Sidewalk Bikeways: A Safety Problem, Not a Safety Solution

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Sidewalk BikewaysA Safety Problem, Not a Safety
Solution
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Basic Principles

• Operating any vehicle in traffic (whether on a
  roadway or a path) requires
• Skills
• Knowledge
• Judgment

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Basic Principles

• Knowledge
• Rules of the Road
• Defensive Driving Techniques
• Judgment
• Applying Knowledge and Skills to Existing
  Conditions

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• Skills for Cycling on Neighborhood Streets
• Starting
• Steering/Balance
• Braking
• Scanning Ahead
• Judging Speed of Other Vehicles
• Scanning Behind Without Swerving
• Driving One-Handed to Signal

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• Skills for Collector Arterial Streets
• Starting
• Steering/Balance
• Braking
• Scanning Ahead
• Judging Speed of Other Vehicles
• Scanning Behind Without Swerving
• Driving One-Handed to Signal

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• Skills for Cycling on Sidepaths
• Starting
• Steering/Balance
• Braking
• Scanning Ahead
• Judging Speed of Other Vehicles
• Scanning Behind Without Swerving
• Simultaneously scanning ahead and behind
• Driving One-Handed to Signal

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Which is Safer -- the Street or the Sidewalk?
Higher Number Indicates Higher Risk of Bicyclist
Crash with a Motorist
Relative Risk of Bicycle Facility Types Source
National Bicycle Commuter Survey, William Moritz,
University of Washington, Seattle, Human Powered
Transportation Program
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Problems with Sidewalk Bikeways

• Treat bicyclists as pedestrians however,
  bicyclists are less maneuverable than pedestrians
  and therefore less able to deal with the
  conflicts experienced by pedestrians

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Problems with Sidewalk Bikeways

• Require users to scan both ahead and behind at
  intersections
• Motorists more likely to block sidepaths than
  bike lanes or wide curb lanes

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Problems with Sidewalk Bikeways

• Motorists must scan wider areas than they
  normally would
• Cyclists who choose to stay on the roadway will
  be harassed

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The Skills Myth On-Road Cycling Requires More
Skill than Sidepath Cycling

• The scanning skills necessary for cycling on a
  sidepath are MORE COMPLEX than for cycling on the
  roadway

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The Skills Myth On-Road Cycling Requires More
Skill than Sidepath Cycling

• The motorists side of the equation sidepaths
  require motorists to scan for cyclists MORE
  THOROUGHLY than on-road facilities
• This often occurs at the same time and place
  where cyclists are required to conduct more
  complex scans

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The Skills Myth On-Road Cycling Requires More
Skill than Sidepath Cycling

• For some conflicts, bicyclists on sidepaths must
  have BETTER braking or steering skills than if
  they were on the roadway

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Conflicts on Unidirectional Sidepaths Compared to
Conflicts on Roadways
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Left Turns
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Unidirectional Paths Are Not Unidirectional

• On multi-lane highways, cyclists with a
  destination a short distance away on the same
  side of the street will often avoid crossing the
  street by driving facing traffic

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Unidirectional Paths Are Not Unidirectional

• A standard five-foot unidirectional path will not
  safely accommodate two cyclists approaching
  head-on
• Who will enforce it?

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Right Turns
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Right Turns
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What are the Causes of the Most Serious Injuries?
(Daytime)
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What are the Causes of the Most Serious Injuries?
(Nighttime)
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A ChoiceGreater Increase in Perceived Safety
but with a Decrease in Real Safety (sidepath)or
aLesser Increase in Perceived Safety with an
Increase in Real Safety (bike lane or wide
curb lane)