The effects of the Pages Road cycle lane on cyclist safety and traffic flow operations

This paper discusses the effects the installation of an on-road cycle lane had on traffic flow operations and the safety of its users. Three types of safety have been investigated: inferred safety, based on measurable flow characteristics; perceived safety, based on road users' opinions; and actual safety, based on observed crash rates. This paper focuses mainly on inferred safety and does not go into great detail about the perceived and actual safety measures. It was found that mean motor vehicle speeds decreased by 0.9 kilometres per hour for the peak periods and 1.5 kilometres per hour for off-peak periods. This decrease in motor vehicle speed corresponded to an increase in inferred cyclist safety. However, motor vehicle positioning, another measure of inferred safety, decreased when cyclists were present after the cycle lane installation, as a lower proportion of cyclists used the footpath or parking space. However several aspects of the method of analysis used and selection of control sites may have affected the accuracy of the actual safety investigation. More detailed analysis of crash history would be required to properly judge the effects of cycle lanes on actual safety. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E215377.