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Installing bike lanes along roads reduce traffic speed by 28%, study shows
To tackle road accidents, researchers came up with a solution, that’s not just proven effective, but is also great for the environment.
Thousands of people die from fatal crashes every year. The study published in The Journal of Urban Mobility last month found that their technique to reduce the speed of motor vehicles also had a “traffic calming” effect.
Scientists install bike lanes along busy roads
Most fatal accidents occur when cars and other heavy vehicles traveling at high-speed crash into one another or pedestrians. The researchers realized that installing bike lanes by the road could save lives.
To conduct the study, researchers created a temporary bike lane on Cookman and Asbury Avenues in Asbury Park, New Jersey. They chose the location because drivers heading to the Atlantic Ocean beach often turn right at the intersection’s traffic light, to go from Cookman onto Asbury.
However, the drivers wouldn’t always stop before making a turn, thus increasing the risk of hazardous conditions. The team made sure to survey cyclists, scooter riders, and pedestrians using the temporary bike lanes. The respondents were happy to have them installed after seeing their impact on the traffic speed.
The study aims to contribute to the development of new traffic policies or the reversal of older ones to address pedestrian deaths nationwide.
Smart idea proves effective
The findings of the study related to traffic speed are truly impressive, with a drastic reduction in the speed of the vehicles in the proximity to the bike lanes. The team highlighted the lanes with orange road cones for more visibility.
Science Daily reports that the team saw “a 28 percent reduction in average maximum speeds and a 21 percent decrease in average speeds for vehicles turning right.” The researchers used computer vision techniques to classify the speed and trajectory of more than 9,000 motor vehicles. Data from before and after the cycle lane installation were compared to see the difference
Meanwhile, there was a small speed reduction of about 8 percent on vehicles that drove straight without making a turn at the intersection. Even drivers moving at a perpendicular angle to the bike lane didn’t slow down.
