Cyclist Safety Research Articles

A Robust Methodology for Dynamic Proximity Sensing of Vehicles Overtaking Micromobility Devices in a Noisy Environment

The safety of cyclists, e-scooters, and micromobility devices in urban environments remains a critical concern in sustainable urban planning. A primary factor affecting this safety is the lateral passing distance (LPD) or dynamic proximity of motor vehicles overtaking micromobility riders. Minimum passing distance laws, where motorists are required to maintain a minimum distance of 1.5 m when passing a cyclist, are difficult to enforce due to the difficulty in determining the exact distance between a moving vehicle and a cyclist. Existing systems reported in the literature are invariably used for research and require manual intervention to record passing vehicles. Further, due to the dynamic and noisy environment on the road, the collected data also need to be manually post-processed to remove errors and false positives, thus making such systems impractical for use by cyclists. This study aims to address these two concerns by providing an automated and robust framework, integrating a low-cost, small single-board computer with a range sensor and a camera, to measure and analyze vehicle–cyclist passing distance and speed. Preliminary deployments in Singapore have demonstrated the system’s efficacy in capturing high-resolution data under varied traffic conditions. Our setup, using a Raspberry Pi 4, LiDAR distance sensor, a small camera, and an automated data clustering technique, had a high success rate for correctly identifying the number of close vehicle passes for distances between 1 and 1.5 m. The insights garnered from this integrated setup promise not only a deeper understanding of interactions between motor vehicles and micromobility devices, but also a roadmap for data-driven urban safety interventions.

Safety of cyclists interacting with autonomous vehicles: A combined microscopic simulation and SSAM analysis

The aim of this paper is to investigate the safety of cyclists while interacting with autonomous vehicles (AVs) in an uncontrolled T-intersection using PTV Vissim microsimulation combined with the Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM). For the microsimulation, three cycling behaviours were constructed (cautious, normal, and aggressive), and two AV behaviours (cautious and normal) were adopted. 87 h of microsimulation resulted in 230 conflicts. The type and nature of these conflicts, as well as two temporal indicators and four speed-related indicators were analysed. Nearly 96% of the conflicts were rear-end collisions, and almost 70% were conflicts where the cyclist was the first to arrive at the conflict point. Interestingly, the least involved cycling behaviour in conflicts was aggressive and the most involved was cautious. A significant relationship was found between severity clusters of temporal indicators and cycling behaviour. It is also concluded that an important future research direction would be the construction of a two-dimensional conflict diagram with severity thresholds specifically for bicycle-vehicle interactions.

Effects of crowding on route preferences and perceived safety of urban cyclists in the Netherlands

Bicycle use increases in many cities around the world. In the Netherlands, cycling is one of the main transport modes in cities and bicycle use is still growing. This leads to crowded cycling infrastructure in cities with high cycling shares, including in the four largest Dutch cities. Since few studies have been done to the effects of high crowding levels on cyclists’ route preferences and perceived safety, the present study aims to examine this for Dutch urban cyclists. Moreover, the relationship between perceived safety and route preferences is established. To investigate this, a questionnaire, including a route choice experiment, is completed by 1,329 cyclists from the four largest Dutch cities. The effects of varying crowding levels on route preferences and perceived safety are analysed with Mixed Logit models. Logistic regression is used to investigate the consistency between route preferences and perceived safety. The results show that crowding negatively affects route preferences as well as perceived safety, and that the impact is stronger for older cyclists and women. Furthermore, high crowding levels have a negative impact on the preference for and perception of safety of cycling infrastructure. Moreover, it is shown that all investigated route attributes have a significant effect on perceived safety, implying a more direct relationship between perceived safety and route preferences. In addition, the results show that most cyclists prefer routes they also perceive as safe. Concludingly, crowding seems an important issue for cyclists in large Dutch cities. Moreover, the perception of safety is likely to increase with the implementation of cycling infrastructure suitable for large flows of cyclists, leading to a safer cycling network for all types of cyclists.

