Study Finds Bicycle Infrastructure Reduces Risk of Cycling Injuries

With Vancouver’s Bike to Work Week coming near, the University of British Columbia has just released a new study that cites bicycle infrastructure as playing an important role in decreasing cycling accidents. The study was published in the American Journal of Public Health.

The study analyzed 690 cycling injuries from 2008 to 2009 in the Toronto and Vancouver areas. In the study, researchers looked at bicycle infrastructure and various route types involved.

 

Here’s more from the University of British Columbia news release:

The greatest risk to cyclists occurs when they share major streets with parked cars, with no bike lanes present — like on Broadway in Vancouver or Dundas Street in Toronto. Without a designated space on the road, cyclists face a heightened risk of injury from moving cars and car doors opening, according to the study.

In contrast, infrastructure designed for cyclists — including bike lanes on major streets without parked cars, residential street bike routes, and off-street bike paths — carries about half the risk, while cycle tracks (physically separated bike lanes) carries the lowest injury risk for cyclists, at about one-tenth the risk.

Reducing bike accidents and car accidents should be the priority of all drivers, according to Christensen & Hymas car accident attorneys.

Image Credit: cyclist at night by Miss Jo|我是周小姐 (some rights reserved)

This post was retroactively sponsored by Nifty Marketing

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *