Cycle Lane Performance: Road Safety Effects

Christchurch City Council has been following a program of strategic implementation of cycle lanes. A point has been reached where it is essential to review the effectiveness of the various treatments in place. This paper looks at the effect that cycle lanes have on safety.

Since 1994, mid-block cycle lanes have been included in the "Manual of Traffic Signs and Markings, Part 2: Markings", which is the guideline for road markings in New Zealand. LTSA is the co-author of this document.

Establishing a method for measuring the safety effects of cycle facilities will allow comparison between facilities. Further monitoring of the effects over a number of sites in different environments will allow the selection of appropriate treatments and the refinement of existing facilities to provide the most effective treatment.

Cycle lanes were selected for analysis, as they are the only standard roading treatment to cater for cyclists. Other treatments such as off road cycle paths and advance stop boxes are not a standard feature and therefore are subject to layout variations between sites. This report deals with the problems faced when trying to determine the safety effects of cycle lanes.

The paper is available online on this website.