Identifying Risk Factors for Cyclists in the Australian Capital Territory
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NATURALISTIC CYCLING STUDY: IDENTIFYING RISK FACTORS FOR CYCLISTS IN THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY by Marilyn Johnson Derek Chong Justin Carroll Rod Katz Jennie Oxley Judith Charlton September, 2014 Report No. 322 MONASH UNIVERSITY ACCIDENT RESEARCH CENTRE REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Report No. Date ISBN ISSN Pages 322 September 2014 0-7326-2392-8 1835-4815 (online) 77 Title and sub-title: Naturalistic cycling study: identifying risk factors for cyclists in the Australian Capital Territory Authors: Marilyn Johnson, Derek Chong, Justin Carroll, Rod Katz, Jennie Oxley, Judith Charlton Sponsoring Organisation(s): This project was funded by a research grant received from the NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust. The study was conducted and this final report was written exclusively by the named authors and has not been endorsed and is not guaranteed by the NRMA-ACT Trustees. Abstract: The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has the highest cycling participation rate in Australia; however it also has one of the highest rates of cyclist serious injury. In this study, the behaviour of cyclists and their interaction with drivers was investigated to identify ways to improve cyclist safety. A naturalistic cycling study was conducted using helmet mounted video cameras with a GPS data logger. The study included an online survey and in-depth exit interviews. In total, 36 participants completed the study from September 2011 to April 2012. Participants recorded over 460 hours of video footage of their commute to and from work over a distance of almost 9,000km. In total, 91 potential conflict events were identified that involved the cyclist and another road user. The majority of the events involved the cyclist and a driver and were due to actions by the driver. Drivers turning left across the cyclist’s path and unexpectedly opened vehicle doors were the most common interactions. Cyclists recorded an average speed of 22.7km/h and a maximum speed of 56km/h. Data on cyclists’ speed provides new insights into how cyclists travel, particularly on-road and when interacting with other road users. Potential countermeasures and recommendations to improve safety for cyclists in the ACT are also discussed. Key Words: Disclaimer Cyclist safety, cyclist-driver interaction, This report is disseminated in the interest of information naturalistic cycling study exchange. The views expressed here are those of the authors, and not necessarily those of Monash University Reproduction of this page is authorised Monash University Accident Research Centre, Building 70, Clayton Campus, Victoria, 3800, Australia. Telephone: +61 3 9905 4371, Fax: +61 3 9905 4363 NATURALISTIC CYCLING STUDY IN THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY 1 Preface Project Manager: Marilyn Johnson MUARC Institute of Transport Studies, Monash University Amy Gillett Foundation Research Team: Derek Chong University of Melbourne Justin Carroll MUARC Rod Katz Amy Gillett Foundation Jennie Oxley MUARC Judith Charlton MUARC Ethics Statement Research protocols were reviewed and approved by the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee on 23 September 2010, reference number: CF10/2057 – 2010001141. NATURALISTIC CYCLING STUDY IN THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY 2 Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................... 5 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 8 1.1. AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY (ACT) ................................................................... 9 1.2. SAFE SYSTEM APPROACH ............................................................................................... 10 1.2.1. Safer road users ............................................................................................................ 10 1.2.2. Safer roads and roadsides ............................................................................................ 12 1.2.3. Safer vehicles ............................................................................................................... 12 1.2.4. Safer speeds ................................................................................................................. 12 2. STUDY DESIGN ........................................................................................................... 13 2.1. VIDEO RECORDINGS ......................................................................................................... 13 2.1.1. Compact video camera ................................................................................................. 13 2.1.2. GPS data logger ........................................................................................................... 14 2.2. EXIT INTERVIEWS ............................................................................................................. 14 2.3. ONLINE SURVEY ................................................................................................................ 14 2.4. PARTICIPANTS ................................................................................................................... 14 2.4.1. Study induction ............................................................................................................ 14 2.5. DATA ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................ 14 2.5.1. Video data .................................................................................................................... 15 2.5.2. GPS data ...................................................................................................................... 16 2.6. EXIT INTERVIEWS ............................................................................................................. 17 2.7. SURVEYS ............................................................................................................................. 17 3. RESULTS ..................................................................................................................... 18 3.1. CHARACTERISTICS OF PARTICIPANTS ........................................................................ 18 3.1.1. Travel characteristics of participants ........................................................................... 19 3.1.2. Cycling characteristics of participants ......................................................................... 19 3.2. VIDEO AND GPS DATA ..................................................................................................... 21 3.2.1. Total time and distance recorded ................................................................................. 21 3.2.2. Trip routes .................................................................................................................... 21 3.3. CRASH-RELATED EVENTS............................................................................................... 22 3.3.1. Location of events ........................................................................................................ 24 3.4. SPEED OF CYCLISTS ......................................................................................................... 27 3.4.1. Speed at events............................................................................................................. 28 3.5. COMPARISON OF ACT AND MELBOURNE NATURALISTIC CYCLING STUDY DATA ...................................................................................................................... 29 3.6. SAFER CYCLING IN THE ACT .......................................................................................... 31 3.6.1. Safer road users ............................................................................................................ 31 3.6.2. Safer roads and roadsides ............................................................................................ 42 3.6.3. Safer speed ................................................................................................................... 49 3.6.4. Safer vehicles ............................................................................................................... 50 4. DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................ 52 4.1. CYCLIST SAFETY CONCERNS AND POTENTIAL COUNTERMEASURES ............... 52 4.1.1. Safer road users ............................................................................................................ 52 4.1.2. Safer roads and roadsides ............................................................................................ 58 4.1.3. Safer speed ................................................................................................................... 60 4.1.4. Safer vehicles ............................................................................................................... 61 4.1.5. Comparisons between the ACT and Melbourne naturalistic cycling studies .............. 63 NATURALISTIC CYCLING STUDY IN THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY 3 4.2. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS .................................................................................... 64 5. CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................. 65 6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ 66 7. REFERENCES .............................................................................................................