Self-reported cycling behavior and previous history of traffic accidents of cyclists

BackgroundCyclists are vulnerable traffic users and studying the cycling behavior of professional and elite cyclists, their previous history of traffic accidents combined with the current knowledge on high-risk behaviors of this group can be a useful basis for further studies on ordinary cyclists. This study aimed to determine the relationship between cycling behavior and the previous history of traffic accidents among members of the Cycling Federation of Guilan province in 2022.MethodsA descriptive-analytical study was performed in which the Bicycle Rider Behavior Questionnaire (BRBQ) constructed in the Porsline platform was distributed using the WhatsApp social network. All participants were asked to self-report their cycling behavior. The final analysis was performed by using STATA software (version 14).ResultsThe study subjects included a total of 109 cyclists with a mean age of 38.62 ± 10.94 years and a mean cycling experience of 13.75 ± 11.08 years. Using the logistic regression model, the relationship between gender (P = 0.039), years of cycling experience (P = 0.000), and education level (P ≤ 0.00), with previous traffic accidents, was found significant. There was also a significant relationship between stunts and distractions (P = 0.005), signaling violation (P = 0.000), and control error (P = 0.011) with previous traffic accidents. A significant association existed between stunts and distractions (P = 0.001) and signaling violation (P = 0.001) with a previous history of traffic injury within the last 3 years.ConclusionsThe findings of this study can be used to establish cyclist safety and preventative planning in society. In behavior change intervention programs, it is best to target male cyclists with higher-level education. In addition, the behavior of the cyclists whose predominant term of signaling violations must be corrected should be targeted. It is necessary to shape information campaigns and educational programs aimed for cyclists with common high-risk behaviors, especially signaling violations.

Analysis of bicycle crash characteristics and typical scenarios in France: A descriptive epidemiology and clustering approach

Bicycle crashes can result in severe injuries and fatalities, emphasizing the importance of identifying typical scenarios and characteristics of these crashes to develop effective prevention and mitigation strategies. This study analyzed datasets of bicycle crashes in France from 2005 to 2021 extracted from the French national road traffic accident database, evaluating bicycle accident characteristics through conventional descriptive epidemiology approaches and using the K-medoids clustering method to identify typical scenarios and their associated characteristics. Among 1,121,571 road traffic accidents in France, 80,851 were bicycle crashes, with a decline between 2005 and 2013 but a steady increase since then, peaking in 2020 at approximately 1.74 times that of 2005. Victims of bicycle crashes were primarily between 11 and 62 years old, with the largest population among 14–33 years old. Male victims were more involved in bicycle crashes than female victims, with the majority of crashes involving a moving vehicle. The majority of bicyclists involved in accidents were found not wearing helmets, and even bicyclists wearing helmets still sustained injuries. Typical bicycle crash scenarios included four bicycle-vehicle head-on-side collisions, one bicycle-obstacle collision, and two bicycle-pedestrian collisions, with bicycle-obstacle collisions often resulting in serious injuries similar to bicycle-vehicle collisions. Pedestrians were more likely to sustain injuries than bicyclists during bicycle-pedestrian collisions, and their injuries were often more severe than those of bicyclists. The study provides insights into the characteristics and typical scenarios of bicycle crashes in France and can be used to develop targeted interventions to improve road safety for cyclists.

Conventional or parking-protected bike lanes? A Full-Bayesian before-and-after assessment

Objective Biking infrastructure plays a crucial role in ensuring cyclists’ safety and encouraging more people to bike. Recently, many North American municipalities started to adopt a new bike lane design, namely the parking-protected bike lane (PPBL), in which the bike lane is placed between the sidewalk and the parking lane. This study aims to assess the safety impacts associated with converting conventional bike lanes (CBLs) to PPBLs. Methods To that end, collision and traffic data were collected at 19 street sections from three corridors in Vancouver and Ottawa before and after the conversion. Poisson-Lognormal Linear Intervention model was developed to undertake a Full Bayesian before-and-after analysis to evaluate the change in the frequency of bike-vehicle collisions and other collaterally affected collisions (i.e., total and rear-end collisions) after implementing PPBLs. Results Reductions of 31.2%, 16.5%, and 4.4% were observed for total, rear-end, and bike collisions, respectively, after implementing the PPBLs, but the results varied significantly depending on the corridor characteristics. Conclusion Overall, PPBLs demonstrated positive impacts on cyclist safety in some corridors, but their performance is highly sensitive to bike path opening density, intersection density, and intersection treatments.

