Researching cycling safety : using cyclists perceptions and other measures to make recommendations for Sandy Bay, Tasmania

The promotion of safety for cycling is a significant strategy in order to encourage use of the bicycle as a mode of daily transport. Black spots, cyclists' perceptions of danger and bicycle suitability criteria have been used in many other places to assist identifying locations requiring improvement for safer cycling. It is not clear that these criteria and perceptions can actually identify where bicycle accidents are likely to occur, when black spots are excluded from the process. Finding the relationship between the number of bicycle accidents and cyclists' perceptions of danger is an aim of this study. Using their own perception of danger, only 3% of cyclists could predict the occurrence of bicycle accidents at intersections, while 26% could predict the occurrence of bicycle accidents on street sections. Therefore, on street sections, cyclists' perception of danger is a useful clement in order to anticipate the bicycle accident rate. Cyclists' perceptions are only one indicator of the locations where bicycle accidents are likely to occur: other factors require further investigation. The Sandy Bay area has the highest rate of bicycle commuters in Hobart, Tasmania. With the potential to increase bicycle use if safer environments are provided. A questionnaire undertaken by the author shows that around 86% of cyclists think some streets within the study area are dangerous. GIS was used to identify the bicycle accident places and the dangerous locations. The most dangerous streets, known from records of accidents publicly available, were Sandy Bay Road, Regent Street, and Churchill Avenue. Cyclists also said that these needed most improvement for safer cycling. The creation of bicycle lanes, especially on Sandy Bay Road, Regent Street, and Churchill Avenue, was the major requirement. Street-based fieldwork was undertaken to measure the width of these three streets and their footpaths. The width of Sandy Bay Road and Churchill Avenue within the study area can accommodate dedicated bicycle lanes on both sides, but not Regent Street. In spite of this recommendation, the most effective method found to date has been the reduction of speed limits for all vehicles to 30 km/h, as in many European countries, but not in Australia.