Archive for September 10th, 2009

This picks up on a theme explored by Ian Walker, the Warrington Cycle Campaign, and others: A new study finds cars pass more closely to bikes on roads with cycle lanes.

The study, which is due to be published in the scientific journal Accident Analysis and Prevention, says that on roads without cycle lanes, drivers “consciously perform an overtaking manoeuvre”. On roads with cycle lanes, they treat the space between the centre line and the outside edge of the cycle lane as exclusively their territory and make less adjustment for cyclists.

The study concludes: “Cycle lanes do not appear to provide greater space for cyclists in all conditions.” The Highway Code tells drivers to “give cyclists at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car”.

I’ve not read the study yet, so I’ll reserve further comment — save for my own suspicions that the presence of paint can both increase driver awareness but also encourage them to stop thinking — but this brings up a whole host of interesting accompanying issues: Does that proximity lead to less safety, either real or perceived? Do the car speeds differ on either street because of the presence or lack thereof of cycle lanes? Do the cycle lanes lead to an increase in cyclists? Do cycle lanes lead cyclists to behave differently?

As a primer I recommend this essay, not to mention Jeff Mapes’ book Pedaling Revolution.

(thanks to Prashanth in London)

Helmut, a German traffic psychologist working in Belgium, sends this example of wry, clever Low Countries humor.

I was struck by this post, about the bicycle-heavy back-to-school ritual in the Netherlands, at David Hembrow’s site. As he observes, “a few weeks before the start of the school term, banners and signs appear to remind drivers that children are to be expected to be on bikes in larger numbers again. The banner reads ‘The schools are starting again.’ ”

In the U.S., of course, it’s more common at this time of year for schools to send out notices that their “traffic patterns” have changed, meaning the location of where kids are picked up and dropped off, via car (and typically they’re changed because so many parents are driving their kids to school, and the parking lots have become not only congested, but safety hazards). Relatedly, I happened to read, over the DOT’s Fast Lane page, about Secretary Ray LaHood visiting a school in Peoria, where some young students gave him their thoughts on transportation and safety. I don’t know what they envisioned, but I was curious to note the school’s handbook, located here, which notes, “due to the volume of traffic in the parking lot, students should be dropped off and picked up and the Northmoor door of the school.”

The final thing to note, not surprisingly, is the WalkScore of the neighborhood where the school is located: 49 out of 100.