Safety assessment of on-road cycling lanes: A comparative study of different layouts using driving simulator

Over the past few decades, a growing attention has been directed toward cycling due to its positive impacts on social, economic, and health aspects. Various countries are adopting and implementing strategies to promote cycling as a daily mode of transport. The main objective of this study is to improve cyclists’ safety by investigating the impact of different layouts of on-road cycle lanes at two-lane two-way roads on drivers’ interactions with cyclists using driving simulator. Three layouts of on-road cycle lanes were tested and compared, namely, uncolored, colored, and island separation, along with a control case where no cycle lane was provided. In addition, the impact of road alignments (straight sections, left and right curves) and the presence of an opposing vehicle were investigated. The driving simulator at Qatar University was used to conduct this study. A total of 92 subjects participated in this study. According to the results, on-road cycle lanes can significantly increase the safety of cyclists compared to shared lanes with motorized traffic. Moreover, the results showed that the drivers’ intrusion to the opposite lane in the presence of opposing vehicles can be eliminated by providing on-road cycle lanes. That is, drivers’ crash risk can also be reduced through the provision of on-road cycle lanes. Comparison of different on-road cycle lane treatments showed that uncolored cycle lanes outperformed the other layouts in terms of lateral clearance between the driver and the cyclist for right and straight alignments. On the other hand, the colored cycle lane showed better results for the left alignment. The findings of this study could be useful for designing on-road bicycle infrastructure to eliminate possible vehicle-cyclist and vehicle-vehicle conflicts and minimize crash risk.

СУЧАСНІ ПІДХОДИ ДО ВІДНОВЛЕННЯ ТА РОЗВИТКУ МІСТ ПІСЛЯ ВІЙНИ

This article examines key aspects of post-war urban recovery, focusing on strategies and innovative approaches to urban planning. Special attention is paid to traffic management issues, the "15-minute city" concept, and innovative street design principles that define the future of sustainable urban development. In the context of the reconstruction of Ukraine, which is becoming relevant in the conditions of the military conflict, the article is important for architects, urban planners, state and public organizations. Architects and urban planners use strategies of post-war reconstruction, adapting them to the conditions of modern challenges. State and public organizations actively influence decision-making processes and implementation of initiatives to create a sustainable environment in a regenerating city. In particular, traffic management is a key component of the efficient functioning of the city. Modern technologies and data analysis can be used to optimize traffic and facilitate transportation. The "15-minute city" concept defines convenient access to basic services and infrastructure within a radius of 15 minutes from any point in the city, contributing to the development of compact and well-developed spaces. The latest principles of street design can transform public space, providing comfort and safety for pedestrians and cyclists. Green spaces, bike paths and recreational infrastructure contribute to a healthy and attractive environment. This paper offers a perspective on the future of regenerated cities, focused on sustainability and efficiency. Integrating innovation into urban planning can identify successful and sustainable strategies for rebuilding cities after military conflict.

A matter of space and perspective – Cyclists’, car drivers’, and pedestrians’ assumptions about subjective safety in shared traffic situations

