Bicycle Safety Perceived Risk Reduction at Intersections. Per Näsman, Center for Safety Research, KTH, SWEDEN
Cycling is an enviromentally friendly mode of transportation, it is also beneficial to health as long as accidents are avoided. In Sweden, however, about 10% of all traffic fatalities during the 1980s involved bicyclists. The young (aged 7-14) and the elderly (aged 65+) have especially high risk (measured statistically as the chance of meeting with an accident in relation to exposure). One way of trying to make cycling safer has been to build bike paths, or separate bike roads, along the major streets. However, almost 80% of cyclists killed or severely injured are hit by a vehicle when crossing a road, minor or major. This means that installing bike paths does not create any greater safety potential, unless the bike-crossings are made safe to. Making the intersections safe for cyclists is, therefore, of pivotal importance. The intervention to be studied is the effect of raising bicycle crossings to roughly the same level as the bicycle paths, in order to improve the bicycle safety by reducing the velocity of the motor vehicles and raise the drivers' attention. We will use results from a questionnaire given to cyclists. We will also compensate for fluctuations in bicycle flow and, in addition to that, we will use data about traffic flows, accident data and results from interviews with experts. The questionnaire will pinpoint the change in bicycle safety, due to the intervention, perceived by the cyclists.