Abstract
Transport authorities around the world have implemented a range of bicycle safety measures (minimum passing distance, helmet law, speed limit of motorized traffic, use of illumination equipment) to reduce the rate of crashes and thereby to enhance the level of cycling. However, a comparative assessment of the impacts of such interventions is rare because both the nature and time of interventions vary between jurisdictions. This paper presents an explorative study of the safety outcomes of a speed reduction policy in the Central Business Districts of two major cities in Australia (Brisbane and Melbourne). The paper used police reported historical bicycle crash data spanning over the period of 2006-2016 to evaluate the policy. Comparisons were made between before and after the implementation of the policy within a city, and between the cities using descriptive statistical analysis. Results show that the reduction of speed limits was associated with reduction in crash rates. However, the effect was more pronounced in Melbourne than in Brisbane. Challenges faced in evaluating the safety effects of the policies and the need for future research to robustly identify their impacts are discussed in this paper.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Australasian Transport Research Forum 2019 Proceedings |
Place of Publication | Canberra, ACT, Australia |
Publisher | Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications |
Number of pages | 11 |
Publication status | Published - 2019 |
Event | Australasian Transport Research Forum 2019 - Hyatt Hotel, Canberra, Australia Duration: 30 Sep 2019 → 2 Oct 2019 Conference number: 41st https://www.conferenceco.com.au/2019ATRF/ https://www.australasiantransportresearchforum.org.au/papers/2019 https://www.australasiantransportresearchforum.org.au/papers/2019 (Proceedings) |
Conference
Conference | Australasian Transport Research Forum 2019 |
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Abbreviated title | ATRF 2019 |
Country/Territory | Australia |
City | Canberra |
Period | 30/09/19 → 2/10/19 |
Internet address |
Keywords
- cycling safety policy
- speed limit reduction
- crash rate
- crash severity
- longitudinal analysis