Subjective safety has been considered a key factor for a successful promotion of cycling. As of yet, subjective safety and the factors affecting it have been studied almost exclusively from the cyclists’ perspective. However, subjective safety is largely determined by the interaction of cyclists with other road users. We thus argue that it is crucial to assess the subjective safety different road user groups associate with shared road situations, because street designs that increase the subjective safety of one group may have negative impacts on the subjective safety of another group. For this purpose, we conducted a large-scale, web-based survey presenting computer-generated 2D images showing various traffic situations. The entire pool of images included 1,900 variations and combinations of road designs. About 21,500 individual participants provided about 460,000 estimates with regard to the safety they associated with travelling at the shown location from the perspective of cyclists, car drivers, or pedestrians. Our analysis with generalized mixed models focused on three base scenarios and the comparison of the different perspectives: Side streets were perceived as unsafe by both cyclists and car drivers. A prominent designation as a cycling boulevard had highly positive effects, especially for cyclists. On main streets, cyclists and car drivers rated mixed traffic without cycling infrastructure as very unsafe, and situations with cyclists travelling on protected bike lanes as very safe. Whereas car drivers rated all types of cycling lanes as safe, this did not generally apply to cyclists. In particular, narrow cycling lanes adjacent to parked cars felt unsafe for cyclists. We hypothesize that this discrepancy has a self-reinforcing mechanism: Research on risk-taking suggests that the low risk perception of car drivers leads to more risky behavior (e.g. overtaking cyclists with higher speed and less lateral clearance), which in turn decreases the subjective safety of cyclists. We found an inverted pattern for sidewalks, where cyclists felt mostly safe, and the more vulnerable pedestrians did not (especially if there was no clear indication of lanes for both groups). Taken together, our research sheds light on an as-of-yet rather under-researched issue: the perception of a traffic situation may vary significantly depending on the perspective and transportation mode of a road user. More specifically, our findings suggest that the subjective safety of vulnerable road users in a traffic situation can be negatively affected by the perception of this situation by the less vulnerable road users. We present recommendations about road designs that feel safe for all road user groups.

An incident reporting and learning system to understand cycling incident causation in Australia: A 12-month implementation of CRIT

The benefits of cycling are well-recognised, however, safety remains a key barrier to cycling participation. The knowledge base on cyclist safety is limited as existing data systems are inadequate for understanding cycling incident causation and many incidents go unreported. This article presents the findings from a 12-month implementation of a new cyclist incident reporting and learning system—the Cyclist Reporting of Incidents Tool (CRIT). A total of 347 cyclists participated in the present study by providing their cycling participation data and cycling incident data, including their perceptions of the contributory factors involved in their crashes and near miss incidents. The analysis included 135 cycling incidents (22 crashes, 113 near miss incidents) from 1962 hours cycled. There was an overall incident rate of 68.8 incidents per 1000 hours cycled, with a crash rate of 11.2 and near miss incident rate of 57.5 incidents per 1000 hours cycled. Cyclists frequently reported that factors relating to road users (e.g., cyclist and driver behaviour), and equipment, environment, and surroundings (e.g., road and cyclist infrastructure) contributed to their cycling incidents. Factors relating to the broader transport system (e.g., infrastructure maintenance and repairs) were also reported. Finally, there were commonalities in the contributory factors reported for crashes and those for near miss incidents, highlighting the importance of understanding near miss incident causation in cyclist safety. We recommend that similar incident reporting and learning systems be implemented for all road users, especially for vulnerable road users whose incidents may not otherwise be captured in data systems.

Safe System approach for cyclists in the Netherlands: Towards zero fatalities and serious injuries?

More than one third of all road deaths in the Netherlands and more than two thirds of seriously injured casualties are cyclists. In recent years these shares have increased, despite the fact that the implementation of Safe System principles has been leading in road safety policy and has been successful in reducing the total number of road deaths. However, the annual number of fatalities among cyclists failed to decline and the number of injuries among cyclists has been increasing, especially in single-bicycle crashes. This raises the question why until now Safe System implementation has failed to contribute to the reduction of the number of casualties among cyclists. This question is urgent because of the goal to reduce the number of road deaths and serious traffic injuries in the Netherlands to (virtually) ZERO by 2050. This ambition is in line with the objectives of the European Union. The causes of the unfavourable developments in road safety for cyclists in the Netherlands and which problems require a solution are examined. This raises two questions: can improved implementation of Safe System measures reverse the negative trend, and can this result in ZERO cycling casualties in the future. The discussion involves investigating three dimensions: exposure, crash risk, and injury risk. The opportunities that technological developments may offer in future decades are also considered. It is concluded that Safe System implementation will include opportunities to make cycling considerably safer in the Netherlands. However, we face too many uncertainties to allow for developing scenarios that show how close the Netherlands will be to ZERO cyclists casualties.

