Hmm partly this - largely due to the very different operating parameters
for foot and cycle traffic - on foot you have fastest acceleration of
almost any other road user from 0-3mph and certainly the best
deceleration rate, from 3mph to 0mph almost on the spot, Pedestrians can
execute a 180 degree turn on the spot and have no requirement of a
minimum turning radius as individuals (crowd flows can be a bit different).
Thus a pedestrian environment can survives the lack of design commonly
seen, as visibility splays are relatively unimportant when you can dodge
someone emerging from a 'blind ' doorway.
Introduce cyclists to this environment and you have real problems, and
huge potential for crashing. Interesting detail though that in the TRL
study one conclusion was that a cyclist walking a bike was more likely
to be collided with than a cyclist riding on foot you are perceived as a
pedestrian and the extension fore & aft below waist heinght becomes
'invisible' on a bike the image is 'cyclist' and the machine is
included in the spacial assessment.
Dave
On 11/05/12 15:38, Ian Perry wrote:
> Hi Dave,
>
> Could the collision rate on footways and cycleways be higher than on
> roads due to a lack of visibility? I've been hit by a child cyclist
> who came round a corner and straight into me... giving neither of us
> chance to move out of the way.
>
> Footways and cycleways safety is compromised by obstructions such as
> bollards and benches (although normally fewer potholes than roads) and
> sometimes from over hanging trees and bushes.
>
> As pedestrians we often "do a little dance" when we meet someone and
> don't know which side to pass them on (though I am told this not the
> case in Germany!). Whilst most cyclists would naturally keep to the
> left (unless like me, you have cycled a lot in the Netherlands and get
> awfully confused), if there are obstructions, or the cyclist is a
> child there is a possibility of the cyclist thinking like a
> pedestrian... but on a bicycle, you can't step sideways. And there is
> the possibility that a pedestrian might make a decision to step into
> the path of a cyclist - or their dog might cross the path of the
> cyclist when on a lead...
>
>
>
>
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