Abstract
The use of bicycles on two-lane rural roads in Spain has been increasing in recent years. However, these roads have no bicycle infrastructure, being cyclists forced to share the road and interact with motorized vehicles. In rural environments, the interaction between road users from the cyclist’s point of view is still not well understood. To analyze it, the relationships between risk perceptions and behavioral factors of rural cyclists according to their demographic characteristics, profile, and self-reported knowledge on traffic rules were obtained. An online survey was used, which collected the opinion of 523 cyclists. Data were analyzed by using structural equation models. The Thurstonian Item Response Theory approach was adopted to include raking responses. Different perceptions among demographic groups were found. Younger cyclists present the lowest risk perception while having a higher risk behavior. The knowledge about traffic rules was correlated with safety behavior, showing the importance of this factor. These results are in line with urban cycling. However important differences under risk elements for rural cyclists, mainly associated with potential hazards on the shoulder, have been drawn. These findings may help policy makers to integrate cycling with vehicular traffic on two-lane rural roads in a safe way.
Highlights
Accepted: 24 July 2021Cycling is becoming a popular method of mobility, recreation, exercise and sports worldwide
Models were estimated to study the relationships between demographic factors, cyclist profile, and traffic rules knowledge with the perceived risk elements, risk perception, and self-reported behavior and their perception of safety equipment elements
Relationships between demographic factors, cyclist profile, and traffic rules knowledge with the perceived risk elements, the self-reported behavior, and their perception about some safety equipment were analyzed
Summary
Accepted: 24 July 2021Cycling is becoming a popular method of mobility, recreation, exercise and sports worldwide. Many benefits are associated with the use of bicycles, such as the reduction of traffic congestion and environmental pollution, or the promotion of a healthy lifestyle for the public [1,2]. Despite these benefits, cycling is not without risks, if it is practiced on the roads [3]. The number of cyclists on two-lane rural roads of Spain has been steadily rising in recent years, with a total number of 75,680 federated cyclists and 3878 federated clubs in. Most two-lane rural roads in Spain have no bicycle infrastructure, with cyclists having to share the road with motorized vehicles [5]
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