MOBILIDADE SEGURA: PROJETO DE INTERVENÇÃO VIÁRIA PARA UMA INTERSEÇÃO DA AVENIDA PRESIDENTE VARGAS DO MUNICÍPIO DE DOURADOS-MS

Urban mobility characterizes the conditions for moving people and loads through urban space, acting on the well-being and safety of the population. Considering the safety aspect, Vision Zero emerges as a set of techniques that help reduce accidents with deaths or serious injuries. This work presents the application of concepts of safe mobility and Vision Zero in the city of Dourados-MS through an intervention project in a stretch of one of its roads. The elaboration of the project required two main stages: determination of the study section and characterization of the traffic elements of that section. From the implementation of the bike path on Avenue Presidente Vargas, the safety of cyclists will increase. In addition, the correction of signs and the solution of problems related to accessibility when crossing the medians will result in greater safety for people with reduced mobility. Thus, it was found that the parameters of Vision Zero are strong allies to ensure the safety of pedestrians and cyclists and prevent serious accidents from occurring in the city.

Implementasi Light Emitting Diode Sebagai Penerangan Jalan Umum Yang Hemat Daya

Public street lighting, also known as street lighting, refers to the outdoor lighting systems used to illuminate public roads. An effective street lighting system plays a crucial role in enhancing safety and security for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists by providing improved visibility of the road and surrounding terrain during nighttime hours. The primary focus in street lighting planning is on economic factors. An analysis of light sources has highlighted the economic advantages of utilizing light emitting diodes for public street lighting. This choice proves to be more efficient when implemented in a sustainable manner. The installation of public street lighting can be the optimal solution to address the issue of inadequate lighting in the village of Pedurenan Gunung Sindur Bogor, ensuring enhanced comfort and security during nighttime activities. The lighting installation process commences with a thorough examination of the site, followed by diligently arranging and design of the electrical installations for the lighting system. Finally, the planned design was carried out and implemented. The implementation of public street lighting is a collaborative effort between college students and youth residents in the village. The outcome of this community service initiative is the implementation of public street lighting installations that offer optimal illumination, ensuring the convenience and safety for all people accessing the roads.

Vehicle-induced aerodynamic lateral loads on cyclists in overtaking maneuvers - Field measurements and universal model description

Vehicle-induced lateral aerodynamic loads on cyclists during overtaking were measured in a field campaign. The study comprised five common vehicle types in combination with four common cyclist types at overtaking maneuvers with vehicle velocities from 30 to 100 km/h and overtaking distances from 0.5 to 2.0 m. The obtained load time histories show distinct phases with the lateral load acting to push the cyclist away followed by a phase with the lateral load acting to pull the cyclist towards the vehicle. Key characteristics of these phases are a peak pressure and a peak suction load and their separation in time. Mathematical relations for the key characteristics based on vehicle velocity, overtaking distance, and on readily available vehicle and cyclist basic geometry parameters are presented. Finally, the so called peak-to-peak load rate, a measure which combines the magnitude of the load direction change from the peak pressure to the peak suction load and its celerity is introduced. It is argued that the peak-to-peak load rate can serve as a quantitative measure to assess cyclist safety or at least be supportive in this regard.

Computer vision-based assessment of cyclist-tram track interactions for predictive modeling of crossing success

Introduction: Single Bicycle Brashes (SBCs) are common, and underreported in official statistics. In urban environments, light rail tram tracks are a frequent factor, however, they have not yet been the subject of engineering analysis. Method: This study employs video-based analysis at nine Dublin city centre locations and introduces a predictive model for crossing success on tram tracks, utilising cyclist crossing angles within a Surrogate Measure of Safety (SMoS) framework. Additionally, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) were explored for automatic estimation of crossing angles. Results: Modelling results indicate that cyclist crossing angle is a strong predictor of crossing success, and that cyclist velocity is not. Findings also highlight the prevalence of external factors which limit crossing angles for cyclists. In particular, kerbs are a common factor, along with passing/approaching vehicles or other cyclists. Furthermore, results indicate that further training on a relatively small sample of 100 domain-specific examples can achieve substantial accuracy improvements for cyclist detection (from 0.31AP0.5 to 0.98AP0.5) and crossing angle inference from traffic camera footage. Conclusions: Ensuring safe crossing angles is important for cyclist safety around tram tracks. Infrastructural planners should aim for intuitive, self-explainable road layouts that allow for and encourage crossing angles of 60° or more – ideally 90°. Practical Applications: The SMoS framework and the open-source SafeCross11https://github.com/KevGildea/SafeCross/. application offer actionable insights and tools for enhancing cyclist safety around tram tracks.

