Planning for safer road facilities for bicycle users at junctions

Abstract

Promoting bicycle travel in a city where people are used to driving private cars is a difficult task. Safety is a major factor discouraging people from cycling and it needs to be addressed in order to achieve any significant mode shifts away from private cars. One suggestion that has been put forward to improve the safety of cyclists is to provide a separate area for bikes at junctions. This study reviewed junction design and traffic flow conditions at an upgraded junction in Adelaide, Australia that contained bicycle signals and a storage zone. It was found that the bicycle lane could be designed in such way that would separate left and right turning bikes into two sections. Also, the provision of blue bicycle crossing lanes has a potential to improve cyclist safety by warning pedestrians and motorists of possible cyclist presence. The study also recommends smarter data collection and better traffic modelling to help test improved infrastructure and enable the development of better policies regarding the safety of cyclists.