Operational and Safety Impacts for Bicyclists Using Roadways with On-Street Parking

(PI: Randy Machemehl, CoPIs: Chandra Bhat and Ian Hallett)

On-street parking presents cyclists with significant risks of collision with opening car doors and exiting vehicles. As a result, some cyclists may be expending extra time and effort to avoid a bicycle facility with on-street parking. In this project, the researchers collected and analyzed field data from sites in Texas with bicycle facilities and on-street parking. The data include indicators of the operational and safety level of the roadway for cyclists and motorists. Analysis of these data provide tools for predicting how these indicators vary with elements of the roadway environment – for example, how a change in bicycle lane width or turnover of parked vehicles affects the observed clearance between parked vehicles and cyclists. In addition to the field observations, data was obtained from a web-based survey of cyclists to likewise analyze how elements in the roadway environments and characteristics of cyclists affect route choices. Based on the analysis of data from the survey and the field, the researchers developed guidelines for planning bicycle facilities that offer high levels of safety and service and that will attract bicycle traffic. The design guidelines will differentiate between on-street parking in residential areas, where cyclists may ride in large gaps between intermittently spaced parked vehicles, and parking in commercial areas.