2026 Volume 12 Issue 2 Pages A_149-A_156
In Japan, as the use of medium speed modes of transportation, such as bicycles, has gained attention, the number of users of e-scooters has increased due to a partial revision of the Road Traffic Act in July 2023. In the future, as such medium speed modes of transportation become more widespread and begin to use the current bicycle lanes, it is expected that traffic congestion and the number of traffic accidents will also increase. In this study, we examined the coexistence of automobiles and medium speed modes on roads, focusing on intersection shapes, and conducted micro-traffic simulations to evaluate smoothness and safety. The results revealed that as the volume of medium speed mode traffic increases, the smoothness and safety of Japanese-style intersections decline. From the perspective of smoothness for both automobiles and medium speed modes, North American-style intersections are more suitable, while European-style intersections are more appropriate from the perspective of safety.
