Safety impacts of bicycle infrastructure: A critical review

Abstract

This thesis takes a critical look at the present state of bicycle safety research, highlighting data needs and some conclusions researchers have already drawn using the data available to them. In particular, this thesis examines safety literature relating to 22 bicycle treatments, synthesizing findings, study methodologies, and data sources used in the studies. The current body of bicycle safety literature points toward some defensible conclusions regarding the safety of certain bicycle treatments such as bike lanes and removal of on-street parking; however, many treatments are still in need of rigorous research. Also, there are fundamental questions about data that need to be answered, and data availability issues need to be addressed. Among them are what constitutes appropriate exposure measures for bicycles, how to obtain accurate crash and exposure data for bicycles, and what impact safety treatments have on injury severity.