Image Courtesy of Bike Portland.

BikePortland recently reported on a study published in Environmental Health that aggregated the results of 23 recent English language reports on bicycle crash data. In contrast to what some (including the [update] former Dallas Bike Coordinator) say, the report found that bicycle infrastructure such as bike lanes and bike paths were safer for cyclists than riding on the road in traffic. Most interesting, riding on sidewalks or multi-use paths was found to be more dangerous than riding on the road in traffic, especially when going opposite the traffic flow.

So called vehicular cyclists have claimed there is no need for bicycle infrastructure since it is just as safe to ride on the road. This report appears to contradict that assumption. The other issue I’ve had with the vehicular cycling theory is that it ignores one of the top concerns of the casual or potential transportation cyclists: fear of traffic. These type of riders if they make it out on the road at all will tend to move to the sidewalks any time they start feeling uncomfortable. These are just the sort of riders we need to attract to the bicycle if we are going to get fewer people driving cars for all their errands. This study would seem to point to the idea that we are making the roads more dangerous to all users by not including good bicycle infrastructure.

Also noted in the report was the lack of number of bicycle infrastructure studies compared to the number of studies on helmet use when researching safety. Missing as well was studies of newer infrastructure devices such as bike boxes, sharrows, and traffic calming. The fact that we have an entire industry making money selling us hard shell mop tops has nothing to do with this discrepancy at all, I’m sure.

The study co-author Meghan Winters said, “One of the major advantages of infrastructure-based improvements, compared to personal protective devices such as helmets, is that safe infrastructure provides population-wide protection for all cyclists.”

Or to quote BikeSnobNYC, “in Europe…their governments put the safety all around cyclists in the form of a bicycle infrastructure instead of concentrating it in tiny pieces of styrofoam and forcing riders to put it on their heads.”

Related posts:

1. Vehicular cycling versus bike lanes: why they are both right, both wrong and why bike boulevards matter ...
2. Portland study finds drivers and cyclists 50/50 at fault in accidents ...
3. Wanting more cyclists on the road? Look to what women want ...
4. Bike Infrastructure: What we can learn from Seattle ...
5. City Staff on DIY Bike Lanes: Leave the painting to the professionals ...