I bet you feel safe! assessing cyclists’ subjective safety by objective scores

Feeling safe is a major issue for cyclists, and some potential cyclists are still deterred from using the bicycle because they feel too unsafe. Assessing the subjective safety of existing cycling infrastructures and locations can be done by questionnaires that show pictures of infrastructures and ask participants for their safety ratings. However, future cycling infrastructures should also be evaluated as safe even before they are implemented. Therefore, it is desirable to have a method that is able to predict safety from infrastructural information. This study aims to propose two different ways for such a method and to test both ways in a use case. We first developed two scores, namely the Repertory Grid (RG) Score and the FixMyBerlin (FMB) Score, which predict subjective safety from objective environmental information but use different data bases and different methodologies. In a second step, we validated these scores by comparing them to questionnaire ratings that evaluated cyclists’ subjective safety at 20 locations in the city of Braunschweig, Germany. Finally, we compared the two scores as well as the questionnaire ratings with objective safety measures, namely crash statistics, at the respective locations. The results show that the RG Score has a moderate agreement and the FMB Score has a fair agreement with the questionnaire ratings. All methods agree on the overall safety evaluation of various cycling facilities. However, the RG Score showed less variance in the safety ratings, whereas the FMB Score rated most locations more unsafe than the participants in the questionnaire. Interestingly, neither the scores nor the questionnaire ratings could sufficiently deduce the occurrence of a crash at one of the locations. The findings strengthen the importance of subjective safety as a construct independent of objective safety. Furthermore, they provide insights into aspects of subjective safety that can easily be measured by objective scores, and into aspects that are important for cyclists but were not yet covered by the scores. This study, therefore, provides a basis for future considerations and future evaluation methods to assess the subjective safety of cyclists.

Single-bicycle crashes in Finland – Characteristics and safety recommendations

Problem: Increasing the role of cycling is necessary to reduce physical inactivity. While promoting cycling, attention should also be given to traffic safety. Hence, a better understanding on the underlying factors and safety recommendations of cyclist crashes is needed. This study aims to increase knowledge on fatal single-bicycle crashes (SBCs), where other road users are not collided with. Method: Data from in-depth investigated fatal cyclist crashes in Finland is analyzed from 2010 to 2019. The study presents descriptive analysis of the characteristics, underlying factors, and safety recommendations of SBCs (n = 82) and other cyclist crashes (n = 151). Logistic regression analysis and chi-squared tests were performed to identify significant characteristics for SBCs. Results: Fatal SBCs commonly involved people aged 60 or older, males, and cyclist not wearing a helmet. Cyclist’s health issues influenced the crash in 62.2% of the SBCs. Compared to other cyclist crashes, health issues, alcohol, males, other crash locations than intersections, and weekends were highlighted in SBCs. Safety recommendations emphasized human factors, such as informing cyclist about underlying factors and the use of safety equipment. Discussion: In addition to human factors, the safety recommendations included suggestions regarding the bicycle, the traffic environment, and traffic regulations. This highlights the need to focus on different safety improvement actions to reduce SBCs. This study identified key characteristics of SBCs, which may help traffic safety authorities address this road safety issue and ultimately help to promote cyclist safety. Practical Applications: Cooperation between the actors including health care providers and the police is also proposed to address cyclists’ health issues that contribute to SBCs.

