New Research from Canada: Cycle Tracks ARE the Safest Places to Ride

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/10/dedicated-bike-lan...

"A major city street with parked cars and no bike lanes is just about the most dangerous place you could ride a bike. All the big threats are there: open car doors, bad parallel parkers, passing cabs and public transit."

A new study from Canada finds that a cycle track, separated from motorized vehicles, is the safest place for cyclists, bar none.

 

 

 

Here's the abstract from the referenced study by Teschke, et al.:

"Objectives. We compared cycling injury risks of 14 route types and other route infrastructure features.

"Methods. We recruited 690 city residents injured while cycling in Toronto or Vancouver, Canada. A case-crossover design compared route infrastructure at each injury site to that of a randomly selected control site from the same trip.

"Results. Of 14 route types, cycle tracks had the lowest risk (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.11; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.02, 0.54), about one ninth the risk of the reference: major streets with parked cars and no bike infrastructure. Risks on major streets were lower without parked cars (adjusted OR = 0.63; 95% CI = 0.41, 0.96) and with bike lanes (adjusted OR = 0.54; 95% CI = 0.29, 1.01). Local streets also had lower risks (adjusted OR = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.31, 0.84). Other infrastructure characteristics were associated with increased risks: streetcar or train tracks (adjusted OR = 3.0; 95% CI = 1.8, 5.1), downhill grades (adjusted OR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.7, 3.1), and construction (adjusted OR = 1.9; 95% CI = 1.3, 2.9).

"Conclusions. The lower risks on quiet streets and with bike-specific infrastructure along busy streets support the route-design approach used in many northern European countries. Transportation infrastructure with lower bicycling injury risks merits public health support to reduce injuries and promote cycling. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print October 18, 2012: e1-e8. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2012.300762)"

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Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on October 22, 2012 at 8:56am

I just read it online for free here:

http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2012.300762?j...

This has caused quite a flurry of activity over on the "Cyclists Are Drivers" Facebook group, which is made up of Vehicular Cyclists, many of whom are traffic engineers.  Struggling to explain these results, which run counter to the "drive a bike just like a car" VC orthodoxy, they explain it as:

1) This research was done by medical doctors who know nothing of traffic crash causes. (a quick read of the authors' titles seems to indicate a mix of specialties, so I think this is proven false.)

2) The research selected only cyclists who had been injured badly enough to go to an emergency room, so of course these crappy cyclists are better off in a cycle track. (the old John Forester canard of "competent" vs "incompetent" cyclists)

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on October 22, 2012 at 9:06am

Oops, sorry, I just checked and you're right; only the abstract is available free.  Rats.

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on October 22, 2012 at 9:12am

Bicycle Infrastructure Can Reduce Risk of Cycling Injuries by Half, Canadian Study Finds

ScienceDaily (Oct. 18, 2012) — Certain types of routes carry much lower risk of injury for cyclists, according to a new University of British Columbia study on the eve of Vancouver's Bike to Work Week.

The study, published today in the American Journal of Public Health, analyzed the cause of 690 cycling injuries in Vancouver and Toronto from 2008 to 2009 and various route types and infrastructure.

The greatest risk to cyclists occurs when they share major streets with parked cars, with no bike lanes present -- like on Broadway in Vancouver or Dundas Street in Toronto. Without a designated space on the road, cyclists face a heightened risk of injury from moving cars and car doors opening, according to the study.

In contrast, infrastructure designed for cyclists -- including bike lanes on major streets without parked cars, residential street bike routes, and off-street bike paths -- carries about half the risk, while cycle tracks (physically separated bike lanes) carries the lowest injury risk for cyclists, at about one-tenth the risk.

"Cycle tracks and other bike-specific infrastructure are prevalent in the cycling cities of Northern Europe, but have been slow to catch on in North America," says Kay Teschke, a professor in UBC's School of Population and Public Health and lead author of the study. "Adoption of safer route infrastructure would prevent crashes from occurring in the first place, while encouraging cycling. Since cycling offers major health benefits, this is a win-win."

Teschke says that increased injury risk also exists with streetcar or train tracks, and where there is construction. "There is renewed interest in streetcars for urban transportation, and the associated tracks were found to be particularly hazardous for cyclists," she adds. "There is also higher risk when construction impacts road traffic. Safe detours for cyclists need to be provided."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121018162207.htm#

Another summary of the study.

Permalink Reply by Gopher Biker on October 22, 2012 at 9:33am
Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on October 22, 2012 at 9:36am

Yep, the study was only just released and it will be interesting to see if it stands up to scrutiny.  If it does, this is a pretty important finding, as it will justify cities' spending on cycle infrastructure.  Which is probably why CDOT shared it on Facebook this morning.

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on October 22, 2012 at 10:12am

Nah, the journal is sneaky.  Click on "pdf" and you get this  (they really want your $22):

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Gopher Biker said:

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