It may seem obvious that people who cycle prefer separated bicycle lanes – the interesting fact is that drivers also prefer streets with separated bicycle lanes.
The Tagesspiegel newspaper in Germany surveyed over 21,000 people about how safe they feel on streets, and identified that drivers feel safer when people who cycle are separated into a protected bicycle lane.
This result matches the feeling of safety reported by people cycling. Most people feel much safer when in a protected bicycle lane.
The survey also asked respondents to consider the effect of an adjacent lane of parked cars. Interestingly, this image shows the design that the City of Yarra is trialling on Elizabeth Street.
This survey adds further evidence that a network of protected bicycle lanes are a win-win for people who cycle and people who drive. Let’s build the infrastructure in Yarra so that everyone feels safe on our streets.
The full article can be accessed in German, or using a Google translation into English.
Published 15th July 2020. Image corrected on 16th July 2020.