Proceedings of the 2023 Australasian Road Safety Conference - Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Proceedings of the 2023 annual Australasian Road Safety Conference held in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. The proceedings provide the Extended Abstracts, Posters, Infographics describing research, educational and policing program implementation and policy and management strategies related to all aspects of road safety and especially related to the conference theme of Safe Travel for All. Almost 600 delegates from 22 countries attended the hybrid conference. Authors of accepted Extended Abstracts represented international and local institutions from all aspects of their respective communities including research centres, private companies, government agencies and community groups. These Extended Abstracts provide an indication of the important work being done in Australia, New Zealand and internationally as part of the United Nations, One UN Vision for Road Safety to reduce the number of crashes on the road by 50 percent by 2030. Over 200 Extended Abstract manuscripts were accepted for face-to-face (F2F), virtual and poster sessions. Each Extended Abstract was peer-reviewed by two experts with relevant expertise. Authors were also provided the option of submitting a Full Paper. Those authors who chose to submit a Full Paper for consideration in the Journal of Road Safety (JRS) could do so based on the outcome of the peer review of their Extended Abstract. Submitted Full Papers undergo peer-review by three independent experts matched by their sector. The matching pairs academic authors with academic reviewers and practitioner authors with practitioner reviewers. Inclusion in the JRS follows acceptance by the peer-reviewers. The conference covered a comprehensive range of topics including speed, infrastructure and road design, cyclist safety, motorcyclist safety, pedestrian safety, road safety education, licensing, vehicle design, impairment due to distraction from mobile phones, alcohol, drugs as well as the impacts of climate change on future transport systems road safety, road safety issues for Indigenous people groups across New Zealand and Australia, integrating road safety into local Government, automated enforcement, gig economy road safety, older drivers, etc.

Identifying and Modeling the Factors That Affect Bicycle Users’ Satisfaction

The parameters that affect bicyclists’ satisfaction are of vital importance when it comes to determining the reasons that endure bicycle usage in an urban environment. This research refers to the factors that affect bicycle users’ satisfaction with the existing infrastructure in the Municipality of Thessaloniki, Greece. Bicycle dependence in Thessaloniki is relatively limited when it is compared to other European cities with similar topological and demographic characteristics. This article aims to determine the most suitable measures that policymakers should implement to enhance bicycle infrastructure. The data collection process was realized through an online questionnaire survey addressed to the bicycle organizations and groups that are situated in Thessaloniki. Inferential statistical analysis investigated the dependency between the perceived satisfaction and the perceived level of safety of cyclists. Ordinal and multinomial logistic regressions were applied to identify the significant problems that influenced cyclists’ satisfaction, as well as the most important improvement measures suggested by the survey participants. The findings revealed that the lack of safety and urban integration of bicycle infrastructures were the statistically significant issues affecting users’ satisfaction. The development of a safe, integrated, and interconnected bicycle network area emerges as a priority to increase cyclists’ satisfaction and daily bicycle trips in cities with low bicycle culture.

BSafe-360: An All-in-One Naturalistic Cycling Data Collection Tool.

The popularity of bicycles as a mode of transportation has been steadily increasing. However, concerns about cyclist safety persist due to a need for comprehensive data. This data scarcity hinders accurate assessment of bicycle safety and identification of factors that contribute to the occurrence and severity of bicycle collisions in urban environments. This paper presents the development of the BSafe-360, a novel multi-sensor device designed as a data acquisition system (DAS) for collecting naturalistic cycling data, which provides a high granularity of cyclist behavior and interactions with other road users. For the hardware component, the BSafe-360 utilizes a Raspberry Pi microcomputer, a Global Positioning System (GPS) antenna and receiver, two ultrasonic sensors, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), and a real-time clock (RTC), which are all housed within a customized bicycle phone case. To handle the software aspect, BSafe-360 has two Python scripts that manage data processing and storage in both local and online databases. To demonstrate the capabilities of the device, we conducted a proof of concept experiment, collecting data for seven hours. In addition to utilizing the BSafe-360, we included data from CCTV and weather information in the data analysis step for verifying the occurrence of critical events, ensuring comprehensive coverage of all relevant information. The combination of sensors within a single device enables the collection of crucial data for bicycle safety studies, including bicycle trajectory, lateral passing distance (LPD), and cyclist behavior. Our findings show that the BSafe-360 is a promising tool for collecting naturalistic cycling data, facilitating a deeper understanding of bicycle safety and improving it. By effectively improving bicycle safety, numerous benefits can be realized, including the potential to reduce bicycle injuries and fatalities to zero in the near future.