How to make busy streets safer for cyclists: New guide gives the dos and don’ts

Every year, 41,000 cyclists die in road traffic-related accidents globally, accounting for 3% of road fatalities. To help reduce risks to cyclists, the World Resources Institute Ross Center for Sustainable Cities has come out with a new guide, focusing on how to separate cyclists from the street.

Drafted in collaboration with the Dutch Cycling Embassy, the League of American Bicyclists, the Danish Urban Cycle Planning and Norway’s Asplan Viak, the guide emphasises that any cycling infrastructure — even temporary pop-up bike lanes — must be developed thoughtfully and to the highest safety standards.

The guide’s objective is clear: “Lowering speed limits on city streets through simple design changes and speed-calming measures could help prevent or reduce injuries. And in certain high-speed street contexts, more segregation between cyclists and traffic is necessary to prioritise cyclists’ safety,” as WRI’s Bengaluru-based Senior Project Associate for Health and Road Safety, Nikita Luke and David Pérez-Barbosa, point out in an explainer on the guide.

Four approaches are suggested to help cities implement safe bicycle infrastructure in varying street contexts and speeds: Cycling lanes in car-free zones for a connected liveable city; bicycle boulevards, where cycles are the king of the road; pop-up cycling lanes that use temporary methods to separate cars and cyclists; and heavy-duty physical segregation of cycling lanes for busier streets.

On roads where vehicular speeds reach up to 50 kmph and more than 6,000 vehicles pass by each day, the guide mandates heavy-duty physical separators such as curbs, bumpers, bollards or barriers. These are designed to protect against damage caused by heavier-weight vehicles or for use in higher-speed environments.

However, there is a rider: “The barriers used for segregation must not pose a safety hazard for cyclists in case of a crash; polyurethane, heavy-duty plastic or flexible rubber bollards are better than concrete, steel or other hard materials.”

Besides, heavy-duty separation options are to be considered only after a maximum speed and other traffic-calming measures have been imposed. “Designing side curbs mindfully, for example, can prevent cyclists grazing them with the pedals or the wheels bumping into the curb.”

On bicycle boulevards, the guide defines them as streets with low traffic volumes and speeds, designed to give cyclists travel a priority.

“These streets use signs, pavement markings, and speed and volume management measures to discourage car journeys and create safe, convenient bicycle crossings on major, busy streets. With maximum speeds of 30 kmph and less than 2,000 vehicles passing through each day, cyclists can safely share the roadway with motorised road users,” Nikita and David explain.

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