway / Byway"
url: "https://commonwaysystem.org/patterns/arterials/scenic-highway-byway/"
id: "ART-SCB-03"
description: "A low-density, low-development-pressure Arterial Typology, the norm at Undeveloped and Rural density and an unlikely pairing past Compact."
updated: "2026-09-10"
---

# Scenic Highway / Byway

`ART-SCB-03`

Recommended Arterial

Scenic Highway / Byway

An Arterial through a low-development, often scenic landscape, where vehicle movement is prioritized and pedestrian, bicycle, and transit demand are minimal.[1]

Typical at: Undeveloped Rural

Suburban is an edge case. Compact, Urban, and Core are unlikely pairings.

## Speed and modal hierarchy

Design speed & speed limit

\[SPEED LIMIT 55\]

Follows the Arterial density-tiered baseline for its typical Undeveloped/Rural context.

See [Design Speed & Speed Limits](https://commonwaysystem.org/guide/design-speed.md).

Modal hierarchy

Vehicle > Bicycle > Pedestrian > Transit > Freight

Whether Freight should be excluded outright rather than simply ranked last is an open call.

## Design notes

This entry follows the same shape as Rural Collector/Farm-to-Market Road: a low-density, low-development-pressure pattern that is the norm where it applies and effectively disappears as density rises.

## Related patterns

[Rural Collector / Farm-to-Market Road](https://commonwaysystem.org/patterns/collectors/rural-collector.md) (COL-FTM-02) (explicitly named on this page as following the same shape)

## References

1.  Legal / regulatory [23 U.S.C. § 162, National Scenic Byways Program.](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/23/162)